Blog

Dec 28, 2017

3 Questions to Create Valuable Analytics

Ask yourself these three questions at the beginning of any project to create analytics that will save you time and money and point you toward the best way to run your business.

Dec 21, 2017

Multitasking’s Effect on Your Physical Safety

Learn how multitasking is actually counterproductive.

Dec 14, 2017

How Can ABI Help You and Your Business?

Delivering on the answers to that question drives our work and is really what ABI is all about.

Dec 7, 2017

The Embezzler in the Next Cubicle: Is It Time for a Fraud Prevention Check-up?

A fraud prevention check-up can help you identify major gaps and fix them before it's too late.

Nov 30, 2017

Business Continuity Planning and Preparation

Use these practical steps to help reduce and/or recover from downtime and disasters.

Nov 21, 2017

Legislation Mandates Disability Inclusion Efforts by Federal Contractors and Subcontractors

If you’re an employer with federal government contracts or subcontracts in excess of $10,000, you’re required to track progress toward employing individuals with disabilities.

Nov 18, 2017

Free Webinar and Resources: Supporting Family Caregivers in the Workplace

If you missed it, you can still view the webinar and obtain free resources for employers and employees. 

Nov 16, 2017

A Ready-Fire-Aim Tax Policy

Congress is attempting a sweeping revision of our federal tax policy with a target on our institutions of higher education, says Central College President Mark Putnam.

Nov 9, 2017

The State of the Association is Strong

Adding value for members is what ABI is all about.

Nov 2, 2017

OSHA Issues Two Standards to Protect Workers from Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica

Are you aware of these two new OSHA standards that affect the construction and general industries?

Oct 26, 2017

Calming Your Nerves

Try these helpful tips to manage your anxiety the next time you give a presentation.

Oct 19, 2017

The Wonder Pill

Find out what life-changing pill everyone should take.

Oct 12, 2017

Is Your Building a Candidate for a Lighting Retrofit?

Ask yourself these six questions to see if a lighting retrofit may be a good option for your building.

Oct 5, 2017

“Giving Back” Conference Theme Inspires Charitable Partnership

Learn how two companies connected at ABI’s annual conference for a great cause.

Sep 28, 2017

Equipment Leasing or Purchasing: Which is Right for You?

Here's how to weigh the two options for your company.

Sep 21, 2017

What You Need to Know About the Equifax Data Breach

Here's what the Equifax data breach may have exposed and what steps to take to protect yourself.

Sep 14, 2017

Labor Shortages Climb and Manufacturers Get Innovative

Learn how manufacturers across the industrial sector are surviving—and thriving—amidst a weak labor market.

Sep 7, 2017

Join Me in Thanking a Terrific ABI Staff

As I do every September, I am calling attention to the work of a terrific ABI staff.

Aug 29, 2017

We Were Just Sued For Patent Infringement, Now What?

Patent infringement is a serious matter. Patents give their owners the right to prohibit others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing their patented invention.

Aug 22, 2017

The Secret to Getting Your Financing or M&A Deal Done

Anyone that’s been through the process of securing capital, making an acquisition or transferring ownership knows how complex, time consuming and frustrating transactions can be. There are many things that can get in the way of a deal closing, like negotiating issues, due diligence surprises, unrealistic valuation expectations, and cultural differences, among others. 

Aug 14, 2017

PERB Emergency Rules Regarding Union Retention and Recertification Elections

On July 20 and 24, the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) held public meetings to receive comments and questions on drafted emergency administrative rules addressing union retention and recertification elections created by the February 17, 2017 amendments to Chapter 20.

Aug 8, 2017

5 Tactics for Enticing Talent

In an increasingly competitive labor market, top talent is a hot commodity. In the last several months, we’ve seen many stories about how large organizations are making their organization and culture more appealing to both prospective and current employees.

Aug 2, 2017

Membership in ABI is all About You and Adding Value to Your Business

Recently, I completed visits with newly-elected members of the ABI Board of Directors. As a group, the women and men that comprise the ABI board are terrific.  They are some of our state's best business leaders.

Jul 27, 2017

Ten Sales Tax Items Construction Companies Should Consider

Confused about sales and use tax laws? You are not alone! There are nearly 10,000 different taxing jurisdictions in the United States alone, and often each with their own set of rules.

Jul 20, 2017

Right-sizing a custom software project

When you’re getting ready to jump into a software project, you inevitably think about all the possibilities—about how great it could be some day. This is not a bad thing. By all means, dream big; know where you want to go with it.

Keep in mind, though, that your big vision won’t happen overnight.

Jul 13, 2017

Gains in Productivity

What contributes to your highest levels productivity? It is apparent that millennials expect different things from the workplace than the generations that preceded them. 

Jul 6, 2017

July 1 marks the beginning of a new year at ABI

On Saturday, ABI began a new fiscal year. As I note every year, the date is much more than a simple accounting mark.

Jun 29, 2017

Tax considerations for selling a business

Selling a business? A transaction can be structured in a number of ways and there is usually a significant amount of negotiation that is required to agree on the structure since it has important tax, legal, and business consequences for all parties.

Jun 22, 2017

Tight limits on where patent lawsuits may be filed

On May 22, 2017, the United States Supreme Court unanimously, and drastically, limited the rules for where patent infringement lawsuits may be filed.

