Executive Committee Meets Wednesday - Monday Memo 12/4/217
December 4, 2017
ABI Executive Committee to Hold Final 2017 Teleconference Wednesday; First 2018 Board Meeting Next Month
The ABI Executive Committee, chaired by David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner), will hold its final meeting of the calendar year Wednesday. After that, the next ABI leadership meeting will be held next month. The first ABI Board of Directors meeting of 2018 will be held on Wednesday, January 10.
Please register for the January board meeting here: http://www.cvent.com/d/htq2hj. At the meeting, the latest updates regarding critical association business will be a focus, as will issues related to (what will then be) the just-convened 2018 session of the Iowa General Assembly.
Your attendance at this meeting and at the ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception that follows is essential. Please finalize your plans to attend and register now for these events. Please go to http://www.cvent.com/events/2018-abi-legislative-briefing-reception/event-summary-aa9c51846e394bc9851aa2329527436e.aspx for registration and event information related to the legislative briefing and reception. Thank you in advance for making the ABI events of January 10 a priority.
First Quarterly ABI Iowa Business Survey to be Conducted Wednesday
You will recall that at the last two meetings of the ABI Board of Directors, the board discussed and approved the creation of a simple economic survey to be conducted quarterly. The first survey message will arrive in your in-box Wednesday afternoon and I hope you will act on it quickly.
When you click on the survey link that will be a part of the message, you will find a very simple and easy to complete survey. Please complete the survey as soon as possible and look for the results to be shared with you in the very near future.
Operations Roundtable will meet at Agri-Industrial Plastics
The next session of the ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable will be held this week. The panel will meet Wednesday at longtime member company Agri-Industrial Plastics in Fairfield. Thank you to the team at Agri for hosting and we look forward to another great session.
ABI Board Members Invited to Business Record Event
Each year, ABI partner and member the Des Moines Business Record compiles a book of lists. One of the lists is a list of the top 25 most influential boards of directors in central Iowa and the state. I am proud to say that for the past several years and again this year, the ABI Board of Directors is recognized (as it should be) as one of the most influential boards.
The Business Record is hosting an event on January 4 to promote the Book of Lists and all of you are invited at attend. You can find more information here: http://www.businessrecord.com/Content/OURSPECIALTYPRODUCTS/OURSPECIALTYPRODUCTS/Article/BookofLists/177/839/41693. The event is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. and conclude at 7:00 p.m. A short program will be held at 6:00. If you are available, please join several of us on staff in attending this event.
Leadership Iowa Class Headed to Decorah; Class Member Promotes LI Experience
As you read in last week's Memo, the third session of the 2017-2018 Leadership Iowa Class will be held in Decorah later this week. Class members will meet Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The session will focus on education in Iowa and a terrific slate of speakers is on tap.
In other Leadership Iowa news, a member of the current class, Josh Byrnes, received some fun press and talked about his LI experience. Many of you recall Josh as a former legislator and community college staffer. Last year, Josh accepted a position as the General Manager of the Osage Municipal Utilities.
Click on this link to read the newspaper story in which Josh describes his LI experience: http://globegazette.com/mcpress/opinion/editorials/leadership-and-our-community-an-important-partnership/article_3e94ce68-05f3-5c9a-9c9c-10a4d5b23cd1.html. Congratulations to Josh and to LI for this great recognition.
Mixed Economic News in Weekly NAM Report
Last week's edition of the National Association of Manufacturers' Monday Economic Report included a lead story with decidedly mixed economic news. For the first time in three months, durable goods orders decreased. However, manufacturing activity in Europe expanded at the fastest rate in 17 years.
Some other good news came related to economic sectors besides manufacturing. The article cites that and other factors that are contributing to optimism regarding the coming year. Please contact me if you wish to read the report and I'll forward it at once.
Drew and Frank Vogel to be Honored This Week
Over the years, many ABI members and leaders have been inducted in to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. You can click on this link to see their names and the names of other worthy honorees: http://www.iowabusinesshalloffame.com/. ABI is proud of these women and men and the impact they have had on our state.
