ABI in Cedar Valley This Week - Monday Memo 4/1/19

April 1, 2019

April Executive Committee Teleconference Next Week; Board to Meet May 8 in Iowa City

ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) and members of the association’s Executive Committee will hold their regularly-scheduled April meeting by teleconference a week from Wednesday (April 10).  The committee will work through the usual reports and metrics. 

These and other issues will also be on the agenda for the next meeting of the ABI Board of Directors.  The board will meet next month, on Wednesday, May 8.  Your participation in this meeting is essential in order for the association to take action on many important items.  It will be the final meeting of the board prior to the 2019 annual conference. 

The May board meeting will be held at MERGE in Iowa City.  In a special feature, the board will convene at noon for lunch at MidWestOne Bank in downtown Iowa City and then head nearby to MERGE from there. Detailed information will be included in the board packet that you will receive about a week in advance of the meeting. 

On behalf of David and our other officers, I look forward to seeing you in Iowa City in May. 

Join ABI in the Cedar Valley this Thursday; Hear Legislative Update Friday

ABI is hosting two high-value programs in Cedar Falls and Waterloo on April 4.  A Connecting Statewide Leaders event and a business value seminar are both on tap.  Both will be great programs.  Please click here for more information: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/2019-04-04/.  

On the following day, this Friday (April 5), you and your staff can participate in the next ABI Legislative Update Teleconference.  That call will be held at 8:00 a.m.  The call is free as a part of your ABI membership, but please register at https://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/140-abi-members-only-legislative-conference-call/.  Get the latest news from the Iowa Statehouse from ABI’s award-winning public policy team. 

Work Continues for Terrific 2019 Convention; Hundreds of Attendees Already Registered

ABI’s 116th Annual Convention will be held in Ames in two months.  The convention, the 2019 Taking Care of Business Conference, will be held June 4-6.  

Registrations are pouring in, with nearly 200 people already registered.  You will want to finalize your plans now to join your ABI colleagues in June.  Go to the association’s website at www.iowaabi.org and click on the front page link to the convention website.  You’ll find more information and you can register right now.  

As you have read in previous editions of this memo, there are some absolutely terrific speakers and venues in store for conference attendees that make the 2019 ABI Convention a must-see event.  Again, register and make your lodging reservations now.  See you in Ames on June 4! 

ABI to Host Sales Program Next Week

ABI member company Sandler Training is producing a sales program on April 9th.  This 90-minute seminar will take place at ABI, which is co-sponsoring the event.  

You will want to send your sales team to this high-value event.  Overcoming price objections, closing more business at higher margins, controlling the sales call, and learning the winning sales behavior are just a few of the strategic sales components that will be covered in the program.  Go now to https://www.karlschaphorst.sandler.com/events to find more information and register. 

Still Time to Register, Attend Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference

There is still time for your environmental and compliance staff members to register and attend the Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference.  The conference will be held later this month, on April 23-24.  The conference location is the Kansas City Convention Center in downtown Kansas City.  While ABI receives financial support for every Iowa participant that registers for the conference, the real reason to attend is for the high-value program.  Find out more information and register by clicking on http://mecconference.com/.    

IEDA Internship Program Again Available in 2019

Many ABI member companies have utilized the Iowa Student Internship Program to get students into their facilities in the summer.  The program provides grants to small and medium-sized companies in advanced manufacturing, biosciences, and the IT field.  The goal is to provide financial support to companies to hire interns with the idea that the internship will lead to full-time employment.  The program is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.  For more information, click on: http://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/workforcetraining/student

Next Issue of Business Record Iowa Out Soon

Next week and in partnership with the Des Moines Business Record, ABI will publish the next edition of Business Record Iowa.  This newsprint publication reaches about 7,500 Iowa business leaders each month. 

Many of you have taken the time to comment on this new ABI publication and shared favorable comments and positive ideas for making it even better.  The publication has a greatly expanded reach and greatly increased publication schedule when compared to former ABI magazines.  Look for it to come to your mailbox inside the Des Moines Business Record.  

Leadership Iowa Class Meets This  Week

Members of the 2018-2019 Leadership Iowa class will convene in Waterloo-Cedar Falls this week.  The class will meet Thursday and Friday (some will convene on Wednesday) for a session that focuses on education.  

A stop at longtime ABI member John Deere is just one of the highlights of the session, and another is appearances by several ABI-member education leaders.  Look for a full report on the status of LI and other ABI Foundation programs at the next meeting of the ABI Board of Directors.  

Jack Hasken Confirmed by Iowa Senate to Serve on State Workforce Panel

Longtime ABI Board Member Jack Hasken (Jackson Manufacturing, Maquoketa) was appointed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to serve on the Iowa Workforce Development Board, the state body that oversees Iowa Workforce Development and its programs.  Jack was recently confirmed unanimously by the Iowa Senate and will begin his term soon.  Congratulations, Jack!  

By the way, the board is chaired by ABI Board Member John Krogman (Elkhart Plastics, Atlantic) and also includes fellow ABI Board Members Kelly Barrick (CIBC Bank, West Des Moines) and Randy Moore (Iowa-American Water Company, Davenport) and ABI member company representative Amy Larsen (United Equipment Accessories, Waverly).  ABI appreciates these leaders’ service on this important state commission.

Lori Schaefer-Weaton to Celebrate Birthday

Former ABI Chair Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics, Fairfield) is a beloved ABI leader.  It is great to be able to wish Lori a happy birthday, as she celebrates this Saturday, April 6.  Best birthday wishes and all of us hope it is a fabulous one, Lori!