Exec Comm Meeting This Week - Monday Memo 7/10/17
July 10, 2017
Wednesday is the Date for First FY18 Executive Committee Teleconference
The first meeting of the ABI Executive Committee for the new fiscal year will be held Wednesday. ABI Chair Dave Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) and members of the committee will act on a full agenda of reports and action items. News regarding any developments will be a part of the September meeting of the ABI Board of Directors.
Register Now for “Bringing ‘Boji Back” Leaders Event
As you have read in recent editions of this memorandum, in response to YOUR requests, ABI has created another in the Connecting Statewide Leaders events and this one will be held in the Iowa Great Lakes. Mark your calendars now for August 3rd and 4th for this high-value event.
Great programming, great networking, and great venues will be hallmarks for this event. ABI Board Member Bruce Tamisiea (Tecton Industries, Spencer) will host attendees for a tour of his terrific company in Spencer. That will be followed by a reception and dinner at former ABI Chair Toby Shine’s (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) famous Okoboji Classic Cars facility. The next day, a program featuring ABI member CEO Ro Crosbie (Tero International, West Des Moines) will be held at the New Waterfront Conference Center on East Lake Okoboji.
Find more information and register now at: http://www.cvent.com/events/connecting-statewide-leaders-bringing-boji-back/event-summary-433257bfb0ec4215893f84f1b3d39dca.aspx. See you at the Lakes in August!
IIPAC Needs Your Support
The Iowa Industry Political Action Committee is ABI's political arm. The organization is chaired by former ABI Chair Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Waukee). Now is the time of the year that IIPAC is heavily engaged in raising money to support pro-business candidates for state offices.
If you have already contributed to IIPAC this year, thank you. If you haven't, now is the time. Go to https://www.iowaabi.org/public-policy/iipac/ to make your donation today. Again, many of you (and many of us on staff) have already made contributions. As the rest of you get ready to make yours, thank you in advance for your support.
ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable to Kick-Off July 26
The ABI CFO Roundtable, created just a few years ago, has been a great success. So much so that member company operations people have asked for a similar resource.
In response, the association has created the ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable. The panel will meet for the first time on July 26 and several other meetings will be held before the end of the year.
Meetings will follow the pattern of the CFO group, with a high-value program, lunch, oftentimes a tour, and networking. Session topics will include KPIs, metrics, logistics, labor, risk management and many more. Your operations people, plant managers, etc. will all find great value in this new roundtable. For more information, please reply to this message.
Thank you to those of you who have helped us design this program. We look forward to seeing you on the 26th and we look forward to your feedback about how we can make the program even better.
Homeland Security Department to Hold Workshop, Provides Security Assessments of Your Plant
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security can be a valuable ally in keeping your employees and your plant secure. The department’s Iowa office provides many resources in this regard.
Many of you will remember Dr. Phil Pitzen, who addressed the ABI Board of Directors a few years ago. His no-nonsense and practical counsel were well-received by the board. Dr. Pitzen and his team will conduct, at no charge to you, a security assessment of your plant, its grounds, and basic operations. The ABI members who have participated in this program tell me they found it incredibly useful.
In addition, the department’s Iowa office is hosting a workshop to help your company develop a plan to deal with an active shooter who might invade your workplace. The event will be held at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge on July 27. If you want further information about the workshop or the other resources available through the Department of Homeland Security, please reply to this message and I will get it to you at once.
New Board Member Orientations Continue
Orientations continue with ABI's newly-elected board members. As I have mentioned in recent memos, you will have the opportunity to meet the new board members in September.
This week, an orientation will be held with new board member Tim Bianco (Iowa Spring, Adel). That follows a session with new board member Jerry Patterson (Principal, Des Moines) held last month. Upcoming orientation session will involve other new board members Stacey Pellett (John Deere, Johnston), and the honorary Leadership Iowa board member, Jenn Bleil (Van Meter, Cedar Rapids). Kelly Barrick (The Private Bank, West Des Moines), who represented LI on the board last year and participated in an orientation session then, was also elected to the ABI Board. Thank you to these newly-elected board members!
Annual Policy Development Meetings Set
ABI's annual policy committee meetings have already been scheduled. Please go to https://www.iowaabi.org/events/ to register for the committee meetings of interest to you and your employees. The ABI Board of Directors will act on the recommendations of these committees at the September board meeting.
Legends in Manufacturing Dinner Coming Up in October
The annual Legends in Manufacturing Awards Banquet is a fun event and an important part of recognizing Iowa’s national leadership in manufacturing. The 2017 dinner will be held September 19. NOW is the time to submit your nominations for one of these coveted awards. You can do so by clicking on the Elevate Iowa webpage. Thank you for helping us recognize Iowa’s great manufacturers!
Annual ABI Executive Open in August
Remember that registration is now open for the ninth annual ABI Executive Open. This popular annual event will be held Monday, August 28. As you know, the past four opens have sold-out and we expect that will be the case again this year. Join us for golf, fun, and networking.
The ABI Executive Open will again be held at Des Moines Gold and Country Club in West Des Moines, one of Iowa's most exclusive private clubs. This is a fabulous course and registration is now open for this always-great event. Please click on http://www.cvent.com/events/abi-executive-open-2017/event-summary-7d269e2b6cdb43e588197d2b55822197.aspx to register now. See you at Des Moines Golf in August!
IEDA Manufacturing Subgroup to Meet
For some months, the Iowa Economic Development Authority has been coordinating an Advanced Manufacturing Workgroup. The panel which, includes many ABI member company representatives, has been developing strategies that increase the share of Iowa’s state GDP related to manufacturing.
A subgroup has been formed to lead the work in this regard. In addition to many member company representatives, ABI Vice President Member Development and Programs Kathy Anderson, a former IEDA staffer, is a member. The subgroup will be meeting in the coming weeks and I’ll bring you news of any developments in future editions of this memorandum.
NAM Report: Economic Results Mixed
As ABI seeks to gain insights into what lies ahead for member businesses, a reliable source notes that economic predictions are difficult to make right now. Last week’s Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, provides data that shows that results for the economy are quite mixed right now. Please contact me if you wish to read the report for yourself.
Stellar’s Backus, Glidden Featured on KIMT-TV
Many of you know Dave Backus (Stellar Industries, Garner). Dave, who has been active in the ABI CFO Roundtable, recently transitioned to a new role at Stellar. We were all very excited for Dave and his family when an organ donor was identified and Dave subsequently underwent a life-saving kidney transplant. You may not know the rest of the story.
Dave’s donor was a colleague at Stellar, Travis Glidden (Stellar Industries, Garner). By making this selfless act, Travis literally saved Dave’s life. Television station KIMT in Mason City carried a feature about the organ donation and surgery. Thank you to ABI Chair and Stellar President Dave Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) for sharing the video. You can view it here: http://www.kimt.com/clip/13456748/kidney-donation. It is a wonderful story!
Murdock, CIPCO Featured in Spokesman Article
Longtime ABI member Central Iowa Power Cooperative is a leader in alternative energy production. That fact was highlighted in an article in the July 5 edition of the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman newspaper.
The article noted CIPCO’s recent expansion of its solar power capacity with the development of its fifth solar array in Marshalltown. A photo accompanying the story includes company CEO and former ABI Chair Dennis Murdock (CIPCO, Des Moines). Congratulations to Dennis and everyone at CIPCO on the great press!