It's Board Week - Monday Memo 11/18/24
November 18, 2024
ABI to Hold Last Board Meeting of Calendar Year
On Wednesday, the ABI Board of Directors will convene for its final meeting of 2024. ABI Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) will call the meeting to order at 11:30 that morning at the ABI office in Des Moines’ East Village.
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 replying to this message. You should have received a message from me last Wednesday that included a link to access the usual packet of reports and materials related to the meeting. If you don’t have it, let me know and I’ll re-send it. In the meantime and on behalf of Chad and our ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
Kevin Kruse Joins ABI Today
In the Monday Memo of October 28th, I told you about Kevin Kruse. As I said then, one of the goals I have before I retire at the end of the year is to work with ABI Incoming President Nicole Crain to ensure that ABI is fully staffed, as we have 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, a consultant, to help with bookkeeping and other back-room functions on an independent contractor basis. Kevin will begin his time with ABI today. He is lawyer with a long background in association work and we are excited to work with him. Welcome, Kevin!
Advisory Council Meets Thursday
The ABI Advisory Council will meet this Thursday, November 21st. This will mark the panel's final business meeting of 2024. Advisory Council members provide key financial support for ABI, but their real value is in the terrific resources they can provide to help your business succeed. Thank you to Advisory Council members Anthologic, AssuredPartners, Bankers Trust, BCC Advisers, BrownWinick, CliftonLarsonAllen, Eide Bailley, EMC, Fredrikson, G&A Partners, HDH Advisors, Principal Financial Network of Central Iowa, The Iowa Clinic, Wellmark, and Wells Fargo for your leadership and support!
ABI to Host Connecting Statewide Leaders Event December 5 in Ottumwa; IWD Director Townsend to Speak
On the morning of December 5 in Ottumwa, ABI will host the next in the series of Connecting Statewide Leaders programs.
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. Remarks by Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend will highlight the event. Register now for this program at: Summary - Connecting Statewide Leaders - Ottumwa. Make plans now to join the LI class and ABI members in Ottumwa in December.
Final Session in ABI Pre-Employment Testing Webinar Series December 10
For years, ABI hosted a single day conference related to pre-employment testing. After receiving feedback from members, that conference was re-developed as a FREE three-part webinar series. Webinars were held on July 30thand September 17th. The third and final webinar in this series will be held next month, on December 10th, and as did the others, will last an hour. Get the latest information and best practices when it comes to effective pre-employment testing and treated issues. To learn more, click here: Summary - Pre-Employment Testing Process Webinar Series (cvent.com).
ABI “Advocacy 101” Webinar Will Help You Prepare for 2025 Legislative Session
The 2025 session of the Iowa General Assembly is fast-approaching. In that regard, the ABI public policy team will help get you ready to advocate for Iowa business in 2025. At 9:00 Friday morning January 10th, ABI Vice President Public Policy JD Davis and ABI Director Public Policy Brad Hartkopf will host a one-hour webinar to share information about the legislative process and tips for engaging your legislators. This interactive, members-only discussion will provide a deeper dive into the legislative process to help you feel prepared as the Legislature convenes. Register here for this FREE webinar: Advocacy 101 Webinar (Members Only) | Iowa Association of Business and Industry.
December Executive Committee Teleconference in Three Weeks; January 15 is Date for Next ABI Board Meeting
The final meeting of the ABI Executive Committee for 2024 is scheduled to be held three weeks from Wednesday, on December 11. The week after next, committee members will receive the usual packet to help in preparing for the meeting, which will be called to order by ABI Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) at 10:00 a.m.
As for the ABI Board of Directors, that panel will meet next in January. The ABI Board of Directors will hold its regularly scheduled January meeting on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Because it falls on the same day as the annual ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception, the January meeting is typically one of the best-attended of the year. All three events (the board meeting, briefing, and the reception) will be held at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines.
Please mark your calendars now for January 15.
Leadership Iowa Class Heads to Fairfield in December; Foundation Highlights #GivingTuesday
Ottumwa is the site for the third session of ABI’s 2024-2025 Leadership Iowa Class. The class will meet there for a session focused on economic development and workforce on December 5-6.
