January Board Meeting Ahead - Monday Memo 12/13/21
December 13, 2021
ABI Board of Directors to Meet in Four Weeks (January 12)
The first meeting of the Executive Committee and ABI Board of Directors for 2022 will be called to order by ABI Chair Jack Hasken (Jackson Mfg., Maquoketa) on January 12 at the Iowa Events Center (Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center) in downtown Des Moines. This is the same date as the 2022 ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception (see item below). You should receive the usual packet of meeting materials in about three weeks and we look forward to seeing you on the 12th.
Strong Pace of Registrants for 2022 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 perhaps the biggest and best ever.
Nearly 150 ABI members have already registered for the event and it is clear that over 500 people will attend. The 2022 briefing and reception will be held Wednesday, January 12 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention 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 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 Chair Jack Hasken (Jackson Mfg., Maquoketa) and our other ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you in Des Moines on January 12.
December Edition of Business Record Iowa in Your Mailbox
You should have received in the mail the latest edition of ABI's Business Record Iowa, published in conjunction with member Business Publications Corporation. BR Iowa is found inside the BPC's Des Moines Business Record. The cover this month features a great ABI leader, ABI Board Member Todd Sommerfeld (Kreg Tool Company, Ankeny) and a great new ABI member, Erin Strawn (Red Boot Distillery, Ankeny). If you did not receive BR Iowa, let me know; we'll get it to you. Thank you to Todd and Erin for being this month’s cover models.
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.
LI CONNECT on the 15th; LI NEXT and Leadership Iowa Class in January; Alumni Dinner Next Month
Speaking of the Foundation, the ABI Foundation's flagship program is quite active. As a confirmation of that, Leadership Iowa has four big events coming up.
This Wednesday, December 15th, Leadership Iowa will host the next in the series of LI CONNECT programs. A virtual event, it will focus on the upcoming legislative session. Go here to register or to find more information: Meeting Registration - Zoom.
Then, on January 12th and 13th, the popular LI NEXT alumni program returns with a session to be held in Des Moines. Tours, TEDx-type talks led by LI alums, and much more are on tap for this terrific event. Go here for more information: Summary - LI NEXT (cvent.com).
Also at this time, the 2021-2022 LI Class will hold its fourth session January 12-14. The class will focus on state government and will join you for the ABI Briefing and Reception on January 12.
Lastly, another LI event will be held on January 12. From 6:00-8:30 that evening, the annual Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner and celebration will be held in Des Moines. LI’s 40th anniversary will be celebrated and other special things will make the night a lot of fun. Click here Summary - Leadership Iowa Alumni Dinner & 40th Celebration (cvent.com) for more information and to register. Congratulations to the Leadership Iowa program, which is bigger and better than ever!
Governor Appoints Barrick, Landhuis to State Board
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed two ABI board members to the Iowa Workforce Development Board. ABI Board Members Kelly Barrick (CIBC, West Des Moines) and Mary Landhuis (Lisle Corporation, Clarinda) were appointed to terms on the board last week. Thank you for your service and congratulations to Kelly and Mary!
NAM: Inflation a Global Concern; Most of U.S. Manufacturing Markets Expanding
The National Association of Manufacturers’ Global Manufacturing Economic Update shared interesting data in its December edition. While concerns about inflation abounds, positive news was found in a majority of American markets for manufactured goods seeing expansion in November. That is good news for ABI members. To read the report yourself, simply reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once.
JPMorgan Chase: Full Global Recovery in 2022
Also in the news last week was the latest economic forecast from JPMorgan Chase Global Research, as reported by Axios. According to the forecast, “2022 will be the year of a full global recovery, an end of the global pandemic, and a return to normal conditions we had prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Cited as reasons for this forecast are advances in broad population immunity and new therapeutics to treat the virus. The result? A return to global mobility and even great consumer demand. Here’s hoping Jamie Dimon’s team is right on this one.