Legislature Adjourns - Monday Memo 5/7/18
May 7, 2018
Legislature Adjourns, ABI Enjoys Strong Session
Very late in the afternoon on Saturday, the Iowa General Assembly adjourned its 2018 session. You should have already received an email message from the ABI Public Policy Staff about the actions taken during the session (if you did not, please reply to this message and I’ll get it to you at once).
Ladies and gentleman, thanks to your strong support and action – and thanks to exceptional work by ABI’s public policy team of Nicole Crain, Jessica Hyland, and Brad Hartkopf – ABI enjoyed another very strong session. Watch for much more news about the session and register soon for an upcoming policy meeting (please see below).
ABI has great respect for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and for all 150 members of the General Assembly. We thank them for their service and we especially appreciate the support of pro-business legislators and the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. And again, thank YOU.
Register Soon for ABI Regional Policy Meetings
In the coming weeks, you will want to attend the ABI regional policy meeting nearest you. The annual policy tour began last week, with a meeting in Garner.
At the meetings, you will hear how the actions of the legislature impacted your business, get the latest news from the Statehouse, and help craft ABI policy for the next year. ABI will be traveling the state throughout the month to meet with members about these topics.
You will soon be able to register for one or more of the sessions by going to the Events Page on the ABI website. You will find that site here: https://www.iowaabi.org/events/. Scheduling the meetings has been delayed due to the late adjournment of the General Assembly, but meetings will be scheduled soon. The ABI public policy staff and I look forward to seeing you and your employees at the upcoming meetings.
Search to Conclude This week
The search for a new ABI Foundation staff member will conclude this week. The field has been narrowed and we expect to have a candidate identified this week. Watch for more news in next week’s Monday Memo.
Flyer in Your Mailbox; 115th Annual ABI Convention Kicks Off in Four Weeks
Registrations are flying in for next month’s Taking Care of Business Conference, which is ABI’s 115th Annual Convention. Past history tells us that the busiest time for convention registrations is right now. Thus, it is clear that another great crowd of 600 or so attendees will be on hand in Coralville/Iowa City next month.
The 2018 ABI Taking Care of Business Conference will be held June 5, 6, and 7. You should have recently received a flyer with convention information. Many of you have commented to me that you liked the flyer and, more importantly, were excited about the program developed for the convention. If you have misplaced your flyer, please go to the association’s website at www.iowaabi.com to find program and lodging information. You will want to make your reservations now!
I say it every year, because every year it is true… terrific speakers, exciting venues, great golf, new events, and the very best business networking in Iowa make the annual ABI convention a must-see event. I know you will get a tremendous return on investment by attending this year’s convention.
Final Pre-Conference Meeting of Planning Committee Wednesday
Speaking of the annual conference, the conference planning committee will hold its final pre-conference meeting Wednesday at ABI. Chaired by Donna Popp-Bruezewitz (Stellar Industries, Garner), the committee has done terrific work. You can thank them personally next month. See you in Coralville/Iowa City in June!
ABI and ABI Board Invades North Iowa, Hold Terrific Meetings
Many of you have taken the time to comment, call, or send an email message related to last week's ABI board meeting held in Garner. Many of us were also in Clear Lake for dinner with the ABI Board Tuesday, the evening prior to the day of the meeting.
Thank you to ABI Chair David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) for leading the meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors on Wednesday. Following the board meeting, most members reconvened at Stellar Industries on the north side of Garner to tour that company’s newly-expanded campus.
The meeting and tour were just two parts of the ABI invasion of north Iowa last week. The board dinner and a regional policy meeting in Garner were two more. A special thank you to all of you who attended all of these events. The meetings provided great energy as we now focus on the annual conference.
Nominating Committee Meets Tomorrow
Immediate Past Chair Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics Company, Fairfield) also chairs the 2018 ABI Nominating Committee, which will meet later tomorrow morning at ABI. Thank you to Lori and to the other members of the committee: Andy Kretz (Dexter-Apache, Fairfield), Tom Determann (CRDC, Clinton), Kim Augspurger (Saxton, Des Moines), Alan Mores (Harlan Newspapers, Harlan), and Larry Countryman (Wilson Trailer Company, Sioux City).
You and other members will vote on the slate of officers and directors nominated by the committee. That will take place during the association's annual business meeting, which will be held during the annual Taking Care of Business Conference next month. By the way, if you wish to nominate someone for board service (and self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged), please contact one of the committee members or me today.
ABI Manufacturers Featured on Elevate Iowa Website
Elevate Iowa is ABI's program to raise the profile of manufacturing jobs in our state and to connect Iowans with training and with jobs. Board leadership for Elevate has been well-provided by ABI officers Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics, Fairfield), Paul Gregoire (Fisher -Emerson, Marshalltown), Mark Hanawalt (United Equipment Accessories, Waverly), and Michele Farrell (Measured Intentions, Urbandale).
Remember that Elevate features ABI/Iowa manufacturing companies on its www.elevateiowa.com website under its “Made in Iowa” section. This page educates Iowans about the many exciting opportunities available at Iowa’s advanced manufacturing companies. The goal is to ultimately connect these Iowans with companies like yours.
Please follow this link: http://www.elevateiowa.com/about/industry-involvement and click on the link to the "Made in Iowa form" under "Share your Company Story". We can also provide examples of other company profiles if you wish.
ABI Staff Members and Twitter
Whether it is during a legislative committee hearing, a manufacturing meeting, an association conference, or at some other event, you might see ABI staffers busily typing away on their mobile devices. They aren't ignoring the proceedings, they're tweeting. Every time you are at an ABI event of any kind, you can expect that someone is tweeting about it.
As you know, ABI was one of the first organizations to embrace Twitter and other social media and our members say they want more of it. Just like your business, we want our customers (our members) to have access to the very latest information about what is happening at a given meeting. Twitter and other social media allow that to occur.
If you want to follow ABI, go to www.iowaabi.org and click on the bird that is the Twitter logo in the upper right-hand corner of the page (you will also see logos for other social media resources). It will take you to the ABI Twitter homepage, where you can see that ABI has nearly 5,000 followers. You can follow ABI's general account and the accounts of several ABI staffers (including me). If you need help, reply to this email and I'll ask a staffer to get in touch with you.
NAM Report: Economy Growing
If you have been reading these memos for any length of time, you know that I am fan of the publications produced by the National Association of Manufacturers. The NAM does great work and is a key ABI partner. Its publications are top-notch, with some of the very latest and best information you will find available anywhere.
Last Monday's NAM Manufacturing Economy Daily was another example of excellent reporting. Much information was summarized related to trade, manufacturing in particular, and the American economy in general. The bottom line is that the economy is growing and signs indicate that growth is outpacing projections. If you would like to see the report, please reply to this message and I will get it to you at once.
John Butler Marks Birthday
Former ABI Chair John Butler (Cottingham & Butler, Dubuque) was a great leader for the association and he continues to be an important business leader for Iowa. John is celebrating a birthday and ABI joins so many others in sending happy birthday wishes his way. Happy birthday, John!