More ABI leaders are big inducted in to the Hall of Fame this week. Franklin Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City) and ABI Board Member Drew Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City) are both being inducted in a special ceremony to be held at Prairie Meadows on Wednesday evening. Click here for more information about the award: https://www.dsmpartnership.com/news-media/news/iowa-business-hall-of-fame-honors-gerald-m-kirke-nix-lauridsen-and-franklin-and-drew-f-vogel-as-2017-inductees. Frank and Drew are terrific business leaders… and even better people. ABI salutes and congratulates Frank and Drew Vogel!
Tyler/Feeney Family Continues Expansion
ABI members well know the story of the expansion of longtime member Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Due to an expansion in the fall of 2016, the company grew from under 200 employees to over 700 overnight. Well, the expansion continues, albeit in another way.
A week ago today, Jessica Tyler Feeney and her husband, company President Rob Feeney (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines) welcomed their fourth child, a son, to their family. That makes two boys and two girls for the Feeneys. Both mom and son are doing well.
Congratulations to Jessica and Rob! And congratulations, too, to the grandparents, former ABI staffer Janel Tyler and former ABI Chair and company Chairman Kirk Tyler(Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines) and to great-grandfather, former ABI Chair and company Executive Chairman Jim Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Atlantic)! ABI sends very best wishes to all!
Shine Bros. Corp. Annual Holiday Party Next Week
If you want to experience some great holiday spirit and see some ABI friends from all over the state, you don’t want to miss the annual Shine Bros. Corp. Holiday Party. This year’s event will be held next Friday, December 15, at the Shine Bros. headquarters in Spencer. You’ll see former ABI Chair Toby Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) and former ABI Board Member Eva Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer). You’ll see other ABI board members and past chairs. And you’ll see state officials and Iowa leaders.
All ABI board members and past chairs are invited. All you need do is RSVP to Vicki at Shine Bros. at (712) 262-5579, extension 11, or at vicki@shinebros.com. Don’t miss this festive annual event!
IADG Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Iowa Venture Awards
ABI member Iowa Area Development Group held its annual Venture Awards ceremony last week in West Des Moines. Several Iowa companies were recognized for economic accomplishment. As I note every year, the Venture Awards event is a great celebration of the American free enterprise system and the spirit that drives business in our state.
The occasion also marked the 30th Anniversary of the creation of the venture Awards. Go to http://www.iadg.com/hall-of-fame/ to see a list of the 256 wonderful Iowa companies and organizations which have been honored with a Venture Award in the past 30 years. ABI is proud to be one of those organizations, by the way. Congratulations to IADG CEO and ABI Board Member Rand Fisher (IADG, West Des Moines) and the entire IADG team on 30 years of promoting Iowa businesses!
David Fisher to Celebrate
Well-known Iowa business leader and former ABI Chair David Fisher (Onthank Company, Des Moines) has a birthday this week. David will celebrate on Thursday (December 7). Happy birthday, David!
John Rigler Subject of Business Record Article
Former ABI Board Member John Rigler (State Bank, New Hampton) is a member of a prominent Iowa family known for its leadership in banking, government, and community development. Last week, John was the subject of a cool article found in the Des Moines Business Record. Read the story here: http://businessrecord.com/PrintArticle.aspx?aid=80369&uid=906e6520-c0b5-41ec-9e37-610ff173ca07. Congratulations on the great coverage, John!
Don Hauser Marks 87th Birthday
Many of you recall longtime ABI staff member Don Hauser. Don enjoyed a very long and successful career at ABI, first joining the organization when it was still known as the Iowa Manufacturers Association. He filled many different roles over the years and served as interim president on more than one occasion.
Don still stays in touch from time to time and it is a pleasure to wish him well on the occasion of his 87th birthday, which he celebrated yesterday. Happy birthday Don Hauser!