Legends Dinner, Manufacturing Conference Ahead - Monday Memo 9/24/18
September 24, 2018
Manufacturing Legends Dinner; Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Conference Next Week
Two of ABI’s most popular annual events will be held next week, starting a week from tomorrow evening. The annual Legends in Manufacturing Awards Dinner and the 2018 Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Conference will be held at the Prairie Meadows Events Center in Altoona on October 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Register now for these important events at conference at http://www.cvent.com/events/legends-in-manufacturing-awards-dinner-and-or-advanced-manufacturing-conference/event-summary-de211e47fb134bf5ad05f7564b050780.aspx. If you wish to make a hotel reservation, go to: http://www.prairiemeadows.com/. These events have become a must-attend for ABI members in recent years and the awards dinner is always a fun celebration of Iowa manufacturing. See you at Prairie Meadows!
Kay Neumann-Thomas Event Next Monday
As you know, Vice President ABI Foundation Programs Kay Neumann-Thomas is retiring after a very successful two decades-long career and this is her final week. ABI and the ABI Foundation will honor Kay at a reception to be held a week from today, on October 1.
The reception will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 Monday afternoon at the AC Hotel in Des Moines’ East Village. Park at no charge at ABI and walk to the hotel, which is only two blocks away.
Food and beverage and much good will are all on tap for the reception. Please join us in honoring Kay and wishing her the best in the future.
November Board Meeting to be Held at ABI
The ABI Board of Directors will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, November 7. The meeting will be held at the ABI office at 400 East Court Avenue in Des Moines' East Village. Watch for more information soon.
The board will also meet at ABI on January 16 and March 13 of next year. The board will meet in Iowa City, home of Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, on May 8 and the annual conference will be held in Ames June 4-6.
Manufacturing Road Show a Hit
As you know, a couple of dozen ABI leaders and members participated in last week’s Manufacturing Best Practices Road Show. The group toured manufacturing facilities in Iowa and Illinois and saw the latest in digital/automated manufacturing. If you participated, let us know what you liked and what you would like to see done differently next time. And by the way, based on early feedback, it seems sure there will be a next time. Thanks again to those who participated.
CIRAS Advisory Council to Meet
The Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State University is a key ABI partner and the CIRAS Industry Advisory Council will meet Thursday at ISU. Several ABI member companies are represented on the council and over the years, many members of the ABI Board of Directors have also played leadership roles on the CIRAS Council.
Thursday’s meeting will focus on a data review and advanced manufacturing assistance programs. Watch for news of CIRAS events and services to come your way in the near future.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative Comes to Iowa
Perhaps you have heard of the 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. The program is a service initiative of Goldman Sachs through which the company provides business development and management training to 10,000 small businesses across the nation. There is no charge for those who are selected to participate.
In Iowa, the initiative is being administered by ABI member partner Des Moines Area Community College (no matter where you are located in the state, DMACC is the administrator). If you wish to learn more about this program and how to apply, please respond to this memorandum and I will send you more information.
Leadership Iowa Class to Convene at Honey Creek for First Session
You should have received last Wednesday an email message with information about the members of the 2018-2019 Leadership Iowa class. The class will soon convene at Honey Creek Resort and Conference Center in southern Iowa for its first session. As are all LI classes, this class is comprised of terrific young leaders from all around Iowa and they will meet for the first time October 10-12.
Class members will hold the first session, become acquainted with each other and the program, and focus on learning about issues facing Iowa. Go to http://www.leadershipiowa.com/ for more information.
ABI Directory Updates Due by Friday, October 12
This is the time of year that ABI's member database is being updated. Information from the database will be checked, formatted, and put in to hard copy form for inclusion in the 2019 ABI Resource Guide. The guide, in addition to including member data, includes information on the association's people, programs, and events.
If there are no changes in your personnel or company information, you need do nothing. If you have updates, simply send an email to Dorothy Knowles at dknowles@iowaabi.org. The deadline to receive updates is Friday, October 12. Thank you in advance for helping us make sure your information is accurate.
Anderson Elected to ASCP Board
In last week’s Memo, I shared news of the latest honor bestowed upon ABI by the Association of State Chamber Professionals. The group, of which ABI has long been a member, recently held its annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
ABI was presented with the 2018 ASCP award for Greatest Retention in Member Numbers. As I noted last week, the award is really a testament to YOU, ABI members across Iowa who continue to be involved in and committed to the association.
One other piece of news came from the meeting, which I forgot to share last week. ABI Vice President Member Development and Programs Kathy Anderson was elected to the ASCP Board of Directors. This 10-person panel provides national leadership to the organization and Kathy was elected to a four-year term. Congratulations, Kathy!
Vermeer Corporation Publishes Commemorative Edition of Newsletter; Thanks Supporters
That heading doesn’t really do justice to the wonderful publication that arrived at ABI Friday. As everyone knows, longtime ABI member company Vermeer Corporation was struck by a tornado in July. Much of the company’s manufacturing capacity was obliterated in seconds. Thankfully, no one was killed and everyone was back to work in August.
In two short months, the Vermeer Team has accomplished what seemed impossible. Not only is everyone back to work, but the site is cleaned-up, alternative manufacturing is underway, and planning is taking place to secure even bigger things for Vermeer Corporation in the future. A commemorative edition of the Vermeer newsletter, “The Powerline,” has been published. It documents the company’s appreciation to first responders, community members, fellow manufacturers, and everyone who has helped, shared concerns, and done so much to help. A section including photographs of support from Vermeer Family members (and by that I mean the Vermeer Corporation family of employees and supporters) is incredibly touching.
Much more work lies ahead, of course. But thanks to so many inside and outside the company, so much has already been achieved. ABI sends continued good wishes to everyone at Vermeer, including former ABI Chair and current Vermeer Corporation Chair Mary Vermeer Andringa (Vermeer Corporation, Pella) and newly-elected ABI Board Member Mindi Vermeer Vanden Bosch (Vermeer Corporation, Pella)!
Barrick Family has BIG Vikings Experience
The Minnesota Vikings can thank the family of longtime ABI Board Member Kelly Barrick (CIBC Bank, West Des Moines) for some game-winning mojo in the team’s season-opening win over the San Francisco 49ers. Kelly and her husband, Nick Barrick, and their children, 6-year old Kinley and 4-year old Keegan, had tickets for the Vikings-49ers game three weeks ago at the Vikings’ fabulous new stadium in Minneapolis. While taking a family photo outside the stadium before kick-off, the family was approached by Vikings officials who asked them if the children would be interested in “Opening the Door.” This new tradition involves pushing a button so that that huge multi-story doors to the stadium are opened to signify a game will soon be held.
Well, the Barrick Children were enthusiastic door-openers! The family also received field passes and spent an hour on the field with Vikings and 49ers players prior to kick-off. All in all, a terrific experience. And I would point out that the Vikings should have taken the Barricks with them to Green Bay two Sundays ago and they should have hosted them again yesterday… they could have used that game-winning mojo in those games, too. Congratulations to Kelly and her family and thanks for sharing the story of this fun experience!