Final FY20 Executive Committee Meeting Next Week - Monday Memo 6/15/20
June 15, 2020
Final Executive Committee Meeting of Fiscal Year Next Week
Members of the ABI Executive Committee will hold their final teleconference of the 2019-2020 fiscal year next week. The June Executive Committee teleconference will take place at 9:30 a.m. on June 24.
For FY20, ABI Chair Cindy Dietz (Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids) has been joined on the Executive Committee by Vice Chair Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine), Treasurer Jack Hasken (Jackson Manufacturing, Maquoketa), Secretary Kim Augspurger (Saxton, Des Moines), and Immediate Past Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City). Also on the committee are District Vice Chairs Andy Bramstedt (SSAB, Muscatine), Peter Voorhees (Standard Golf, Cedar Falls), Jack McFarland (Miller Products Company, Osceola), and Bruce Tamisiea (Tecton Industries, Spencer). Thank you to these terrific leaders for their service during this past year.
Foundation Panel to Hold June Meeting
An important ABI Foundation entity will hold its June meeting this week. The ABI Foundation’s Leadership Iowa Board of Governors meets Thursday afternoon. The Leadership Iowa program will convene its 39th class this fall. Watch for more information as it develops.
ABI Publishes Iowa HR Library
One of ABI’s popular services over the years has been to provide a library of reference books related to Human Resources and other issues. The reference set is periodically updated and highlighted for those companies seeking such a resource and it is offered at a very nominal rate for ABI members. For more information or to obtain a set of manuals, please contact the ABI office.
IIPAC Fundraising Now Underway
The Iowa Industry Political Action Committee is ABI’s political arm and it is not pro-Republican or pro-Democrat; it is pro-business. IIPAC is an important resource for pro-business candidates. IIPAC Chair (and former ABI Chair) Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines) and board members will tell you that your support is vital to the success of IIPAC and its mission.
Fundraising for IIPAC really never stops, but it occurs in earnest during the summer and fall. The past few weeks have seen significant activity as far as IIPAC revenues. THANK YOU! However, if you are on the ABI Board of Directors and have not yet contributed to IIPAC, we need you! I hope you will join your fellow ABI board and staff members by becoming an IIPAC contributor today. Please click on this link for more information or to make a donation: https://www.iowaabi.org/public-policy/iipac/.
See Elevate Iowa’s Latest Great Video
One of the terrific things about ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing (Elevate Iowa) initiative is the way it showcases today’s manufacturing. Through the use of video and social media, Elevate Iowa lets young people know that manufacturing in Iowa isn’t dirty and unexciting, it is clean, high-tech, and the source of fabulous careers.
The latest Elevate video is a look at a great ABI member company, Accumold. In the video, which features ABI Board Member and Accumold President Roger Hargens (Accumold, Ankeny) and some of his employees, viewers can see what exciting things are a part of today’s advanced manufacturing. Watch it for yourself by clicking here: https://atwtraining.com/files/videos/Accumold%206-11-20.mp4. Thank you to Roger and to producers and ABI Board Members Michele Farrell (Measured Intentions, Urbandale) and Todd McDonald (ATW Training and Consulting, Urbandale) for the great video.
Register Now for 2020 ABI Executive Open at Des Moines Golf and Country Club
When it was created several years ago, the Executive Open quickly became one of ABI’s most popular annual outings and it sells-out every year. The 2020 edition of this event is now approaching.
The 2020 Open will be held Monday, August 31, at one of Iowa's most beautiful private courses, Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines. Click on this link to learn more about the club: http://www.dmgcc.org/. It makes a fabulous location for the 2020 Executive Open. This event ALWAYS fills quickly, so don’t delay your registration. You can register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/096af229-a2f3-4913-9947-10fd65dce17f/summary. You can register yourself or as part of a foursome. And, even if you don’t golf, join the crowd for the reception that caps the afternoon. See you at Des Moines Golf in August!
