Final Memo of the Year - Monday 12/18/23
December 18, 2023
First ABI Board Meeting of 2024 on January 10; Legislative Reception Same Day
January 10 is the date for the first meeting of the ABI Board of Directors in the new year. ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) will convene the meeting at 2:00 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center (Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center) in downtown Des Moines.
This is the same day as the 2024 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception and those events immediately follow the board meeting. Over 200 ABI members have already registered for the event and a crowd of well over 400 is expected. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg are invited to appear at the reception, along with hundreds of legislators and state officials. 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 Chad and our other ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you in Des Moines on January 10.
Editor’s Note: I am mindful of a message I received from ABI Board Member Stephen Anderson (Merrill Manufacturing, Storm Lake) last year at this time. Steve reminded me that ABI should highlight the briefing that precedes the reception. Every year, following the ABI board meeting and prior to the reception, ABI hosts a briefing for members only. During that briefing, ABI staff members provide specific information about legislative leadership, ABI issues of interest, and other information that will prepare you to make the most of your legislative visits during the reception. Steve participates in similar functions for other organizations in which he is involved and knows the importance of being prepared. So, for those of you attending your first reception, know that you will have an opportunity to get the information you need to make the most of you experience. Thanks again for the reminder, Steve!
January 4th is Date for ABI Israel-Hamas War Update
As I noted last week, 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.
Business Record to Name “Most Influential” Boards; ABI Expected to be Among Them
The Des Moines Business Record is a great member/partner and is one of Greater Des Moines’ most-read publications. In past years, the Business Record has honored the ABI Board of Directors and I will be very surprised if readers of the Business Record don’t again name the ABI Board of Directors as one of the top-25 most influential boards in the Des Moines metro area. Boards will be officially recognized at an event open to the public in January. Go here for more information: Book of Lists - Business Record. In the meantime, thank you to the Business Record and its readers and congratulations to you, the members of the ABI Board of Directors!
JD Davis to Represent ABI at Business Record Forum
Speaking of the Business Record, ABI Vice President Public Policy JD Davis will represent the association at an upcoming legislative forum. The forum, which will be hosted by the Business Record, will be held Tuesday, January 9. JD and a panel of others will preview the 2024 session of the Iowa General Assembly and discuss other issues important to business.
Click here to register for this free virtual event: Legislative Forecast Event - Business Record. Congratulations to JD for being selected for the panel and thank you for representing ABI members and Iowa business.
David Underwood Retires from REC
A little over 25 years ago, state officials appointed former longtime ABI Board Member David Underwood (CFO on Demand, Clear Lake) to the Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference. The REC is one of the most important positions in state government, as it is responsible for the official estimates of revenue upon which state budgets are developed. In Democrat administrations and Republican, Dave has been serving ever since. Last week, he announced his retirement.
In a message to me Friday, Dave noted that his participation in ABI was a major part of the reason he served. Dave is a selfless public servant and Iowa was much the better for his service and leadership. Congratulations, Dave, and very best wishes!
Leadership Iowa Class to Meet, LI Alumni Dinner Coming January 10
The 2023-2024 Leadership Iowa Class will hold its fourth session January 10-12. As is usual, the January session will focus on state government. Class members will tour the Statehouse, hear from some terrific speakers, and join you for the ABI Briefing and Reception on January 10.
Following the reception on Wednesday the 10th, ABI will again host the Leadership Iowa Alumni Society Dinner and Celebration. This event will take place at the Loft DSM, near downtown Des Moines. The event provides a fun and unique dinner networking opportunity for LI alumni. Click here for more information or to register: Summary - Leadership Iowa Alumni Society Annual Dinner (cvent.com).
Tommy Spaulding to Again Address ABI Members at Annual Conference
One of the most popular speakers ever will return to the ABI annual conference in June. Watch for a more formal announcement down the road, but excitement is already building for Tommy Spaulding, internationally-known speaker and author, who will keynote the 2024 ABI Taking Care of Business Conference. Tommy first addressed ABI members in Dubuque several years ago and conference attendees have been talking about his remarks ever since. Positive and uplifting and practical, Tommy will leave you with something to change your business and maybe even your life. ABI is grateful to Board Member Nate Weaton (Weaton Companies, Fairfield), for his leadership support that makes Mr. Spaulding’s appearance possible – thank you, Nate!
You do not want to miss this conference! Finalize your plans now to join ABI Vice Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) and hundreds of your fellow ABI members next June. Click here for more information about the conference: Taking Care of Business Conference | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
Quarterly ABI Iowa Business Survey Results Indicate Investments in the Form of Capital Expenditures Ahead
The latest ABI Quarterly Iowa Economic Survey has now closed and the results show 64 percent of ABI leaders plan to make a capital expenditure in Q1 of 2024. That is a remarkable testament to ABI member businesses and their commitment to Iowa. It is also clear that prioritizing cost reductions and sales growth are important as members navigate economic uncertainties. Find more information here: https://www.iowaabi.org/news/press-releases/iowa-manufacturers-focus-on-business-strategies-amidst-seasonal-challenges-and-economic-dynamics/. Watch your January meeting packet for more specific information and THANK YOU for your participation in the survey.
Carroll Automation Summit Rescheduled for February 1
You will recall that ABI had scheduled another in the series of very popular summits focused on automation. Originally scheduled for last Tuesday, due to conflicts for many ABI members, the summit has been rescheduled for February 1st. It will be held at the Carroll Campus of Des Moines Area Community College.
