ABI Workers Comp Program Tuesday - Monday Memo 3/22/21
March 22, 2021
Tomorrow: Biennial ABI Program on Workers Compensation
The 2021 edition of the biennial ABI Workers Compensation Program will be presented tomorrow by Zoom. The webinar will include the latest information on the status of workers compensation processes and what they mean for your company. The program will also include other information, such as best-practice data from other companies.
There is still time to register. To do so, please go to this https://web.cvent.com/event/fbd6343f-557a-44bb-b8fb-69aa6e12246e/summary. Your HR, risk management, or other staff members should find real value in the webinar.
Next ABI Legislative Update Friday
Periodically throughout the legislative session, ABI lobbyists host a Zoom conference to give you the very latest information from the Statehouse. Updates on bills, legislative proposals, state actions, and other matters are covered in each Zoom. Your specific questions about those topics are also very much welcomed.
The next update will be held this Friday, March 26th, at 8:00 a.m. and you and your employees are encouraged to participate. This will be the first update following the completion of the General Assembly’s first legislative funnel deadline, so there will be a lot to cover. The members-only update is free as a part of your ABI membership, but please register at https://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/227-legislative-update-members-only/.
ABI Adding Connecting Statewide Leaders Event in Mason City Next Month
A staple of ABI programming each year is a series of events called Connecting Statewide Leaders programs. These programs have been on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the success of the first in-person events held in 2021 earlier this month, ABI is adding a Connecting Statewide Leaders program in the coming weeks. It will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 8 at the Historic Park Inn in Mason City and will be followed by lunch.
Make your plans now to join ABI members, community leaders, and the Leadership Iowa class for an engaging conversation about business-education partnerships. The program is being finalized now, but it is clear it will include a panel of compelling leaders. I hope you can attend. Click on this link to register and to find more information: https://web.cvent.com/event/37f30c68-203d-4f53-9dd8-a31495a3299a/summary.
ABI Executive Committee to Meet in Two Weeks; Board Will Meet in May
ABI Chair Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine) and members of the association’s Executive Committee will meet by Zoom in a little over two weeks. The April EC meeting takes place the morning of April 8 and committee members can expect to see the usual packet of meeting materials in their email in-basket next week.
As for the ABI Board of Directors, that body will meet again on May 13. The meeting will be held In Des Moines and it will be held in-person. Please stay tuned for more information.
COVID-19 Vaccinations: Let Us Hear from You
A priority of ABI over the past several weeks has been taking action to ensure that ABI members are receiving employee vaccinations in a timely manner. We have been pleased to help members who have contacted us and if you need help, please call on us if we may be of assistance.
In the meantime, I would be grateful for feedback about two questions: 1) Are you offering incentives to employees to increase their desire to be vaccinated, and 2) What is the percentage of employees who chose not be vaccinated. I am not collecting company names or identifiers of any kind, but if you have feedback to those questions, please reply to this message and thank you very much.
LIU Board of Directors to Meet
Leadership Iowa University is the ABI Foundation’s program for Iowa college students. Each year, 25 students come together for a week-long program focused on their future in Iowa.
Participants learn about ABI member companies and make connections to help them find a job upon graduation. They receive information about how to advance their professional careers. And they begin to build a network that can help throughout their career. The program is led by a terrific board of directors, which will meet tomorrow by Zoom. Watch for more information about the 2021 LIU session to come your way soon.
Nominate Students for Leadership Iowa and Business Horizons; Annual Report Available
The ABI Foundation will host Leadership Iowa University and Business Horizons this summer. Your nominations for these two great programs (and for the 2021-2022 session of Leadership Iowa) are strongly desired. It’s easy to nominate and you can do so by going to https://www.iowaabi.org/abi-foundation/about/ and clicking on the program links. Thank you in advance for nominating participants for each of these important programs.
Speaking of the ABI Foundation, the Foundation’s annual report for 2020 is now available. It is chock full of information about Foundation programs and metrics. You can access the report here: https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=89de39af252abca5000802547&id=8d86eb691e.