Regional Meetings Draw Large Crowds
Last week’s ABI Regional Meetings, held via Zoom, were a big success. Hundreds of members from all around Iowa participated in the meetings.
While lots of information about resources and issues was shared by the ABI staff, the highlight of each meeting was the information shared by members. Comments about their business, their employees, and about the coming months. On behalf of the ABI Board of Directors, THANK YOU for your participation. We look forward to being able to come to YOU soon.
Important Liability Protections Passed by Senate; Sent to Governor; Legislature Adjourns
ABI’s number one legislative priority passed the Iowa Senate Wednesday. In concurring with a House amendment, senators passed substantive and important liability protection for businesses related to COVID-19. The common-sense protections outlined in the bill ensure that businesses can get back into full operation without fear of facing an explosion of lawsuits. The bill now goes to Governor Kim Reynolds for her signature. In the meantime, thank you again for your support.
In other big legislative news, the General Assembly adjourned its 2020 session early yesterday afternoon. Legislators worked through the weekend to wrap things up. JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf also worked through the weekend to make sure you and all ABI members were well-represented at the Statehouse. Thank you to JD and Brad and thank you to all of you for your work involving the legislature this year. Also, you should have received a report from ABI yesterday that summarized the session’s end. If you did not receive it for some reason, reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
24th Edition of Iowa Business Report Radio Program Broadcast across Iowa
The Iowa Business Report radio program’s 24th edition was broadcast statewide over the weekend. ABI is proud to sponsor this terrific program. Click here to listen for yourself: http://iowabusinessreport.buzzsprout.com/. Links can also be found on the ABI website at https://www.iowaabi.org/news/iowa-business-report/. The show is produced by well-known Iowa broadcaster Jeff Stein.
NAM Update Shares Some Positive News; Journal Reports Beginnings of V-Shaped Recovery
The National Association of Manufacturers published its monthly Global Manufacturing Economic Update last Thursday. There was some positive data to be found.
While the World Bank expects global GDP to drop by 5.2 percent in 2020, it expects it to climb by 4.2 percent in 2021. In addition, the J.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMI increased in May by nearly three points. This data gives further credence to the beginning of a slow return to a better economy. As always, if you wish to read the report for yourself, reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
More positive news was found inside the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal. On Page 2, a graph and article outline the strong beginnings of a V-shaped economic recovery. Some experts had predicted a slower return to economic activity, but a v-shaped recovery, with a sharp uptick after a steep drop, bodes well. Here’s hoping the data holds.
Bywaters Celebrate
Some years ago, when he was a junior at City High in Iowa City, Immediate Past ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) asked a young girl named Angie to the prom. Things must have gone well, because some years after that, David and Angie were married.
Last Thursday, David and Angie Bywater celebrated 26 years of marriage. ABI sends congratulations to the couple and best wishes for many more years together!
Leo Mores Newspaper Leadership Institute Again to be Held
In 2009, the Iowa Newspaper Association created the Leo Mores Newspaper Leadership Institute. The program was made possible through the founding support of longtime ABI Board Member Alan Mores (Harlan Newspapers, Harlan) and his brother, Steve Mores (Harlan Newspapers). Alan and Steve provided the founding support in honor of their father, longtime Iowa publisher Leo Mores.
The Institute is a three-day program created to enhance the leadership, organizational and performance skills of mid-to-upper level newspaper professionals. Congratulations and thank you to the Mores Family for their work to make the newspaper industry, and Iowa in general, even better!
Former Board Member Larry Fie Passes
A former ABI board member has passed away. Larry Fie (AAI, Jefferson) was a well-known Iowa business leader and philanthropist. His leadership as a board member in the 1980s was important to ABI at a time when the association was transitioning from the Iowa Manufacturers Association to the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Read more about Larry here: https://www.sliningerschroederfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Larry-Fie/#!/Obituary. Thank you to David Hildahl for making sure I saw the news of Larry’s passing.