Monday Memo - 1/13/25

January 13, 2025

First Premier Event of the Calendar Year Wednesday; Lt. Governor Cournoyer to Attend

Wednesday, January 15 will be a day full of important ABI meetings and events in Des Moines. The day will conclude with the ABI Legislative Reception, which is one of the association’s best-attended events of the year. As of the writing of this memo, more than 340 people have registered, and that does not include elected officials. All events will be held at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines. 

ABI just last week received confirmation that Iowa Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer will attend the reception. In addition to the Lt. Governor, Attorney General Brenna Bird and State Treasurer Roby Smith will attend. Directors Durham, Townsend, Mosiman and Johnson all plan to attend as well, with many other leaders and legislators of both parties expected to participate. Because you attend, the Governor, legislators and other state officials attend. They want to meet you and learn about your business. Thank you in advance for participating and see you Wednesday. 

General Assembly Convenes Today; ABI to Attend Governor’s Condition of State Address

The Iowa General Assembly convenes later this morning for its 2025 legislative session. Newly elected representatives and senators will be sworn in at 10:00 am. At the Capitol with legislators will be ABI Vice President Public Policy JD Davis and ABI Senior Director Public Policy Brad Hartkopf. JD and Brad take seriously their charge to serve ABI members and educate policymakers about the implications of legislative proposals on ABI member companies. JD and Brad are experts and professionals, and you can count on them to represent ABI at all hours of the day and night. As they mentioned in the Advocacy 101 webinar last week, call or text them for real time updates and insights. If you missed the webinar, contact Michelle Vollstedt and she can share a copy of the recording with you.

In addition to the swearing in of new legislators, Governor Reynolds will give her Condition of the State address on Tuesday evening. During this speech, she will reveal her policy goals for the legislative session. Representing ABI at the Condition of the state will be ABI Board Chair, Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries), Brad Hartkopf and myself.

Stay Informed: Bi-Weekly Legislative Zooms

ABI's Public Policy team will again hold bi-weekly zoom updates related to the work of the General Assembly. The first call of the 2025 session will be held Friday, January 24 at 8:00 a.m. 

Member participation and engagement on the zooms have increased every year since the updates began. The member exclusive zooms are free of charge, typically last about 30 minutes and you and your employees are invited to participate. To register for the updates, click here.

Reminder: JD Davis to Represent ABI at Business Record Forum

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 tomorrow. JD and a panel of others will preview the 2025 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.

LI Dinner Wednesday; Dr. Liang Chee Wee to be Honored

The current class and alumni of Leadership Iowa will meet this Wednesday evening for dinner and a celebration at Curate in Des Moines. There is still time for you to register. Do so here: Leadership Iowa Alumni Society Dinner | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org). In addition to the wonderful conversation and connecting with other alums, awards are given for the “Best Class Ever” and the Honorary Lifetime Leadership Alumni. One honoree was announced last week. A long-time ABI and Leadership Iowa supporter, Dr. Liang Chee Wee will be honored with the Honorary Lifetime Leadership Alumni Society award. Dr. Wee, currently the interim Chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, has been a steadfast supporter of Leadership Iowa, serving as a speaker, volunteer, and heart-led leader to many participants. He has also been an advocate for ABI and the Elevate Manufacturing Initiative.

The current LI class will hold its January session this Wednesday – Friday. A full agenda is scheduled for the class, which focuses on government—from local to state to the judiciary.

Business Horizons 2025 – Registration Now Open

We’re excited to announce that registration for Business Horizons is officially open! This 5-day program is at Drake University in Des Moines from July 13-17. Business Horizons is an ABI Foundation program that equips high school students (grades 9-12) with vital future-focused skills such as critical thinking, collaborative teamwork, strong leadership, and effective problem-solving abilities. Business Horizons, or BH as you may hear us say, has been dubbed the best week of summer. With a renewed focus on career exploration and work-based learning at the state level; Business Horizons is a perfect opportunity for students to get exposed to many types of careers and real-life business issues, just by spending a week at camp with other students. If you want to get involved by nominating an outstanding student, volunteering, becoming an advisor, sponsoring the program, or want to learn about other ways to support, please contact Anna Mable.

Mr. and Mrs. Reece Celebrate

I learned last week that ABI Board Chair Chad Reece was celebrating a milestone anniversary. Chad and his wife Kristine celebrated 35 years of marriage on Monday, January 6. According to the information shared, they were married at Holy Family in Council Bluffs. Congratulations to Chad and Kristine and we look forward to seeing you both back in the city where it began in June at the Annual Conference!

Editor’s Note: Delayed Memo Delivery on 1.20

Although this is just my third Monday Memo, I try to get the email sent first thing each week. As a long-time reader of the Memo, I appreciated having it in my inbox to start the week and get a glance of the week ahead from Mike’s perspective. I want to let you know that next week’s memo may be delayed. I will be traveling and attending the National Association of State Chambers (NASC) conference in California. At this winter conference, I will have the opportunity to interact with other state business association leaders from around the country. Thank you for allowing me to attend and I look forward to bringing back best practices to help the organization and share with the ABI team.