Monday Memo 2/10/25
February 10, 2025
ABI Board Will Meet in March; Executive Committee Meets Wednesday
The next ABI Board of Directors meeting will be held March 12th (following ABI Business Day in Des Moines) at the ABI office. In the meantime, the association’s Executive Committee will hold its regular monthly meeting by Zoom this Wednesday (February 12th). ABI Chair Chad Reece (Winnebago Industries, Forest City) will convene the meeting at 10:00 Wednesday morning. Topics to be discussed include: 2025 legislative session, ABI Foundation Governance and update on staff and association 2025 FY goals.
Registration for the Annual Conference Opens Next Week, Excellent Keynotes and Venues
As in previous editions of this publication, I find it relevant to share information about the annual conference. The 122nd annual conference and business meeting will be held in Council Bluffs June 10-12. This will be the first time in the association’s history the event will be held in southwest Iowa, and you will not want to miss it. The full conference committee will meet this week to finalize details and share updates regarding sponsorships and logistics.
The speaker line-up includes Michael Happe, CEO of Winnebago Industries and Shannon Hoffman Polson, one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from business leaders in manufacturing, technology, law, and other disciplines during workshops. Other exciting highlights include venue experiences on both sides of the river and community experiences from pickleball to art to golf. Registration opens February 20 and once live you can find it at Taking Care of Business Conference | Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Get your hotel if you haven’t already and make plans to attend the 2025 conference in Council Bluffs!
Editor’s note: As a native of southwest Iowa, I may be a bit biased, but there is a lot happening in that corner of the state and it often goes unnoticed. I can’t wait to see you all there! The main conference hotel is the Courtyard by Marriott, and it is sold out, but there are two other hotels next to the convention center. Use the link above to make your lodging arrangements at any of these great facilities now.
Register NOW for ABI Business Day in Des Moines
The third annual Business Day in Des Moines will be Wednesday, March 12. The day starts with registration and networking at 10:30 a.m. at the Des Moines Heritage Center, a block south of the ABI office. You may park in the ABI office lot or across the street by the Heritage Center. Both locations have FREE parking.
You’ll hear from invited guests Governor Reynolds, legislative leaders of both chambers and both parties (all four leaders are confirmed), you’ll hear a national policy update from Washington DC on tax policy and more. Immediately following the luncheon event, you will walk across the street to the ABI office for the Board meeting. Check out more about this event here: Agenda - Business Day in Des Moines.
IIPAC Request Letters in Mail
ABI board members and IIPAC contributors who invested in ABI’s political action committee last year will receive a letter with a suggested contribution form for 2025. Your continued investment in the PAC helps support pro-jobs candidates at the state legislative level. If you have not yet participated in the PAC and would like to learn more, click here. If you want to know who your dollars support, please contact IIPAC Treasurer Brad Hartkopf.
Latest NAM Report: Manufacturing Employment Holds Steady
Last week’s edition of the NAM Input, published daily by the National Association of Manufacturers, noted that U.S. manufacturing employment was steady from December to January, while the overall economy added jobs, though at a slower pace than anticipated according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and NBC News. Jobs in durable goods manufacturing declined by 3,000, while nondurable goods added 6,000 jobs. Paper manufacturing led the January job creation for nondurable goods, followed by apparel, then beverage, tobacco, leather, and allied product manufacturing.
Some Tariffs on Pause, For Now
In last week’s Monday Memo, I wrote about the tariffs that were to start being levied on February 4. As you read in news reports, the tariffs have been paused on Mexico and Canada, but the China tariffs are in effect and China’s retaliatory tariffs went into effect today. The President also announced blanket tariffs on steel and aluminum yesterday, with reciprocal tariffs on other countries this week. This topic is ever changing, and the ABI policy staff is working to follow the issue and keep members updated. ABI partner the Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) at Iowa State University, launched on on-demand webinar that was included in last week’s newsletter to help you understand how the tariffs may affect your supply chain and bottom line. Click here to watch the webinar.
Work-based Learning Webinar with Departments of Workforce and Education
On Tuesday, February 11, Iowa Workforce Development will host the next webinar in a seven-part series. The webinar will cover ways to utilize Labor Market Information data to help target and improve work-based learning programs. You can register for the webinar, held in partnership with the Department of Education, here. If you missed previous webinars but are interested in work-based learning opportunities for your business, check out the recordings here. You can also contact Meg Schneider with ABI to find out what the association is doing to lead efforts in this area.
MidWestOne Financial Group Announces Central Iowa Advisory Board
Last week, MidWestOne Financial Group, Inc., parent company of MidWestOne Bank, announced the establishment of the Central Iowa Advisory Board. According to the release, “this group of professionals will offer a variety of expert guidance and innovative strategies to help shape the future of the organization. MidWestOne welcomes the following individuals to the Advisory Board: Heather Bruce of Osmundson Mfg.; Craig Flanagan of WesleyLife; Rich Green of Des Moines Orthopedic Surgeons; Dave Hansen of Signature Real Estate; Dustin Mueller of Mueller, Schmidt, Mulholland & Cooling PLLC; Tony Rogers of R&R Realty Group; Ashlee Vieregger of Foster Group. By combining real-world expertise with a customer-first mindset, the Advisory Board ensures that the bank is always listening, learning, and improving to deliver what matters most to the people who trust us with their financial future,” said Devin Boyer, Market President for the MidWestOne Des Moines market.
Congratulations, ABI Board member Chip Reeves (MidWestOne Bank, Iowa City) for launching this advisory board and ABI Board member Heather Bruce (Osmundson Mfg., Perry) for being selected to serve.
Pella Corporation Marks 100 Years
This weekend while catching up on LinkedIn activity of ABI board members and member contacts, I came across a post about a major milestone of an ABI member company. Congratulations to Dustin Katje (Pella Corporation, Pella) on the 100th anniversary of Pella Corporation on Feb. 4. Whether you have the original Rolscreen products, or newer product models, Pella Corporation and their products are synonymous with quality. Learn more about Pella’s history here.
Please join me in once again congratulating current board member Dustin Katje and ABI Past Chair Myron Linn and the entire Pella Corporation team on this milestone!