May Board Meeting Ahead - Monday Memo 4/22/19
April 22, 2019
Board to Meet in May; Final Meeting Prior to Annual Conference
The final ABI board meeting before the 2019 convention will be in May. ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) and the ABI Board of Directors will meet Wednesday, May 8 at MERGE in Iowa City. The board will gather for lunch at MidwestOne Bank in downtown Iowa City and then walk to the board meeting immediately following. Tours of Bankers Advertising/Tru Art follow the meeting.
If you haven’t already done so, please register your attendance now. