Final 2018 Board Meeting Next Month - Monday Memo 10/15/18
October 15, 2018
ABI Board Will Meet November 7 in Des Moines
The ABI Board of Directors will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, November 7 at the association's headquarters in Des Moines' East Village. The meeting will begin at Noon.
ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City), board members, and former chairs will work through a full agenda of important items. This will be the final meeting of the calendar year for the board and a number of important discussion topics will be highlights of the November session.
If you haven’t yet registered for the meeting (of course there is no charge to attend the meeting and lunch will be served), simply reply to this memorandum. Don't miss this meeting, which will include the latest information about association programs and other issues.
Latest Edition of Business Record Iowa Now Out; GOTV Video, Other Assistance Available
ABI's monthly news journal, Business Record Iowa, is published in conjunction with the Des Moines Business Record. It has been very well-received by ABI members and others across the state.
BR Iowa is found inside the Des Moines Business Record. When you come to the section of the Business Record that is Business Record Iowa, you will see ABI member company representative Dave Kluesner (International Paper Company, Cedar Rapids) and ABI Senior Vice President Nicole Crain on the cover.
By the way, part of the focus of the cover story is a look at ABI’s Get Out The Vote resources. To learn more, see a terrific video presentation by Nicole. Click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-92YbRJf-Os&feature=youtu.be to view the video.
The latest edition of the newsprint journal came out Friday and it should be in your mailbox now. If it isn't, let us know and we'll get a copy to you right away. In the meantime, let us know what you like about the publication and let us know how we can make it even better. Thanks for your many comments already received.
Annual Talent Development Survey Released
Longtime ABI member ATW Training Solutions last week announced the release of its annual Iowa Trends in Talent Development Survey. This edition, which is the 12th annual, was conducted in August and involved 138 company respondents.
One key finding in the survey confirms that talent development budgets remain strong. Other data indicates a shift in training focus, identifies challenges facing employers, and more. The survey results are fascinating and, for deep context, reply to this memo and I’ll send you a summary article published by ATW. In the meantime, you can see the report for yourself here: http://www.atwtraining.com/files/documents/2018-2019%20Trends%20in%20Talent%20Development%20FINAL.pdf. Thank you to longtime ABI Board Member Todd McDonald (ATW Training Solutions, Urbandale) for this valuable information!
IIPAC Board to Meet
Members of the board of directors of ABI’s PAC, the Iowa Industry Political Action Committee, will meet in Des Moines today. Chaired by former ABI Chair Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines), the board will review the latest information about the upcoming election and receive a status report on various races.
Thanks to your support, IIPAC is a key resource in ABI’s work to advance pro-business Iowa candidates. Watch for more news as it develops.
Annual IEDA Internship Program Application Process Now Underway
ABI member companies across Iowa have utilized the Iowa Economic Development Authority's Iowa Student Internship Program. The program is a great way to get students into your plant.
The program provides grants to small and medium-sized companies to help pay a stipend to interns. Applicant companies must have 500 or fewer employees and must offer the internships to Iowa students (students of Iowa post-high school institutions or Iowa students attending post-high school institutions outside the state), and stipends must be at the level of a wage of $14.50 per hour or greater.
Applications are now being accepted, with a deadline of December 30, 2018 for the spring 2019 program and April 30, 2019 for the summer 2019 program. Please click on this link http://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/WorkforceTraining/student for information.
First of 2018-2019 Connecting Statewide Leaders Events December 6th in Oskaloosa
A few years ago, at the request of members looking for more association events in locations outside Des Moines, ABI created the Connecting Statewide Leaders Forums. The events have proven very popular and are held throughout the fall, winter and spring all around Iowa. The first event in the 2018-2019 series will be held December 6 in Oskaloosa.
Each of the Connecting Leaders events has drawn a great crowd and the series has resulted in new association members. The forum on December 6 is the next opportunity to participate in this terrific series.
At the forum, you will have an opportunity to hear a great program, visit with fellow ABI members, meet the new Leadership Iowa class, and develop new customers. Please mark your calendar now and watch for more details to come your way soon.
Not Too Early to Register for 2019 ABI Legislative Reception
Every year, more people attend and participate in the annual ABI Legislative Reception than in any other similar event in Iowa. It is not too early to register for the 2019 edition of the reception and you can do so here: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/120-legislative-briefing-and-reception/.
The 2019 Legislative Reception will be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention center in downtown Des Moines. We heard you; while ABI members enjoyed the Iowa Taproom (the site of last year’s event), you wanted more room and plenty of convenient parking. You’ll find that and more at the 2019 reception. Make plans now to attend.
