Board to meet in January - Monday Memo 12/12/22
December 12, 2022
ABI Board of Directors to Meet in Four Weeks (January 11)
The first meeting of the Executive Committee and ABI Board of Directors for 2023 will be called to order by ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) on January 11 at the Iowa Events Center (Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center) in downtown Des Moines. This is the same date as the 2023 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception (see below). You should receive the usual packet of meeting materials in about three weeks and we look forward to seeing you on the 11th.
Strong Pace of Registrants for 2023 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception
The ABI staff is busy finalizing details related to the annual ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception, one of the association’s most popular annual events. In fact, all indications are that the coming reception will be perhaps the biggest and best ever.
Well over 100 ABI members have already registered for the event and it is clear that over 500 people will attend. The 2023 briefing and reception will be held Wednesday, January 11 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg are expected to appear at the reception, along with hundreds of legislators and state officials. I hope you can attend.
The reception is an important event and it will be preceded (as always) by the annual legislative briefing. The members-only briefing is your opportunity to hear the latest about legislative news and about ABI's agenda. You can then head right into the reception and share comments with your local legislators. Your participation and interaction with legislators is what makes this event a must for Iowa policy-makers.
Go to the ABI website at https://web.cvent.com/event/949a8f9f-2450-48d0-8304-be9c7187b227/summary. You’ll find all the information you need and can follow the easy instructions to register right now. Thank you in advance for participating in this very important event. On behalf of ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) and our other ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you in Des Moines on January 11.
December Edition of Business Record Iowa in Your Mailbox
You should have received in the mail the latest edition of ABI's Business Record Iowa, published in conjunction with member Business Publications Corporation. BR Iowa is found inside the BPC's Des Moines Business Record. The cover this month features a great ABI member, Alyssa Saunders (Anthologic, Des Moines). If you did not receive BR Iowa, let me know; we'll get it to you. In the meantime, thank you to Alyssa being this month’s cover model.
Contribute To ABI Foundation, Elevate
This is the time of year that folks consider their personal tax planning. If you need to make some end-of-the-year contributions, please consider Elevate Iowa and/or the ABI Foundation. Thank you to those who have already contributed.
Contributions to the ABI Foundation help advance terrific programs such as Leadership Iowa, Business Horizons, and others. These programs have been described as “life-changing” by participants and they have certainly helped make Iowa an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Contributions to Elevate help our efforts to change the perception of advanced manufacturing and help you fill your workforce requirements. Big thanks to all of the companies who have contributed over the years and also thanks to Iowa Community Colleges, who each contribute to the Elevate partnership. If you haven't yet contributed, please make your contribution today.
Leadership Iowa Board of Governors to Meet on the 15th; Leadership Iowa Class in Des Moines in January; Annual LI Dinner January 11
Speaking of the Foundation, the ABI Foundation's flagship program is quite active. This Thursday, December 15th, the Leadership Iowa Board of Governors will hold its regularly-scheduled meeting.
Also coming up is the January session of the currently Leadership Iowa class. The 2022-2023 LI Class will hold its fourth session January 11-13. The class will focus on state government and will join you for the ABI Briefing and Reception on January 11.
Lastly, another LI event will be held on January 11. From 6:00-8:30 that evening, the annual Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner and celebration will be held in Des Moines. LI’s 41st anniversary will be celebrated and other special things will make the night a lot of fun. Click here Summary - Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner & Celebration (cvent.com) for more information and to register. Congratulations to the Leadership Iowa program, which is bigger and better than ever!
NAM: Supply Chain Improving, U.S. Manufacturing Remains Challenged
The National Association of Manufacturers’ Global Manufacturing Economic Update shared interesting data in its December edition. While supply chain times seem to be improving, other challenges remain for manufacturers. To read the report yourself, simply reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
Checking in With Toby Shine; Remember Shine Holiday Party Friday
It was great to visit last week with Former ABI Chair Toby Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer). I called Toby to speak with him about again hosting an ABI event at his fabulous Okoboji Classic Cars facility (more on that event in the future). If you haven’t checked out OCC (Home - Okoboji Classic Cars, LLC. (okobojicc.com)), you need to do it! Toby and I got to talking about the old days and it was a lot of fun to recall them and to discuss how far his leadership and that of all of you have brought ABI. It was wonderful to catch up with him.
That call reminded me to remind you of the annual Shine Bros. Holiday Party this Friday evening in Spencer. You will recall this information from the Monday Memo of November 28: Each year, the good folks at longtime ABI member company Shine Bros. Corp. host a terrific holiday gathering. The 2022 event will be held December 16 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the company’s Spencer headquarters. Many of you have attended this event in past years and know that it is a great time for fellowship and good cheer. If you have questions or need information, please contact/RSVP to Vicki at Shine Bros. at (712) 262-5579, extension 113, or vicki@shinebros.com. In the meantime, thank you to former ABI Chair Toby Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) and former ABI Board Member Eva Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) for the invitation!
As I noted previously, I am embarrassed to say that I did not know that Shine Bros. is 120 years old in 2022! That is an incredible milestone and ABI sends its best wishes to Toby and Sylvia, Eva, Keven, and their whole family – congratulations all around! As is the case with every ABI member, the Shine Bros. story is a great one and you can read about it here: History (shinebros.com). And again, congratulations!
Fishers Welcome Grandchild Number 5
Former ABI Board Member Rand Fisher (Iowa Area Development Group, Des Moines-Ret.) checked in last week. It was terrific to learn that Rand and his wife, Cyndi Fisher, now have five grandchildren! Rand and Cyndi’s son and daughter-in-law, Max and Maggie Fisher, welcomed Brooklyn Rose just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, Rand said. Great news and ABI sends congratulations to ALL the Fishers!