Big Day for ABI on Wednesday - Monday Memo 1/9/23
January 9, 2023
Big Day of ABI Events Wednesday
A series of important ABI meetings and events are scheduled for the day after tomorrow in Des Moines. The day will be capped by one of the association’s best-attended events of the year (second only to the annual conference), as hundreds of people will be on hand to participate in the annual ABI Legislative Reception.
The 2022 edition of the briefing/reception and other ABI events take place Wednesday, January 11. All of the events will be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.
Because you attend, legislators and other state officials attend. They want to meet you and learn about your business. If you haven’t already registered, simply reply to this memo and I’ll make sure you are registered. Thank you in advance for participating and see you Wednesday.
ABI Board Will Meet Wednesday
Prior to Wednesday’s briefing and reception, the ABI Board of Directors will hold its first meeting of 2023. The board will meet at 2:00 p.m. at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) will lead the board through a fast-paced meeting. Strong attendance is expected.
General Assembly Convenes Today; First ABI Legislative Update of 2023 on the 27th
The Iowa General Assembly convenes today for its 2023 legislative session. At the Capitol with legislators will be ABI Vice President Public Policy JD Davis and ABI Director Public Policy Brad Hartkopf. JD and Brad are two of the very best public policy professionals in Iowa and you can count on them to well represent you every day and every hour the legislature is in session. This session, JD and Brad will be assisted on a part-time basis by ABI intern York Meggison.
And, ABI's Public Policy team will again hold bi-weekly teleconferences related to the work of the General Assembly. The first call of the 2023 session will be held Friday, January 27 at 8:00 a.m.
Members have told us they appreciate these calls, which offer the very latest in news from the Statehouse. The calls, which are free of charge and are open to ABI members ONLY, typically last about 30 minutes and you and your employees are invited to participate. To do so, simply email ABI Executive Administrative Assistant Michelle Vollstedt at mvollstedt@iowaabi.org and she will add you to the list. Then, the day before each call, you will receive from her a link to participate in the next day’s Zoom, which will be held every two weeks starting January 27.
JD Davis to Represent ABI at Business Record Forum
ABI Vice President Public Policy JD Davis will represent the association at an upcoming legislative forum. The forum, which will be hosted by the Business Record, will be held tomorrow. JD and a panel of others will preview the 2023 session of the Iowa General Assembly and discuss other issues important to business.
Click here to register for this free virtual event: https://businessrecord.com/Content/Default/Default/Article/Legislative-Forecast-Event/-3/-3/94727. Congratulations to JD for being selected for the panel and thank you for representing ABI members and Iowa business.
Annual Resource Guide Available Soon
The annual ABI Business Resource Guide and membership directory is being finalized and will be printed and available soon.
Look for your 2023 directory to arrive in the near future. In the meantime, thank you. Your support in terms of people, resources, and ideas is what makes the guide (and ABI itself) possible.
Conference Committee to Meet
ABI's 120th Annual Meeting, Iowa's Taking Care of Business Conference 2023, will be held June 13-15 in Cedar Rapids. There will be many highlights to the conference, including terrific speakers, great food, and exciting venues. Another highlight is golf at Cedar Rapids’ Ellis Golf Club. The club was ravaged by the derecho that hit Iowa a few years, but it has been rebuilt and the play is excellent. A beautiful new clubhouse was just opened last year. Check out the club here: Welcome to the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (cedar-rapids.org).
The committee planning this fantastic conference will meet tomorrow at ABI. Watch for more information soon. On behalf of ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) and Committee Chair Tami Anderson (Pigott, Des Moines) please consider this your personal invitation to join them for the conference. We'll see you in Cedar Rapids in June.
Leadership Iowa Class Will Meet; LI Dinner Wednesday
At over 40 years, the ABI Foundation's Leadership Iowa program is one of the nation's oldest statewide leadership development programs. As you know, LI enjoys a strong base of alumni. Those alumni will meet this Wednesday evening for an LI Alumni Dinner in Des Moines. There is still time for you to register. Do so here: Summary - Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner & Celebration (cvent.com).
And, the current LI class will hold its January session this Wednesday – Friday. A full and varied agenda is on tap for the class, which will focus on government.
Secretary of State to Host IBAT Webinar
About a year ago, ABI was approached about joining Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s Iowa Business Against Trafficking organization. ABI and several of you/your companies accepted that invitation to join in an effort combat human trafficking.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the Secretary of State has joined with an organization called Chains Interrupted to host a webinar providing information about human trafficking. This free webinar will be held Tuesday, January 17th at 10:00 a.m. to educate attendees about signs of human trafficking, the prevalence of human trafficking in Iowa, how to report suspected human trafficking, and how you can join the fight by becoming a member of IBAT.
RSVP is required and is limited to 1,000 participants. A link to access the webinar will be provided to registered participants on Sunday, January 15th. To register for the event, visit Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/3vE9rdK.If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact Ashley Merkley in the Secretary’s Office at Ashley.merkley@sos.iowa.gov.
Lisle Corporation Marks 120 Year of Success
C.A. Lisle started something in Clarinda 12 decades ago and that something is still going strong 120 years later. Longtime ABI member Lisle Corporation celebrates 120 years of growth and success in 2023.
The company is an expert on quality manufacturing and growth by acquisition. The array of products it makes is dizzying. And its impact on Iowa is substantial. Read more about Lisle Corporation’s history here: About Us | Lisle Corporation. In the meantime, congratulations to everyone at Lisle, including company President and ABI Board Member Mary Lisle Landhuis (Lisle Corporation, Clarinda)!
Mary Landhuis, Nate Weaton Celebrate Birthdays
Speaking of Mary Landhuis (Lisle Corporation, Clarinda), she and another board member are part of a busy time for ABI board members' birthdays. In addition to board members already noted in previous editions of the Monday Memo, two more ABI leaders are also celebrating. Happy birthday to ABI board members Mary and Nate Weaton (Weaton Capital, Fairfield)!
Mike Lydon, Father of Jim and Former ABI CPA, Passes
I was sad to learn over the weekend that Mike Lydon passed. Mike was ABI’s CPA in the early 2000’s and was a terrific resource as the association righted its financial ship. And, Mike was Jim Lydon’s father, and Jim spent several years on the ABI staff as our bookkeeper and IT specialist. Mike was a good guy who offered good counsel. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim, Mike’s wife, Molly, and the Lydon family at this time. Read more about Mike here: In Memory of Michael Lydon | Obituary and Service Details | Hamilton's Funeral Home (hamiltonsfuneralhome.com).