This program is designed for manufacturers of any size, as well as those interested in workforce solutions and automation. Local manufacturers, workforce organizations, and national cobot leaders will be in attendance. Click here to register or to find more information: Summary - Automation Summit (cvent.com). If you registered for the original date, your registration has already been transferred to the new date.
NAM Reports Good News in Economic Data
This week’s Monday Economic Report, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, highlights positive news regarding manufacturing data. Inflation and cost of materials are down, and manufacturing production is up. As the year winds down, this is good news indeed. As always, if you wish to read the report for yourself, simply reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
WOW! Big News as Sukup Acquires Ramco
There was very big news out of Sheffield last week as longtime ABI member Sukup Manufacturing Co. announced it had acquired ABI member Ramco Innovations of West Des Moines. This acquisition will result in the formation of a new entity, Sukup Innovations. That entity will oversee Ramco Innovations and Sukup Innovations' AgTech offerings. Read more about this blockbuster deal here: Sukup Manufacturing Co. Acquires Powerhouse Automation Distributor.
A deal such as this always generates media coverage. Read just one articles here: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2023/12/15/sukup-manufacturing-purchases-west-des-moines-ramco-innovations-tech-robots/71917839007/. Congratulations to all involved, especially Sukup President Steve Sukup (Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield), Sukup Chief Administrative Officer Emily Schmitt (Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield), Sukup Chief Marketing Officer Matt Koch(Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield), ABI Board Member and RAMCO CEO Hank Norem (Ramco Innovations, West Des Moines), and former ABI Chair and Sukup Chairman Charles Sukup(Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield)! More exciting things ahead from Sukup Manufacturing Co.!
KENT Corporation Makes Latest Acquisition
Another acquisition was announced by another great ABI member. Longtime ABI member KENT Corporation recently announced it latest acquisition. The company acquired Frosty Boy Global, an Australian company. Frosty Boy allows KENT to further expand its food and beverage lineup. Read more about this big news here: KENT Acquires Frosty Boy Global, Expands Worldwide (kentww.com). Congratulations to everyone at KENT, including ABI Board Member Rich Dwyer (KENT Corporation, Muscatine)!
Atlantic Bottling Newsletter Celebrates Big 2024
One of the things I have noticed about successful ABI member companies (and tried to copy) is that they work hard to share information with their employees. Not just personal information about pay or benefits, but about company objectives and operations as well.
One of those successful companies utilizing this best practice is longtime ABI member Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The latest edition of the company newsletter was published last week and it includes, as usual, a front page letter to employees from ABI Board Member and company President Rob Feeney (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines). In his letter, Rob provides information about company goals and objectives and what they mean for employees. Not surprisingly, it was another great year for the company and the newsletter is full of stories about employees that went the extra mile to help customers and to make the year successful. Congratulations to Rob and everyone at the company, including two former chairs of the association: Jim Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Atlantic) and Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines)!
Another Great Edition of BCC Advisers’ Baton Newsletter
Speaking of company newsletters, last week saw the publication of another terrific edition of the newsletter published by ABI member BCC Advisers. Called Baton, the newsletter has highly valuable information about mergers and acquisitions. Many ABI members are considering acquisitions as a way to grow their business. If so, don’t miss this newsletter. You can read it online here: Baton+20.3.pdf (squarespace.com). In the meantime, thank you to ABI board Member Steve Jacobs (BCC Advisers, Des Moines) and BBC the team for this useful publication.
Mike Espeset Celebrates
There I go again, I meant to report this news in last week’s Monday Memo: a member of the ABI Board of Directors celebrated his birthday last Thursday. ABI sends belated happy birthday wishes to ABI Board Member Mike Espeset (Story Construction, Ames)!
Nicole Crain Delivers Simpson Commencement Address
If you know ABI Executive Vice President Nicole Crain, you know that she is passionate about her alma mater, Simpson College. An alumni award winner and a longtime member of the school’s Board of Trustees, Nicole recently received yet another honor. She was asked to present the commencement address at the Simpson Winter Commencement Ceremony held this past Friday evening at the College.
Click here to watch the ceremony and listen to Nicole’s speech (note: the person who did the captioning didn’t get every word right, but you can very much still enjoy the ceremony: https://www.facebook.com/SimpsonCollege/videos/1093351175171079/. Her remarks were outstanding and I know appreciated by the graduates and their families. Congratulations, Nicole!
ABI Office Closed Friday, Monday, and January 1; Last Memo of the Year
Due to the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the ABI office will be closed Monday (December 25) and Tuesday (December 26) and again on the following Monday (January 1). Many ABI staff members, myself included, will be taking some vacation at various times over the next two weeks. Staff members have worked hard and I hope you will join me in thanking them for their work. As always, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is the one time all year that the ABI Monday Memo is not published. Your next Memo will arrive in your email in-basket on the 2nd of January.
As I noted in the final memo each of the last few years, at this time of year it is natural to reflect on the past 12 months. Much has been accomplished; so much more lies ahead. On a personal level, I know how fortunate I am that you have given me the opportunity to work for you and with some great colleagues. I never, ever take that for granted. I am deeply grateful and I thank you. Very best wishes to you, your family, and your company for the coming year.