ABI Board to Meet in January - Monday Memo 12/21/20
December 21, 2020
First ABI Board Meeting of 2021 on January 13; Virtual Legislative Briefing Follows
January 13 is the date for the first meeting of the ABI Board of Directors in the new year. ABI Chair Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine) will convene the meeting via Zoom at 2:00 that afternoon.
As you know, the board meeting and the annual legislative briefing and reception were scheduled to be held in-person on that day. For the health and safety of everyone involved, ABI made the discussion last month to move the board meeting, the executive committee meeting that precedes it, and the briefing that follows it, to a virtual setting. The reception has been postponed and will be held at a later date.
Please makes plans now to participate in the board meeting and the briefing. You will receive the usual meeting information by email about a week in advance of the meeting. And, please register for the virtual briefing. Click here to do so: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/236-virtual-legislative-briefing-members-only/. Thank you in advance for participating in this event. On behalf of Steven and our other ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you on January 13.
ABI Closely Monitoring COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment; Advocating for Business
If you are following ABI publications, you know that ABI is working hard to lead the way with regard to issues involving COVID-19 vaccine deployment in Iowa. This is an important issue and one in which our team is heavily involved.
In answer to your questions, let me provide the following. 1) We expect Iowa production workers to be among the first to qualify for vaccination in the next tier of deployment. 2) Due to the public health emergency represented by the COVID-19 virus, most legal experts indicate that businesses can require employees to be vaccinated (exceptions for health and religious reasons exist). 3) Experts advise businesses to leave other mitigations in place. Don’t be in a hurry to remove masks, physical barriers, restrictions on gatherings, requirements to sanitize hands and surfaces, and others. 4). COMMUNICATE every step of the way with employees regarding the safety of vaccines, plans and procedures, etc. 5) Begin now to plan for vaccination and work with a partner (local health center, a pharmacy, or some other entity) if necessary.
Please continue to watch for the latest information in the weekly ABI eNewsletter, this weekly memorandum, and in other ABI publications. If you have specific questions, please contact me or another member of the staff and we’ll get you an answer. In the meantime, thank you for all you are doing to keep your employees safe and healthy.
Quarterly ABI Iowa Business Survey Results Now Out
The latest ABI Quarterly Iowa Economic Survey has now closed and the results show ABI leaders are optimistic about the upcoming quarter. You can find a link to the survey results press release here: https://www.iowaabi.org/news/press-releases/iowa-manufacturers-expect-strong-start-to-new-year/. THANK YOU for your participation in the survey.
New Board Member Orientations Conclude
With the conclusion of a virtual meeting last Tuesday with Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City), orientations with newly-elected ABI board members have been completed. Thank you to Chad and fellow new board members Garrett Burchett (Mississippi River Distilling Company, Le Claire), Jack Carra (LMC Insurance and Risk Management, West Des Moines), Kevin Lentz (Anthologic, West Des Moines), Mike Lovell (Meredith Corporation, Des Moines), and Bill McKim (Midland Power Cooperative, Jefferson). Please join me in congratulating these new board members, who will participate in their first meeting next month.
This Week’s Iowa Business Report Radio Program Focus: Upcoming General Assembly
As you know, the Iowa Business Report radio program is broadcast weekly on stations all over Iowa. The program is the result of a great partnership between well-known Iowa broadcaster Jeff Stein and ABI.
In this week’s episode, Jeff interviews ABI policy team members JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf. The interview focuses on the 2021 session of the Iowa General Assembly and on ABI policy priorities. It’s a great interview. Jeff also shares information related to COVID-19 vaccination issues. Thank you to ABI Advisory Council Member Bridget Penick (Fredrikson & Byron, Des Moines) for providing the information.
As always, there are other terrific features, too. If you missed the latest episode, you can click here to listen for yourself: http://iowabusinessreport.buzzsprout.com/. Links can also be found on the ABI website at https://www.iowaabi.org/news/iowa-business-report/.
Leadership Iowa Class to Meet
The 2020-2021 Leadership Iowa Class is expected to hold its fourth session January 13-15. As is usual, the January session will focus on state government.
While I believe a final decision will be made by LI leaders this week, my expectation is that class members will meet by Zoom. What is certain is that the class will hear from some terrific speakers. And, we look forward to having the class join the virtual ABI Legislative Briefing as well.
NAM Reports Good News in Economic Data
This week’s Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, has already arrived in my in-box and it carries good news. Several economic data points are trending upward and growth in 2021 is expected. As the year winds down, this is good news indeed. As always, if you wish to read the report for yourself, simply reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
Kathryn Kunert Highlighted in Quad-Cities Business Journal
ABI Board Member Kathryn Kunert (MidAmerican Energy Company, Des Moines) was highlighted in Insight magazine. Insight is the business journal of the Quad Cities. Please contact me if you wish to see the article and I’ll get it to you at once.
Kathryn was featured in an article in which Quad Cities business leaders discussed the past year and the coming year, as well as issues that would be on the forefront in 2022. Congratulations on the great coverage, Kathryn!
CRDC Holds 67th Annual Meeting; LyondellBasell Honored
At a virtual meeting originated in Clinton last Wednesday, members of the Clinton Regional Development Corporation, a longtime ABI member, held their 67th annual meeting. A great ABI member was recognized at the meeting.
Longtime ABI member LyondellBasell was honored with the CRDC’s 2020 Community Impact Award. There were many factors that led to the award, but a huge gift to the Clinton Food Pantry to aid those in need was a big part of the award. Congratulations to everyone at the company, including longtime ABI Board Member Rich Phelan (LyondellBasell, Clinton)!
Paycheck Protection Program Webinar of Value; Your Ideas Wanted
Last Tuesday, ABI hosted a webinar regarding the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. It was well attended and feedback indicates ABI members found value in the information shared.
The webinar was the latest ABI event that came about because a member suggested it. One thing we focus on at ABI is to listening to our customers (our members). If we aren’t producing a program about something and you believe it would be useful to do so, please let us hear from you. YOUR ideas ALWAYS matter to us.
I won’t name the member that suggested the PPP webinar, but I am grateful to that person. Again, please let us hear from you if you need something from us. We’ll work hard to act on your counsel/request.
ABI Office Closed Thursday and Friday and January 1; Last Memo of the Year
Due to the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the ABI office will be closed Thursday and Friday (December 24 and 25) and again on the following Friday, January 1. Many ABI staff members, myself included, will be taking some vacation at various times over the next two weeks. Staff members have worked hard and I hope you will join me in thanking them for their work. As always, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is the one time all year that the ABI Monday Memo is not published. Your next Memo will arrive in your email in-basket on the 4th of January.
As I noted in the final memo each of the last few years, at this time of year it is natural to reflect on the past 12 months. Especially in this year of the second global pandemic in ABI’s history, I am proud of the accomplishments to which you have led us. Much has been achieved; so much more lies ahead. On a personal level, I know how fortunate I am that you have given me the opportunity to work for you and with some great colleagues. I never, ever take that for granted. I am deeply grateful and I thank you. Very best wishes to you, your family, and your company for the coming year.