Year in Review: New Leadership, Statewide Outreach and Policy Wins

With new leadership at the helm, a renewed focus on outreach and education through a statewide RV tour, and active advocacy on major policy issues, 2025 marked a major year for Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI).

Nicole Crain took over as the organization’s president in January. Ms. Crain — who served as ABI’s executive vice president since 2019 — stepped into the role after ABI’s long-time president Mike Ralston retired at the end of 2024.

“I came in January 1,” Ms. Crain said. “There’s a new federal administration, there’s talks about trade and tariffs, there’s legislation that we’re defending against on behalf of members. There were just a lot of things all at once and it was great to see how members leaned in.”

“If someone were to have asked me ‘what do you think the first six months will look like’ I don’t think my answer would have been a global trade war,” she added. “I think it’s so reflective of the climate we’re all in now. There is a lot of uncertainty, there is the need to pivot quickly and I think it really highlights the need for organizations like ABI.”

Ms. Crain said ABI has seen an increase in both new members and event attendance, adding the organization has really solidified its role as a resource for Iowa business. ABI leadership has strengthened relationships with national partners, like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufactures to educate and inform ABI members about what’s going on at a federal level.

“(Members) are interested in having those real conversations ‘this is what we’re seeing in our business, what are you seeing and how are you managing it,’” said Meg Schneider, ABI’s vice president of strategic initiatives and member engagement. “In times of change, there’s a lot of value in being anchored to an organization like ours that can help you digest trends and data, and help manage that information flow and also filter out the noise.”

This year, ABI launched a new initiative to promote Iowa manufacturers and highlight career opportunities. The Elevate Iowa Manufacturing Tour traveled across the state, making 20 = different stops at businesses, colleges and high schools. It brought together elected officials, business leaders and community members to learn about the state’s manufacturing industry, which employs more than 200,000 and adds $43 billion to Iowa’s economy.

“There were lots of great conversations and connections,” Ms. Schneider said.” (The tour) helps communities feel pride but also demonstrates the breadth of career opportunities.”

Students and their parents don’t always understand all of the career pathways manufacturing offers, Ms. Schneider said. The RV tour helped tell the story and give students an opportunity to explore potential careers.

“One thing we realized,” Ms. Crain said, "is that we need to start educating students sooner than high school.”

One way to do that is through a board game aimed at grades 4-9. The Manufacturing Institute, part of the National Association of Manufacturers, lets kids have hands-on experience with 3D printing, robotics and other crucial skills. ABI recently received a grant from Union Pacific to get the game into Iowa schools. Ms. Schneider said they’ve only been using it for about a month and she’s excited to see what they’ll be able to accomplish next year. 

Proponents of the law claimed the focus was to increase transparency for PBM activity, support smaller, independent pharmacies, and reduce prescription drug costs. But ABI and other  business groups argued it would impose burdensome regulatory changes and increase health care costs for individuals and businesses across the state.

Proponents of the law claimed the focus was to increase transparency for PBM activity, support smaller, independent pharmacies, and reduce prescription drug costs. But ABI and other  business groups argued it would impose burdensome regulatory changes and increase health care costs for individuals and businesses across the state.

The law is currently winding its way through the court system. A federal judge put a temporary hold on it, but the Iowa Insurance Division, the government agency tasked with implementing  the law, has appealed the decision.

“We support small, independent pharmacies” said JD Davis, vice president of public policy for ABI. “ABI members are served from these types of pharmacies and we want to keep them going. But this bill is much more costly than just helping small, rural independent pharmacies.”

Public Policy Wins 
ABI remained deeply active in the legislative and regulatory arenas in 2025. Its policy agenda focused on enabling business growth, managing workforce and employment issues, and tax reform. Highlights include:

Governor’s unemployment insurance premium reform bill - The legislation cuts the taxable wage base in half from $39,500 to $19,500, minimizing the tax rates businesses pay. It’s estimated to provide nearly $1.2 billion in relief while maintaining the solvency and health of the unemployment insurance trust fund.

Like any insurance policy, it’s important to make sure the correct amount of premiums are being collected to appropriately serve the people who need benefits, said Mr. Davis. The change in 

legislation does not impact the amount of money those who are unemployed are able to collect in benefits, he added, but the trust fund now better reflects the current workforce environment as the amount of time Iowans are unemployed has dropped from about 16 weeks to 10 weeks.

“ABI, after years of working with Iowa Workforce Development to help people remain in the workforce, is pleased that steps were taken to right size the unemployment trust fund, so that employers can put more resources into their businesses and workforce while also safeguarding the unemployed,” Mr. Davis said

Drug and alcohol testing reform - The legislation flips the burden of proof from the employer to the employee to prove the employer violated the statute. It modernizes communication methods regarding the exchange of testing results and eliminates subjectivity by ensuring  employers can define certain jobs as a “safety sensitive position.”

The purpose of random drug testing, Mr. Davis said, is to keep workforces and workplaces safe. This law helps modernize the state’s random drug testing policy while also decreasing the risk of litigation for employers.

IEDA Tax Credit Bill - The legislation overhauls the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s business incentive tax credits. Key features of the bill include expanding the workforce housing tax credit, capping the new research and development tax credit and establishing a tax credit program for activities directly related to capital expenditures of an eligible business. 

“There’s now a lot more predictability for both the taxpayer and the tax collector,” Mr. Davis said. “This is a great example of the government working together with the private sector to improve the administration and the use of a valuable tool.”

Property tax reform and relief - While this bill did not make it out of its Senate committee and died in the House, Mr. Davis is pleased with the progress. “So many times people see wins and losses as a signature from the governor,” he said. “But big reform takes education.” The bill looks to provide property tax relief for not only residents but commercial and industrial businesses as well.

“This has really been an attempt to get inclusive reform done,” Mr. Davis said. “State lawmakers are really trying to figure out how to solve a core problem with property taxes. We are already having conversations with policymakers on how to approach a 2026 effort, and we think the  process is working to really get down to what needs to be done.” ABI