Executive Committee to Meet - Monday Memo 8/10/15

August 10, 2015

Executive Committee Teleconference Wednesday; Board Will Meet in September

ABI Chair Paul Gregoire (Emerson/Fisher, Marshalltown) and members of the association’s Executive Committee will hold their August teleconference Wednesday.  Agenda items include discussions related to public policy, membership and events, and Foundation programs. 

Speaking of that meeting, the board will meet September 23 in Des Moines.  You will receive a complete packet of meeting materials in your email in-basket about a week prior to the meeting.  The board will meet at 10:30 a.m.

The September meeting is an important one for several reasons.  First, it marks the first meeting of the fiscal year and the first meeting for newly-elected board members.  Second, it will involve board consideration and approval of the policies developed through the annual policy development process (by September 23, literally hundreds of ABI members will have participated in meetings to propose a slate of policies for 2016).  This part of the meeting will be led by ABI Vice Chair Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics, Fairfield).  Please mark your calendars and make plans now to attend this important meeting. 

ABI Employment and Workforce Committee Kicks Off Annual Policy Meeting Schedule Tomorrow; Other Panels Meet Wednesday and Thursday and in Coming Weeks

Members of the ABI Employment and Workforce Committee will hold their annual policy meeting tomorrow in Des Moines.  This panel, which is chaired by ABI Advisory Council Member Karen Miller (Manpower, Des Moines), does a fantastic job of leading the association's work with regard to workforce issues.  The meeting will mark the first of ABI's annual policy committee meetings.

That meeting will be followed on Wednesday by a meeting of the ABI Workplace and Product Safety Committee, which is chaired by ABI member Rex Butler (CIPCO, Cedar Rapids).  And the final policy meeting this week will be held on Thursday, with a meeting of the ABI Environment Committee, which is chaired by longtime member Mick Durham (Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine).   

More committees will meet in the coming weeks.  You can register for any of these meetings by clicking on them in the ABI Events Calendar at /en/events_calendar/.

LIU Opens Session; Meet with Class This Week

The annual class of Leadership Iowa University kicked-off its 2015 session yesterday at ABI in Des Moines.  The program seeks to educate, inspire, and develop college students as a foundation for Iowa’s economic growth and to encourage their on-going involvement in community and state initiatives.  To get a feel for LIU, go tohttp://www.leadershipiowauniversity.com/ and watch two television commercials that offer an insight in to this great program.  You can also use that link to see who is in the class and to access blogs students have written.

The students are an intelligent and enthusiastic group.  It is clear they are focused on business and advancing their careers in a way that brings value to them, their future employers, and to Iowa.  As I mentioned last week, class members come from public, private, and community colleges all across Iowa.

ABI member Grinnell Mutual will host a reception this afternoon from 5-6:30.  That will be followed by another reception tomorrow, hosted by ABI member Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines during the same hours.  Finally, you are welcome to participate in an LIU Leaders Luncheon Wednesday at Nationwide Insurance.  To join any of these events, please reply to his memo and I will make sure you have all the information you need.  In the meantime, thank you to ABI Board Members Stephen W. Roberts (Davis Brown Law Firm, Des Moines) and Jason Gross (Nationwide, Des Moines) for hosting the class Tuesday and Wednesday.  Many other ABI leaders will participate in LIU events throughout the week and that support is deeply appreciated as well. 

Visit Elevate Booth at the State Fair

For the third year in a row, ABI's Elevate Advanced Manufacturing campaign will be a part of the Iowa State Fair.  Check the Elevate booth, located in the Varied Industries Building, any day of the fair, which runs from August 13-23.  Learn more at www.elevateiowa.com.

Annual ABI Executive Open on the 31st

Many of you have commented to me that you are looking forward to the seventh annual ABI Executive Open best ball golf outing.  The open will be held on Monday, August 31.  As this memo goes to press, over 130 ABI members have already registered. The event will be held at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, a fabulous private golf course in West Des Moines.  Register now to play golf and have dinner with your ABI colleagues, or just join us for dinner.

The day’s events are arranged in such a way that most of you will be able to spend time in the office that morning and then participate in the best ball that afternoon.  You’ll have fun and have an opportunity to network with great ABI members.  To find more information or to register, please go to the ABI webpage at www.iowaabi.org and click on the Events Calendar tab on the left side of the page. 

ABI CFO Roundtable to Meet

A group of select ABI- member company Chief Financial Officers has been meeting for several months.  Coming from all over Iowa, the CFOs will convene again Wednesday for their latest meeting.

Thank you to Steve Boal (Accumold, Ankeny), who will host the roundtable this week.  Please contact me for more information.

ABI Advisory Council Meets August 31

As you read in last week's memo, members of the ABI Advisory Council meet soon.  I had the date wrong.

The council will meet on the 31st in West Des Moines.  Thank you to ABI Advisory Council members ATW Training and Consulting, BCC Advisers, Bergan Paulsen, Brick Gentry, BrownWinick, CIRAS. CliftonLarsonAllen,EMC, Focus OneSource, Global Reach, Manpower, Measured Intentions, LMC, Principal Financial Group, QPS Employment Group, Spindustry, Transition Point Business Advisors, and Wellmark.

Remember to Participate in Annual CLA Manufacturing and Distribution Survey

Last week, I noted that ABI member CliftonLarsonAllen has opened participation in its annual survey of small-to-midsize manufacturers and distributors.  ABI members are urged to participate and you can do so here:http://www.claconnect.com/Manufacturing-and-Distribution/2015-Manufacturing-and-Distribution-Outlook-Survey-Open.aspx.

The survey closes on August 21, so go now to the link and upload your information.  By the way, anyone who completes the survey will receive a complimentary copy of the results and a $20 Visa gift card.  Please contact me with questions or comments and on behalf of CLA, thank you in advance for your participation.

CIRAS NEWS Highlights Accumold, Kautzky, Shivvers Manufacturing, and More

Iowa State University's Center for Industrial Research and Service is an ABI Advisory Council Member and longtime business supporter.  CIRAS has done a lot to assist Iowa business, especially manufacturers, to increased success over the years. 

The latest edition of the organization's monthly magazine, CIRAS News, continues its support for ABI and its members.  Accumold and Shivvers Manufacturing are just two of the members highlighted in the publication.  Another ABI member is also featured, in that Diana Kautzky (Deaf Services Unlimited, Urbandale) was featured as a new CIRAS Advisory Council member.  Congratulations to Diana, to Shivvers, and to everyone at Accumold, including ABI Executive Committee Member Roger Hargens (Accumold, Ankeny)!  Contact me if you wish to see a copy of the magazine for yourself.

CIPCO Leaders Attend White House Conference; Help Available for Rural America

In last week's Memo, I noted that Former ABI Chair Dennis Murdock (CIPCO, Des Moines) was one of a select group of people invited to The White House for a rural investment conference produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Dennis was joined by fellow CIPCO executives Dusky Terry (CIPCO, Des Moines) and John Mickelson (Midwest Growth Partners, Des Moines).  Midwest Growth Partners is a CIPCO affiliate.

The conference was a huge success and high-value information was shared about development/investment assistance for rural America.  If you wish to see a news article about the conference, simply reply to this message and I will forward it to you at once.  in the meantime, congratulations to Dennis, Dusky, and John!