Final Executive Committee Meeting of 2023 This Week - Monday Memo 12/11/23
December 11, 2023
Exec Committee This Week; ABI Board of Directors to Meet in Four Weeks (January 10)
The final meeting of the calendar year for the ABI Executive Committee will take place by Zoom at 10:00 a.m. this Wednesday (December 13). The first meeting of the Executive Committee and ABI Board of Directors for 2024 will be called to order by ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) on January 10 at the Iowa Events Center (Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center) in downtown Des Moines. This is the same date as the 2024 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception (see below). You should receive the usual packet of meeting materials in about three weeks and we look forward to seeing you on the 10th.
Strong Pace of Registrants for 2024 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception
The ABI staff is busy finalizing details related to the annual ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception, one of the association’s most popular annual events. In fact, all indications are that the coming reception will be one of the best ever.
Close to 100 ABI members have already registered for the event and it is clear that over 500 people will attend. The 2024 briefing and reception will be held Wednesday, January 10 at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg are expected to appear at the reception, along with hundreds of legislators and state officials. I hope you can attend.
The reception is an important event and it will be preceded (as always) by the annual legislative briefing. The members-only briefing is your opportunity to hear the latest about legislative news and about ABI's agenda. You can then head right into the reception and share comments with your local legislators. Your participation and interaction with legislators is what makes this event a must for Iowa policy-makers.
Go to the ABI website at Summary - Legislative Briefing and Reception (cvent.com). You’ll find all the information you need and can follow the easy instructions to register right now. Thank you in advance for participating in this very important event. On behalf of ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) and our other ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you in Des Moines on January 10.
ABI to Host Israel-Hamas War Update
ABI members and other Iowans have been following developments related to the Israel-Hamas War, initiated by Hamas when it attacked Israel on October 7th. To bring you current with the very latest from the war, and with a focus on how it can be impacting your business, ABI has scheduled a Zoom webinar to share information. It will be held January 4th, beginning at 10:15 and lasting 60 minutes. Click here for more information and to register for this no-cost webinar: Israel/Hamas War; the Impact on Iowa and Your Workforce Webinar | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
ABI member company executive David Adelman (Cornerstone Government Affairs, Des Moines), who is a government relations professional and Israel geo-political expert, will provide an insightful conversation about the war. All Iowa business leaders will benefit from the discussion and have a better understanding of the current state in Israel and how it is affecting Iowans.
December Edition of Business Monthly in Your Mailbox
You should have received in the mail the latest edition of ABI's Business Record Iowa, published in conjunction with member Corridor Media Group. ABI’s Business Monthly is found inside the Corridor Business Journal and the Quad Cities Business Journal each month. The cover story this month features a look back at significant accomplishments in 2023 and a look ahead to the 2024 Iowa legislative session. If you did not receive BR Iowa, let me know; we'll get it to you. In the meantime, you may also read the journal by clicking on this link: Workforce Boosts, Tort, Regulatory, Tax Reforms Top 2023 Accomplishments | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
CNN Seeks your Questions, Participation Related to Presidential Candidate Town Hall Events
Staff members from the CNN Cable Television Network reached out to ABI (and some ABI members directly) last week. CNN is sponsoring two presidential candidate town hall events this week in Des Moines. Tomorrow evening, a town hall with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will take place. Wednesday evening, a town hall for venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy will be held. For more information, to submit a question, or to register attendance plans, please go here: CNN Republican Presidential Town Halls with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy (office.com). Please do so today if you are interested.
Fairfield LI Session Big Success; ABI Statewide Leaders Event Draws Crowd, Board Members Attend
The 2023-2024 Leadership Iowa Class held its third session last week in Fairfield. The class heard from an incredible array of terrific speakers such as ABI Board Member Nate Weaton (Weaton Companies, Fairfield). You will have an opportunity to meet the class at next month's ABI legislative reception.
By the way, a part of the LI session included the latest in ABI’s “Connecting Statewide Leaders” series of events. A terrific panel of manufacturing/ leaders was the highlight of that event. The panel included former ABI Chair Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics Company, Fairfield), ABI Board Member Rich Dwyer (KENT Corporation, Muscatine), and ABI member company executive Kevin Gaul (Pella Corporation, Pella). It was a fabulous discussion of Iowa manufacturing.
Special thanks to ABI board members ( in addition to Lori and Rich) who made the trip to Fairfield to attend the Connecting Statewide Leaders event, including Kelly Barrick (CIBC, West Des Moines), Todd McDonald (ATW Training Solutions, Urbandale), and Jenny Steffensmeier (Steffensmeier Welding and Manufacturing, Pilot Grove). Thanks as well to ABI Foundation Board member Kim Butler-Hegedus (Community State Bank, Ankeny), who also made the trip.
Contribute To ABI Foundation, Elevate
This is the time of year that folks consider their personal tax planning. If you need to make some end-of-the-year contributions, please consider Elevate Iowa and/or the ABI Foundation. Thank you to those who have already contributed.
Contributions to the ABI Foundation help advance terrific programs such as Leadership Iowa, Business Horizons, and others. These programs have been described as “life-changing” by participants and they have certainly helped make Iowa an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Contributions to Elevate help our efforts to change the perception of advanced manufacturing and help you fill your workforce requirements. Big thanks to all of the companies who have contributed over the years and also thanks to Iowa Community Colleges, who each contribute to the Elevate partnership. If you haven't yet contributed, please make your contribution today. I have. Click here for more information: https://www.iowaabi.org/abi-foundation/pay-online/.
ABI Foundation Board to Meet on the 14th; Leadership Iowa Class in Des Moines in January; Annual LI Dinner January 11
The ABI Foundation Board of Directors will meet this Thursday (December 14) by Zoom. And, ABI’s Leadership Iowa is quite active. This Wednesday, December 13th, the Leadership Iowa program will another in a series of LI Connect programs, this one is focused on manufacturing. Please go here to register: Click here for more information: LI Connect: Manufacturing | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
Also coming up is the January session of the currently Leadership Iowa class. The 2023-2024 LI Class will hold its fourth session January 10-12. The class will focus on state government and will join you for the ABI Briefing and Reception on January 10.
Lastly, another LI event will be held on January 10. From 6:00-8:30 that evening, the annual Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner and celebration will be held in Des Moines. LI’s 42nd anniversary will be celebrated and other special things will make the night a lot of fun. Click here for more information and to register: Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org). Congratulations to the Leadership Iowa program, which is bigger and better than ever!
NAM: Manufacturing Employment Growing
Today’s National Association of Manufacturers’ Monday Economic Report shared interesting data. While manufacturing employment is growing (and manufacturing wages are also growing), orders for new goods declined last month. That likely means manufacturers are finally able to make-up some lost ground related to open positions. To read the report yourself, simply reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.