In other ABI Foundation news, the ABI Foundation is gearing up for #GivingTuesday, which is a global generosity movement. The hashtag signifies a global day of giving fueled by social media and collaboration. This year, the event will be celebrated on December 3rd. Please support the ABI Foundation through #GivingTuesday. Click here to donate: Pay Online | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).
State Leaders Will Attend 2025 ABI Legislative Reception; Register Now
Key state leaders such as Governor Kim Reynolds and all 150 members of the Iowa General Assembly have been invited to the 2025 ABI Legislative Reception. As you know, this event is one of the most popular events ABI hosts all year long. Past receptions have regularly drawn in excess of 500 people, including more legislators of both parties than at any other similar event.
The attendance of these state officials is one more confirmation of your importance to Iowa policy makers. They attend because YOU attend.
You can register by clicking on the following link: Summary - Legislative Briefing and Reception. The 2025 ABI Briefing and Reception will be held Wednesday, January 15 at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines. Plenty of convenient parking is available nearby.
I hope you will attend the reception, which is a very important event. Of course it is a lot of fun and you’ll see great ABI colleagues from all over Iowa. Even more vital, however, is your discussion with your local legislators. Building relationships between legislators and ABI members is what the event is all about. Your perspective is a crucial component in helping Iowa policymakers understand the needs and concerns of business people in our state. On behalf of our ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you in Des Moines on January 15.
Correcting My Error and Urging You to Make Your 2025 Annual Conference Lodging Reservations
In last week's memo, I included a note about making your lodging reservations for next year’s ABI Taking Care of Business Conference. While the link I included was the right one, I erroneously wrote that the main conference hotel was the Hotel Black Hawk. The Black Hawk, of course, is a great hotel, but it is located on the other side of Iowa in Davenport, and was the main hotel for the 2024 conference. Next year’s conference will be held in Council Bluffs June 10-12 of 2025 and there are terrific hotel options. Click here for more information and to make your reservation now: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/annual-conference/. I’m grateful to longtime ABI Board Member Stephen Anderson (Merrill Manufacturing, Storm Lake) for catching my error and giving me this opportunity correct it. The point is that this will be a spectacular conference and you do not want to miss it! Reserve your room now.
NAM Report Highlights Renewed Dockworker Issues
It is likely no surprise that negotiations involving the unions that represent workers at American docks and ports have broken down. Last Thursday’s Input newsletter, published by the National Association of Manufacturers, carried information about ongoing negotiations between the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association. The negotiations are the result of the three-day strike by the union earlier this fall. If a new contract agreement isn’t reached before January 15th, the union will again call a strike.
Such a move would have huge economic impacts and it is hoped agreement will be reached. There was other information included in the newsletter. If you would like to see the report for yourself, please reply to this memo and I will get it to you at once.
The Business of ABI; Strong Results in 2024
Editor's Note: The following is a message that has become a tradition about this time each year; it has been edited for accuracy and so that it objectively applies to the current year
When I created the Monday Memo, my goal was to provide you with sort of an “inside baseball” view of what is happening at ABI each week. Too many times, this weekly memo becomes simply a list of upcoming events. Given that, I especially like to share news related to developments and projects (other than events) and news of what is happening with your fellow board members and past chairs. And, I like to share news regarding what I call the business of ABI.
The business of ABI refers to key information about the metrics that provide insights as to whether or not our association is achieving the goals you establish for it every year. In that regard and in keeping with a tradition started almost two decades ago, I typically share some information in the memo that appears the week of the final board meeting of the year to provide some information about association results during the past 12 months.
For many years, I listed several bullet points related to ABI's work in public policy, programs, with the work of the ABI Foundation, and as it pertains to our operational and financial success. Because that became repetitive, I took a different tack the last few years and I'll do that again now.
Let me simply say that ABI experienced strong results in 2024. I need to point out that is not just rhetoric. Simply saying something is the case does not make it so. In measurable ways, ABI enjoyed success this year. When it comes to public policy advocacy, membership growth, participation in events, conference revenue, Foundation programs, creation of new initiatives, and in so many other ways, 2024 has been a truly great year (and of course it’s not over yet).
ABI board members demand results. Thanks to your leadership and thanks to a hard-working staff at ABI and the ABI Foundation, strong results were achieved in 2024. THANK YOU.