Submit Your ABI Workshop Proposal Now - Monday Memo 10/17/22
October 17, 2022
Conference Workshop Proposals Sought
Preparations are well underway for the 2023 Taking Care of Business Conference. A fabulous program, exciting new venues, and terrific speakers will make the conference one of the very best ever. Mark your calendars now and join us in June in Cedar Rapids.
Related to the annual conference, ABI uses a sophisticated and competitive process to determine the content of breakout sessions that will be a part of the conference. If you or your company are interested in submitting a workshop proposal, please go: Taking Care of Business Conference | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org) and click on the button at the bottom of the page.
Three and a Half Weeks Until November ABI Board Meeting
The November meeting of the ABI Board of Directors will be an important one. On the agenda will be the usual operations and finance reports, a public policy update, discussion by the board on association-related issues, and receipt of the annual audit, among other business.
ABI Chair Kim Augspurger (Pigott, Des Moines) and board members will meet at the ABI office in Des Moines at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9. Many of you have already registered for this free meeting of the board, but if not, please reply to this memorandum and I’ll make sure you are registered. You will receive your board packet by email in about two weeks. In the meantime, thank you in advance for participating in this final board meeting of 2022.
Next Week ABI, IWD Webinar about New IWD Business Engagement Division; Townsend to Speak
On October 25th at 10:00 a.m., ABI is partnering with Iowa Workforce Development to host a webinar related to resources available through IWD’s new Business Engagement Division. The division is meant to be a one-stop shop for employers. There, you can find help with building your workforce, training your workforce, and retaining your workforce.
A highlight of the event will be remarks by IWD Director Beth Townsend. Also during the webinar, you’ll hear from IWD officials and have the opportunity to share specific input about your needs and issues. To register, please click here: Webinar: Iowa Workforce Development Joins ABI Members to Discuss the New Business Engagement Division | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org). There is no cost to participate in this webinar.
Register now for upcoming ABI/CIRAS Supply Chain Seminars
On November 10th and again on November 15th, ABI will partner with CIRAS(the Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State University) to produce seminars related to supply chain. The seminar on the 10th focuses on managing supply chain challenges. On the 15th, the focus is on supply chain issues in chaotic times such as those being experienced now.
For the November 10th seminar, which takes place in Atlantic, click here to register: Summary - State of Manufacturing: Supply Chain Challenges (cvent.com). For the event on the 15th, which will be held in Oskaloosa, please click here: Summary - Supply Chains in Times of Chaos (cvent.com). I look forward to seeing you at either or both events.
Crain to Participate in Manufacturing Institute Conference
Tomorrow through Thursday, ABI Executive Vice President Nicole Crain will be in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nicole will be participating in The Manufacturing Institute Workforce Summit. The summit is designed to help provide innovative solutions to America’s ongoing workforce shortage. You can learn more about the summit (and register to attend) here: Workforce Summit | The Manufacturing Institute. We’ll look forward to hearing from Nicole upon her return.
Make Plans Now for 2023 ABI Legislative Reception
It is not too early to finalize your plans to participate in the 2023 edition of the ABI Legislative Briefing and Reception, our organization’s second biggest annual event. The 2023 Legislative Reception, which will take place on January 11th, will again be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines. Please make plans now to join your ABI colleagues and attend.
Two Separate NAM Reports Cite Concerning Manufacturing Data
In last week’s edition of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Monday Economic Report, data was highlighted that cited slowdowns in new manufacturing orders. However, there was also discussion of resilience among manufacturers.
On Thursday of last week, the NAM’s Global Manufacturing Economic Update monthly led with a story about contractions in manufacturing and other concerning data. While these reports were not as positive as others, the NAM reports are always interesting reading and if you would like to see them for yourself, reply to this memo and I’ll get them to you at once.
Haskens Celebrate
Every year at this time, two great ABI leaders (and a great couple) celebrate the anniversary of their wedding. ABI sends very best wishes to Former ABI Chair Sarah Hasken and Immediate Past ABI Chair Jack Hasken (Jackson Manufacturing, Maquoketa). Happy Anniversary, Jack and Sarah!
Toby Shine Car Museum Featured in Register
It was fun to read about former ABI Chair Toby Shine (Shine Bros. Corp., Spencer) in yesterday’s Des Moines Register. The paper carried an article about Toby’s fabulous Okoboji Classic Cars museum/shop/destination. ABI members know all about the fantastic facility, of course, as thanks to Toby (and his wife, Sylvia Shine), we have been able to host many events and meetings there over the years. If you haven’t been to this facility, though, you need to get there, as it is AMAZING. I wanted to link to the article, but for some reason, I cannot find it on the Register’s website. So here is a link to the OCC page itself Home - Okoboji Classic Cars, LLC. (okobojicc.com). Congratulations on the great coverage, Toby!
McDonald Family Expands, Plans for More
After talking about some other issues, it was wonderful to compare notes about grand parenting with longtime ABI Board Member Todd McDonald (ATW Training Solutions, Urbandale) last week. Todd and his wife, Shonn McDonald, recently welcomed their second granddaughter and learned they have a third grandchild on the way.
Todd and Shonn’s daughter Tatum (no stranger to ABI members, you can see her on the Elevate videos here: Not a Dirty Job: Iowa Spring - Bing video), who is married to Ross Reynolds, have a daughter Blakely, who is two years old. Todd and Shonn’s daughter Andrea, married to Steve Staggs, recently had daughter Sloane. And Tatum just announced she is carrying grandchild number 3! Ross and Steve, by the way, are former Hawkeye football players and Ross enjoyed a strong NFL career. And also by the way, Todd and Shonn’s son, Walker, who was a star baseball pitcher at Waukee High School, is in school at the University of Iowa College of Law. Congratulations to the entire McDonald family!
Big Weekend for Weddings at ABI
Weddings are always fun. Well, last weekend was a lot of fun at ABI as two staff members celebrated weddings.
Longtime ABI Executive Administrative Assistant Michelle Vollstedt and her husband, Dan Vollstedt, celebrated the marriage of their daughter, Taylor, to Josh Hey. I know something of the plans that were in place and I know this was a joyous occasion (all of us on staff are eager to see the photos from the big event). Taylor and Josh live in Oswego, Illinois, where Taylor is an educator working with the school district’s Gifted and Talented Program. Josh is a civil engineer with Waste Management Corporation.
Also celebrating was new ABI Foundation Programs and Engagement Coordinator Kendall Antle. Kendall and his bride, Haley, live in rural Polk County. Haley is a para-educator for the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District and I know this wedding was an equally joyous occasion. Again, we are eager to see photos.
Congratulations to the Vollstedt and Antle Families and best wishes to both couples!