ABI Executive Committee Meets Today - Monday Memo 7/6/21

July 6, 2021

Executive Committee Meets Today

ABI Chair Jack Hasken (Jackson Mfg., Maquoketa) and the members of the ABI Executive Committee will hold their first meeting of the 2021-2022 fiscal year a little later this morning.  The meeting will take place by Zoom at 9:30 a.m. 

Thank you to Jack and the other members of the committee: Vice Chair Kim Augspurger (Saxton, Des Moines), Treasurer Rich Phelan (LyondellBasell, Clinton), Secretary Peter Voorhees (Standard Gold, Cedar Falls), Immediate Past Chair Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine) and District Vice Chairs John Riches (Arconic, Davenport), Tim Conlon (Conlon Construction, Dubuque), Casey Cason (Wells Fargo, Des Moines), Kellan Longenecker (General Mills, Avon), and Molly Varangkounh, Hy-Capacity, Humboldt)

Orientations with New Board Members Ahead

As I have mentioned in recent memos, you will have the opportunity to meet the new board members soon, as ABI Chair Jack Hasken (Jackson Mfg., Maquoketa) and all of you will welcome them in September.  Orientation sessions with these new board members will take place in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, please welcome newly-elected board members Heather Bruce (Osmundson Mfg, Co., Perry), Josh Byers (Harlan Newspapers, Harlan), Jerry Krantz (SSAB, Muscatine), Claudia Schabel (Schabel Solutions, Des Moines), and the honorary Leadership Iowa board representative, Eric Moerman (Interstates, Sioux Center).  We appreciate their service and leadership! 

DON’T MISS This Month’s ABI Okoboji CEO Forum; FANTASTIC Program on Tap

Registrations are pouring in for 2021 ABI Okoboji CEO Forum.  This annual meeting, which is ABI’s fastest-growing event, is open to members only and focuses on high-value programming for top executives.  It was created at the request of members and this year’s program is simply incredible.  Click here for more information and to register: https://web.cvent.com/event/1a704678-9c02-49b0-9bce-419f8f4ad66b/summary.  

The forum will be held the 29th and 30th of July in Okoboji.  Thursday afternoon’s events take place at the Waterfront Events Center in Arnolds Park.  On Friday morning, we’ll be at a terrific, longtime ABI member, Parks Marina, in Okoboji.  Both locations are situated on beautiful East Lake Okoboji. 

Following lunch on Thursday, the well-known panel of ABI Advisory Council members Kevin Lentz (Anthologic, West Des Moines), Jim Nally (BCC Advisers, Des Moines), Brian Crotty (HDH Advisors, Des Moines), and Mark Wyzgowski (CLA, West Des Moines) will again present their very popular panel about business valuation.  That panel will be followed by a fabulous panel of ABI member family business owners; Mark Hanawalt (United Equipment Accessories, Waverly), Toby Shine (Shine Bros. Corporation, Spencer), Mindi VandenBosch (Vermeer Corporation, Pella), and Drew Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City).  Keynote Speaker Dan Houston (Principal, Des Moines) will speak next.  Dan, of course, is the Chairman, President, and CEO of this global company headquartered right here in Iowa.  It is a major “get” that Dan has committed to being with us on the 29th

Friday morning, attendees will be addressed by Butch Parks (Park Marina, Okoboji) and then tour his marina.  Butch is an iconic figure in the Lakes Region and is the owner of several businesses in the area.  His talk about business and entrepreneurism is sure to be a hit.  As you can see, this is an exceptional program. 

Don’t miss this event!  See you at the Lakes later this month. 

Still Time to Nominate Students for Business Horizons; Leadership Iowa University

The ABI Foundation’s Business Horizons program is a week-long entrepreneurial experience for high school students.  Each year, participants rave about their experience and learn about all the many career opportunities available to them right here in Iowa.  The 2021 session of the program will be held at Central College in Pella July 18-22.  There is till time to nominate students for the program and you can do so here: Nominate a Student | Iowa Association of Business and Industry (iowaabi.org).  

Following just a couple of weeks later is the Foundation’s Leadership Iowa University program.  You can also make nominations to this program.  The program, open to all Iowa College students (community college and four-year colleges alike), provides leadership and career development training and other opportunities to students in a week-long course.  The 2021 program will be held August 8-12 in Des Moines.  Go here for more information: https://www.iowaabi.org/leadership-iowa-university/about/.  

And, if you have questions or wish to be involved in either program, please don’t hesitate to contact ABI Foundation Programs Director Jessi Steward McQuerry.  In the meantime, thanks to the many of you who have already nominated students for these terrific programs. 

Iowa Internship Program Information Now Available

Funding applications for the STEM and Iowa Student Internship Program for fiscal year 2022 are now available.  This includes funding for internships taking place in fall 2021, spring 2022 and summer 2022. 

Numerous ABI companies have participated in these programs.  Fact sheets and additional information, including a link to the applications, can be found here: iowaeda.com/student, and here: iowaeda.com/stem.  The STEM program internship is going fast, and will likely be closed within just a couple of weeks. 

NAM: Manufacturing Optimism Up, as are Concerns about Raw Materials Costs

Last week’s Monday Economic Report from the National Association of Manufacturers was once again a study in dichotomy.  The leading item was information about an increase in optimism by manufacturers who responded to a survey.  Those responding see an increase coming in production and revenues, among other things (this mirrors the ABI Quarterly Business Survey results, by the way). 

The next item was less positive, as it detailed manufacturers concerns about the rising cost of raw materials (also something that was a part of the ABI survey).  If you wish to see the report for yourself, simply reply to this memorandum and I’ll get it to you at once.