The Year Ahead

Last month, ABI hosted the 2021 Taking Care of Business Conference in Coralville/Iowa City. If you weren't there, you missed one of the best business meetings of the year. It was great to be back in person and I want to thank each and every one of you for attending. You’ll want to make plans now to join us next June 14th-16th in Dubuque for the 2022 conference. I promise you it will be one of the very best ABI conventions of all time!

This edition of Business Record Iowa provides my first opportunity to write this column, as I follow Steven Bradford in the role of ABI Chair. Under Steven's great leadership, along with Mike Ralston’s great team at ABI, and because of your continued support, ABI just completed another successful year. In 1987, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) opened an injection molding/plastics assembly plant in Maquoketa. Over the years, the plant has had a couple of owners. In January 2013, after serving as the company’s sales and marketing director, I decided to purchase the company and its assets and rebranded it as Jackson Manufacturing Inc. My partner and my wife, Sarah M. Hasken, and I have owned and operated Jackson Mfg. ever since.

I am proud that Jackson Mfg. continues to employ both traditional employees along with individuals with disabilities from a five-county area in NE Iowa. We are proud of the high-quality work done by them and by all of our loyal employees. I am also very proud that Sarah and I will be the first husband and wife team ever to both serve as Chair of ABI. Sarah was Chair of ABI back in 2010 and provided excellent leadership to ABI and I hope to be able to produce those same results.

Finally, I am also proud to be a long-time member and supporter of ABI. My goal as chair is to continue expanding the association’s incredible record of positive impact on Iowa. I look forward to hearing your ideas about how we can work together to keep that positive momentum going. Thank you for your support of ABI.