NAM Reports: Manufacturing Leaders Optimistic
Last week's edition of the Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, carried a lead story about optimism among American manufacturing leaders. While they are quite optimistic, a recent survey of leaders highlighted two major challenges; finding enough qualified workers and the rising cost of materials. Both issues were also identified as challenges by ABI leaders for this quarter. If you wish to read the report for yourself, please reply to this memo and I will forward it at once.
Diamond Vogel Expands Partnership with KIB
ABI member organization Keep Iowa Beautiful announced an expansion of its well-known Paint Iowa Beautiful program. The expansion is thanks to the generosity of another ABI member, DiamondVogel Paint. Read more here: https://keepiowabeautiful.com/kib-announces-2019-paint-iowa-beautiful-program/.
Diamond Vogel provides free paint to a wide variety of public service project all across Iowa. This year, Diamond Vogel is expanding its donation to include painting projects at Iowa’s 70 state parks. Congratulations and thank you to KIB and to Diamond Vogel, including longtime ABI Board member Drew Vogel (Diamond Vogel Paint, Orange City)!
Interpower Marks Manufacturing Day in Unique Way
Many ABI members have been marking Manufacturing Day recently. However, longtime member Interpower did so in a way that was a bit different.
Working with the local chamber of commerce, Interpower shared Facebook information involving interesting manufacturing-related statistics. The posts had literally hundreds and hundreds of views. Congratulations to everyone at Interpower, including company President and former ABI Chair Bob Wersen (Interpower Corporation, Oskaloosa)!
Kellan Longenecker Recommends Drake Leadership Program
Longtime ABI Board Member Kellan Longenecker (General Mills, Carlisle) checked in last week with a report about her participation in Drake University’s Leading Others leadership development program. As you may recall, in response to member requests for development opportunities, ABI shared information about this program in the past.
Kellan has completed the program and can attest to the benefits it has brought to her and to those with whom she works and manages. She speaks highly of the program and recommends it highly (and would be pleased to speak with anyone should they have questions). You can find more information here: https://www.drake.edu/execed/leadingothers.html.
By the way, the Drake program (or others like it) does not compete with ABI Foundation programs such as Leadership Iowa. Rather, the foundation programs and other programs complement each other. Kellan has participated in both and can also attest to that fact. Thanks for the information, Kellan!
John DeVries to be honored with Ivy Award
The very first Ivy Award, presented by Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business, will be awarded to former ABI Chair John DeVries (DeVries Investments, West Des Moines) later this month. The award is being presented to John on behalf of his exceptional career achievements and exceptional service to the college. To read more, reply to this memorandum and I will send you the information. The award is richly deserved; congratulations, John!
Carter Pellett Selected for Opus Honor Choir
ABI Board Member Stacey Pellett (John Deere, Urbandale) and her family will be in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium at Iowa State University next month. That is because Stacey’s son, Carter Pellett, an 8th Grader at Atlantic Middle School, was 1 of 720 students (out of 3,000 nominees!) selected for participation in the statewide Opus Honor Choir. Read more about this terrific achievement here: http://www.swiowanewssource.com/atlantic/lifestyle/article_01f1997a-cc1a-11e8-b425-db21ffd1d2a4.html. Congratulations to Carter…and to Mom and Dad!
Bill Trent Celebrates Tomorrow
Former ABI Chair Bill Trent (Kent Corporation, Muscatine) is celebrating his birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday, Bill!
The Business of ABI: The Very Best Business Public Policy Advocacy Programs
(Editor’s Note: Last year at this time, several of us on the ABI staff were receiving inquiries from members who were being requested to provide financial support for non-ABI lobbying activities. I included the following in the Monday Memo then and it still applies today.)
You have heard me say often that I like things that can be measured, because they let us know whether or not we are having success in achieving the goals that the board sets for us each year. Some goals are easy to measure, such as the condition of our balance sheet (it is strong). Other things are more difficult to measure, but are measurable nonetheless. One example of that is ABI’s public policy work. Is the association getting passed into law the bills that will help members grow and create jobs? And, is the association stopping advancement of bills that hinder that growth? The answer to both questions, for decades through today, is a resounding yes.
You don’t have to take my word for it. National recognition, awards, mentions by media about how strong and effective ABI’s policy work is, all these things attest to ABI’s success.
In fact, as it pertains to public policy, no business organization has had more success than ABI… none. For over a hundred years, ABI has been at the Statehouse; year in, year out, achieving success in public policy advocacy and doing the hard and tough work of representing business interests.
You already receive that award-winning public policy work as a benefit of your membership in ABI. You don’t have to pay extra for it. Between ABI and our programs such as the Iowans for Jobs Initiative, ABI annually puts together the strategy that will bring victory--and then achieves it.
Success. It is what you are paying for when you make your annual investment in ABI. You already receive Iowa’s best pro-growth, pro-business public policy work as a result of your membership in ABI. And, thanks to your continued investment in ABI, continued success is assured.