Jun 15, 2017

The surprisingly simple incentive plan that recruits and retains key employees

With the Iowa unemployment rate below 4 percent, retaining and recruiting executive talent is now crucial, especially considering that replacing a key employee may cost a business two to four times that lost employee’s compensation. Not to mention possible business interruption and loss of momentum.

It can be challenging to align the financial goals and objectives of a business owner with those of key employees. Done correctly, alignment will increase productivity and profit.

Jun 1, 2017

Prepping for Protection: First Steps to Developing an IP Strategy

Whether you are an individual, a start-up company, or an existing business, two of the hardest (and most important) questions are: “Do I have intellectual property?” and “How do I protect it?”

May 18, 2017

Own Your ABI Conference Experience

The 2017 Taking Care of Business Conference will gather 500 – 600 Iowa business leaders from across the state together for three days, June 6-8 in Dubuque. With so many attendees in a variety of industries, ages, and positions within their company, the Taking Care of Business Conference will offer opportunities for your personal growth, professional growth and certainly your business growth.

May 11, 2017

Ransomware: Is your organization prepared?

Do you remember the movies or TV shows where someone was kidnapped and the kidnappers left a ransom note? Similar to this in the cyber world is a constantly evolving and growing threat called ransomware. Ransomware is a form of malware software that “kidnaps” access to your network, applications, or data until a certain amount of money is paid by the victim.

May 4, 2017

Join hundreds of ABI members already signed up for the 2017 conference

As you read this column, the 2017 Taking care of Business Conference, ABI’s 114^th annual gathering, is a month away. Ladies and gentlemen, it will be a terrific event and believe me when I say you do not want to miss it.

Apr 26, 2017

Six steps toward building a culture of safety at your workplace

It’s a no-brainer that safety is important to the success of your organization, but it’s harder to figure out how to build a company safety culture—a set of values carried through all company actions—that strongly encourages both safety and reporting.

Apr 20, 2017

Successful Iowa ESOPs

Apr 20, 2017

Issues in Interviewing: The Right Way to the "One"

The candidate interview is one of the most vital components in the hiring process. Accordingly, it involves the most forethought and planning. As an employer, you will interview a whole host of applicants to find the "one" - the perfect individual to fill a job opening.

Apr 13, 2017

Finding the Right Space in the Cloud: Things to Consider

Many companies are migrating to the cloud for good reasons with potential cost savings, increased flexibility, and greater ease of use at the top of the list.

Apr 6, 2017

ABI thriving as third-quarter mark met

With three quarters of the fiscal year behind us, it is a great time to take stock of where ABI is in meeting goals and objectives for FY17. The good news is that the association is well on the way to having a record year.

Mar 30, 2017

Keep Iowa Competitive

State tax credits are important to economic development in Iowa's Creative Corridor. We can point to new jobs, capital investment and tax base growth that absolutely would not have happened without tax credit support in our current tax environment.

Mar 16, 2017

The United States Health Care System - How do we compare and what's next?

When I’m asked to speak on the topic of United States health care and what the future holds, I think of the quote by a famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw: “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” Hopefully this will help us start the discussion on a lighter note!

Growing up in Ukraine and having the perspective of experiencing medical care in one of the former Soviet Union countries, I always find interest in data that compares the United States health care system to those of other high-income counties, especially as we compete against those countries on the international marketplace and look for system changes through legislation.

Mar 9, 2017

Why have marketing in manufacturing?

Industrial organizations rely heavily on a direct, distribution or dealer sales force for growth. Many of these companies have built themselves from the ground-up through street smarts, sweat, and hustle. With many sales build upon long-term relationships, why does a manufacturer need marketing? Aside from creating the brochures, maintaining the website and coordinating tradeshows, how can marketing help grow the business?

Mar 2, 2017

Take back workers' comp system from judges, lawyers

Workers’ compensation has been a bedrock issue for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry since 1913. Iowa's workers’ compensation law was passed, thanks in large part to the work of ABI’s precursor, the Iowa Manufacturing Association, after manufacturers became concerned about the need for a cost-effective insurance plan benefiting employees.

Feb 23, 2017

Structure Matters for Start-Ups

Entrepreneurs make many mistakes in the initial formation and early capitalization of their companies. Two of the most frequent ones are essentially opposite sides of the same coin.

Feb 15, 2017

Business Planning with Changing Immigration Policy

The new administration is placing a heavy focus on immigration, causing many employers to question how the new changes may impact their business.

Feb 9, 2017

The 10 C's of Employee Engagement

Feb 2, 2017

Maximize the return on your ABI investment by attending our upcoming events

Jan 26, 2017

Marketing Analytics: Email with a Purpose

Whether you’re producing smaller email marketing campaigns or large-scale drip campaigns, there’s a lot of information to analyze and it can be hard to determine where to start.

Jan 19, 2017

Small and Medium Sized Businesses Rapidly Adopting Cloud ERP Solutions

According to a recent research report, small and medium sized companies will drive growth in the cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) market over the next five years, focused around the banking, insurance and financial services sectors. 

Jan 12, 2017

ACA Reporting Deadline Extended

Benefits professionals have one more thing to be thankful for this time of year -- a 30-day extension to furnish employees forms associated with Affordable Care Act reporting.

Jan 5, 2017

ABI members key to public policy success

ABI is not a political organization; it's a business organization. That said, our award-winning public policy work is some of the most important we conduct every year.