Newspaper Photos Show Beautiful Finkbine Clubhouse Remodel; Will Host ABI Conference Golfers
The Sunday edition of the Des Moines Register carried a story (first run in the Iowa City Press-Citizen) about the beautiful renovation of the Nagle Family Clubhouse at Finkbine Golf Course. I could not find a link to the article, but here is a link to some photos of Bump’s Restaurant inside the clubhouse that will give you a feel for the remodel: https://www.press-citizen.com/picture-gallery/money/business/2021/03/17/photos-bumps-restaurant-finkbine-golf-course-iowa-city/4709769001/.
The course itself has been improved, too, and golfers at the annual ABI Taking Care of Business Conference will have a first-class golfing experience. Check out the club here: https://www.finkbine.com/. And don’t forget to get registered for the conference now! You can do so here: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/annual-conference/.
NAM: Supply Chain Disruptions Take Toll in February
Today’s Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, documents negative economic activity manufacturers witnessed in February. The issues were caused by two factors, severe weather and supply chain disruptions. The good news is that March is already providing much stronger results and the outlook ahead is even better. Read the report for yourself; simply reply to is message and I’ll send it to you at once.
Kim Augspurger Named ‘Best of Design’ Judge by DSM Magazine
The March/April edition of DSM magazine is now out and one highlight is a section devoted to the publication’s ‘Best of Design’ awards for 2020. I don’t know a thing about design, but there are some beautiful photos of beautiful spaces carried in the magazine. And it was cool to see that ABI Board Treasurer Kim Augspurger (Saxton, Des Moines) was named a judge for the competition. Congratulations, Kim! Click here to see the magazine: https://dsmmagazine.com/.
Looking forward to Seeing Jackson Mfg’s New 200-Ton Press
On Wednesday, I am looking forward to a trip to ABI member Jackson Manufacturing. Specifically, I’m looking forward to seeing ABI Vice Chair and Jackson President/ CEO Jack Hasken (Jackson Mfg, Maquoketa). Jack will Chair ABI during the next fiscal year.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Jackson’s new 2019 Milacron Q Series 200-ton press. Jack and his team acquired the new press late last summer, and it has become the workhorse of the operation. It is always great to be in ABI members’ facilities and it will be good to be back on the road. Thanks in advance for the visit, Jack!
Clinton Named Number 1 by Site Selection Magazine
Site Selection magazine is known as the bible by economic developers across North America, so when it speaks, people listen. There was loud news about the Clinton, Iowa region recently. The magazine annually ranks metropolitan areas by a number of factors and this year’s number one Mississippi River corridor community in economic development activity per capita is Clinton.
This is a big deal and is the result of much hard work on the part of ABI-member Clinton Regional Development Corporation and many other Clinton-area ABI members. To read more about this terrific ranking, click here: https://siteselection.com/issues/2021/mar/mississippi-river-corridor-collaboration-across-boundaries-is-key-to-wins-for-twin-cities-and-clinton-iowa.cfm.
The CRDC received other good news recently. Some of the same factors that led to the Site Selection ranking led to the CRDC being awarded the Statewide Award for Business Retention & Expansion by the Professional Developers of Iowa. Again, that is terrific news for Clinton and the CRDC. ABI salutes all involved and we congratulate the CRDC on these accomplishments. Special credit to CRDC board member Rich Phelan (NelsonCorp Wealth Management, Clinton) and CRDC President Erin Cole (CRDC, Clinton), who are both also ABI board members, and to former longtime ABI board member Tom Determann(Clinton County Board of Supervisors, Clinton), another CRDC board member.
Bill Bywater and Dick Smith to Celebrate
Former ABI Chair Bill Bywater (Economy Advertising, Iowa City) and former ABI Board Member Dick Smith (Agri-Industrial Plastics, Fairfield) share a birthday. Bill and Dick celebrate tomorrow, March 23rd. Congratulations and happy birthday to Bill and Dick!