ABI Business Day in Des Moines TOMORROW - Monday Memo 3/6/23
March 6, 2023
Big Day of ABI Events Tomorrow: Business Day in Des Moines, March Board Meeting
As I note every year about this time, ABI has been very busy hosting many events and meetings of late. And, as always, that’s good; if the association is fulfilling its mission, we better be busy (and even more importantly, productive).
Tomorrow is a big day for ABI, as the association will host a brand new event, the inaugural Business Day in Des Moines. At the event, which will be held at Embassy Suites Des Moines Downtown in Des Moines’ East Village, ABI members will hear from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, House Speaker Pat Grassley, Senate Majority leader Jack Whitver, Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls, and House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst. These are the top officials in Iowa and they will all be on hand to speak with you in person.
Popular ABI member Kavi Chawla (Baton Global, Des Moines) and ABI team members Nicole Crain, JD Davis, and Brad Hartkopf round out Business Day in Des Moines. Click here for more information: Summary - Business Day in Des Moines (cvent.com). A crowd approaching 200, dwarfing the typical crowd of the previous annual event known as Day on the Hill, has registered for the event. See you next tomorrow!
Your attendance at Business Day in Des Moines, and at the March meeting of the ABI Board of Directors that follows, is greatly appreciated. On behalf of ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) thank you in advance for your participation.
Rescheduled Cobot Automation Summit Thursday in Algona
Due to the inclement weather that hit Iowa a couple of weeks ago, ABI’s Cobot Automation Summit had to be postponed two weeks. The summit will now be held this Thursday, March 9th. It will take place on the campus of Iowa Lakes Community College in Algona. ABI is partnering with the college and member company Kinetic Technologies to produce this high-value seminar. The session will provide an informative and interactive program about bringing automation to your company and lunch will be served. The summit is almost sold-out (we’ve actually ADDED people with the rescheduling), but there is still time to register. Click here for more information and to register: Summary - Cobot Automation Summit (cvent.com).
Next Legislative Update Friday
Periodically throughout the legislative session, ABI lobbyists host a Zoom meeting to give you the very latest information from the Statehouse. Updates on bills, legislative proposals, state actions, and other matters are covered in each call. Your specific questions about those topics are also very much welcomed.
The next call will be held this Friday, March 10th, at 8:00 a.m. and you and your employees are encouraged to participate. The members-only call is free as a part of your ABI membership, but please register at Legislative Update (Members Only) | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
2023 ABI Workers Compensation Seminar March 28
The 2023 edition of ABI's biennial Workers Compensation Seminar will be held later this month. The seminar will be held at the ABI office on Tuesday, March 28. The seminar will include the latest information on the status of workers compensation and what it means for your company. The program will also include other information, such as best-practice data from other companies. Click here for more information and to register: Summary - Workers' Compensation Seminar (cvent.com). I look forward to seeing your HR, risk management, or other staff members at the seminar.
Make you’re Conference, Lodging Reservations Now; TWO HOTELS ALREADY SOLD-OUT
ABI members and staff are heavy into planning for the association’s 120th annual convention. The 2023 Taking Care of Business Conference will be held June 13-15 in Cedar Rapids and it is shaping up to be a spectacular event.
Many ABI members have already made their reservations for the conference. In fact, two of the conference hotels, the DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex and the Hilton Garden Inn Cedar Rapids, are already sold-out! Plenty of other great options remain, however. Additional hotels will be added to the conference website soon. You’ll once again be able go to https://www.iowaabi.org/events/annual-conference/ and take care of your lodging reservation. That link will provide you with information about lodging and information about the conference agenda and speakers, information about terrific venues and special events, and other information. Perhaps most importantly, you can also register for the convention.
All the information you need is on this website. Or, if you wish to have the ABI staff handle your conference reservation, simply reply to this email message and I’ll make sure it gets handled. See you in Cedar Rapids in June!
Leadership Iowa University to be held in August; Nominate Your Summer Interns/Students to Participate
Leadership Iowa University (LIU), a program of the ABI Foundation, will be held August 6-10 in the Des Moines area. Any student currently enrolled in an Iowa college or university is eligible to participate, and more information can be found by visiting www.LeadershipIowaUniversity.com.
The program seeks to develop college students as a foundation for Iowa’s economic growth. These students will be tomorrow’s workforce, so continuing to educate them on community and state initiatives is of utmost interest to statewide business and industry.
LIU provides high-quality speakers and terrific networking events that help participants find careers right here in Iowa. Many ABI leaders will participate in LIU events throughout the week and that support is deeply appreciated as well. Please watch for more information and updates about LIU in the coming months.
ABI Board to Meet at Express Logistics in May
The May meeting of the ABI Board of Directors will be held at ABI member Express Logistics in Urbandale on Wednesday, May 10. Express Logistics is easy to get to off I-80/35 and plenty of free parking is available. We are working on some special components that will make the May meeting a great one. Please watch for more information.
Waverly LI Session Big Success; LI CONNECT and ABI Statewide Leaders Events Ahead
The 2022-2023 Leadership Iowa Class held its latest session last week in Waverly. The class heard from an incredible array of terrific speakers in a session focused on education in Iowa.
Another LI event, the latest in the LI CONNECT series of programs, is coming up on March 22nd. Focusing on business-education partnerships, it will be held by Zoom at 8:30 a.m. on that date. Click here for more information: LI CONNECT: Business-Education Partnerships | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
Finally, LI will be a part of the next Connecting Statewide Leader programs. That program will be held April 13 in Sioux City. A popular ABI speaker will provide the program: Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham. As you can guess, the event will focus on economic development in Iowa. Click here for more information and to register: Agenda - Connecting Statewide Leaders - Sioux City (cvent.com). These programs are ways to gain information and connect with your fellow ABI members, Leadership Iowa Class members, and others.
Weekly NAM report Filled with Positive Manufacturing Data
Today’s edition of the Monday Economic Report, published, by the National Association of Manufacturers, is filled with positive manufacturing data. Here is a quote from the report: “Even amid numerous challenges in the global outlook, the manufacturing sector continues to show signs of resilience...” As always, please respond to this memo if you would like to see the report and I’ll get it to you at once.
It’s 125 Years for International Paper, Company Announces Rebranding
Another longtime ABI member is celebrating a big anniversary in 2023. International Paper turns 125 years old this year! That is a century and a quarter of growth and success. To mark the occasion, IP launched a rebranding and you can read more about that here: International Paper | International Paper Announces Rebrand on 125th Anniversary (q4web.com). Congratulations to everyone at IP, including ABI Board Member Gretchen Spear (International Paper, Cedar Rapids)!
Iowa SBA Office Receives Awards
ABI partners with other organizations whenever it can and always with a focus on serving members. One of those partners is the Iowa office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Last week, it was announced the Iowa SBA Director Jayne Armstrong and her office were the recipients of two different awards for serving Iowa business borrowers. Congratulations to Jayne and her team and we thank them for their work. If you wish to know more about this matter, please reply to this message and I’ll get you more information at once.
It’s Wedding Bells for Kelsey and Colton
North Carolina native Kelsey Smith joined ABI a little over a year ago. Since then, her work as ABI Marketing and Communications Director has been terrific and she is a key part of the ABI team. Well, this past Saturday was a big day for Kelsey, as she and Colton O’Connor were married back home in North Carolina. Kelsey was a beautiful bride and the wedding was spectacular, with much joy all around. The O’Connor’s will be at home in West Des Moines, with their dog, Paddy Puppy, later today. Congratulations to Kelsey and Colton and best wishes for many wonderful years together!