Final '24 Board Meeting Ahead - Monday Memo 10/28/24
October 28, 2024
Board, Executive Committee to Meet in Three Weeks
As I noted in last week’s Memo, both the ABI Board of Directors and the ABI Executive Committee will meet three weeks from Wednesday, on November 20. ABI Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) will call to order the final board meeting of 2024 at 11:30 a.m. The board will meet at ABI and lunch will be served. The Executive Committee will meet immediately prior to the board meeting.
New staff introductions, a review of the annual audit, an update regarding the conference, policy discussions, and your business reports are highlights of the agenda. In addition, the board will receive the usual operational reports.
If you haven't already done so, please register your attendance by simply replying to this message. A link to access the usual packet of reports and reference materials will come your way in two weeks. In the meantime and on behalf of Chad and our ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you next week.
Kevin Kruse to Help ABI
Many of you know that one of my goals before I retire at the end of the year is to ensure that ABI is fully staffed, as we had been down some positions. One of those positions relates to some part-time help with bookkeeping and other administrative functions. In that regard, ABI is excited to engage Kevin Kruse, a consultant, to help with bookkeeping and other back-room functions on an independent contractor basis. Kevin will begin to do just that in November. He is lawyer with a long background in association work and we are excited to work with him. Welcome, Kevin!
Leadership Iowa to Meet in SW Iowa Next Week
The 2024-2025 Leadership Iowa class will hold its second session of the program year next week, starting Wednesday and going through Friday, in Shenandoah and Clarinda. This session will focus on agriculture and renewable resources.
Final Call to Register for Tuesday’s Engaging Future Talent Event
ABI and CIRAS are partnering on an event to help address your workface issues. This event, which will be held tomorrow in western Iowa, can help you discover how you can work with your local K12 schools to develop your workforce. Attendees will also tour facilities and plants to see best practices in person. Register now for this evet, which is being held tomorrow, October 29th. Register and fin more information: Summary - Engaging Future Talent: Manufacturing Partnerships and Tours.
ABI Hosting Latest Automation Event November 7 in Council Bluffs
ABI has hosted a series of events focused on automation. These events have been held all over Iowa and have proven quite popular. They are a perfect way for your operations teams to learn more about automation and how automation technologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence can help your business.
The latest event in this series is being held on November 7 (just a week from Thursday) in Council Bluffs, on the campus of Iowa Western Community College. For those who are interested, the event will include a tour of Acieta, a Council Bluffs company known for its use of automation. Register and find more information here: Summary - Automation Event. See you there!
Next Connecting Statewide Leaders Event in Ottumwa in December
The first FY25 Connecting Statewide Leaders event will be held December 5 in Ottumwa. This forum is the next opportunity to participate in the popular series of events ABI has hosted around Iowa over the course of the past few years.
A luncheon follows the meeting and you will have a great opportunity to visit with fellow ABI members, meet the new Leadership Iowa class, and develop new customers. Register now for this program, which will focus on the future workforce in Iowa: Summary - Connecting Statewide Leaders - Ottumwa. Make your plans now to join the LI class and ABI members in Ottumwa in December.
2025 ABI Legislative Reception on January 15
One of the association's most popular events is the annual legislative reception. ABI members are proud that the reception has traditionally drawn more Iowa legislators (of both parties) than similar events hosted by any other organization. All 150 legislators and the Governor and Lieutenant Governor will again be invited to join you at the 2025 reception, which will be held January 15 (the same day as the January ABI Board Meeting) at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.
Mark your calendars now. Your attendance at this important event is vital for ABI to advance its pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda.
Check Photos from Manufacturing Conference and Legends Luncheon; You May be in them
There was a great crowd for the annual ABI Iowa Manufacturing Conference and Legends Luncheon held earlier this month. The event brought ABI members (and soon to be members) together from across Iowa. ABI Marketing and Communications Director Kelsey Smith has now posted photos from the events to the ABI webpage. You may view them here: Photos | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org). Click to see if you are featured!
Conference Breakout Proposals due December 1
The members of the ABI Conference Committee are putting together plans for a spectacular Taking Care of Business Conference. The 2025 conference will be held next June in Council Bluffs.
Speaking of the annual conference, now is the time for interested parties to submit their responses to the breakout session RFP. Conference attendees have given very high marks to the breakout sessions in recent years and much of that is due to the very competitive process related to those sessions. The deadline for proposals is December 1 and you can click here for more information: Taking Care of Business Conference | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org). The conference will be held in June of next year. Mark your calendars now and watch for more information soon.
ABI Staff Works Hard for You
These memos are about you, ABI leaders. In this instance, however, please allow me to share a note about our ABI staff. ABI is fortunate to have a staff full of dedicated professionals, talented, and good at what they do. They are simply good people. And they are focused on providing value for ABI members. When you next see them, please join me in thanking Nicole Crain, JD Davis, Jane Galloway, Brad Hartkopf, Levi Lefebure, Jessi McQuerrey, Holly Mueggenberg, Kelsey O’Connor, Meg Schneider, and Michelle Vollstedt. Thanks, too, to our part-time and contract staff members Olivia Jones, Kerry Servas, and Katelyn Adams. I am grateful every day to get to work with all of these terrific people.
For the Second Week in a Row, NAM Weekly Shares Mixed Data
You might recall that in last week’s Memo, I shared that the news in the previous week’s Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, was mixed; some positive, some not-so positive. That was very much the case again in the most recent edition. Please reply to this memo if you would like to read the report and I’ll get it to you at once.
Read John Lisle’s Family Business “Do’s and Don’ts”
Longtime ABI member John Lisle is an Iowa legend. It was fun to see John receive the Legends Award at this month’s manufacturing conference. His family’s company, which is now led by longtime ABI Board Member Mary Landhuis (Lisle Corporation, Clarinda), is an industry leader and known nationally for its quality products and skilled workforce. At the conference, John shared a list of “Family Business Do’s and Don’ts.” The list was included in last week’s ABI newsletter, but if you didn’t see it, you can read the list here: From the Desk of John Lisle | Iowa Association of Business and Industry. It is good reading… and it is good counsel! Thank you, John, and congratulations again!
ABI Sees a Huge October
This month has given me pause to think about this same period for ABI in 2005. Our balance sheet was a mess; we had no revenue coming in the door and making payroll every two weeks was a dicey proposition. We had no events scheduled and membership was shrinking. It was very quiet and not a good period in ABI’s history.
Contrast that with October 2024; a very busy month. A record crowd attended the annual manufacturing conference and Legends Luncheon. Leadership Iowa kicked-off another terrific year. ABI has held several other events all over Iowa this month, with more this week. Our balance sheet is strong, in fact, it has never been stronger. Membership is growing. It is the support of ABI members and YOUR leadership that is responsible for that growth and success! Thanks to you, ABI’s 121st year is its best year yet!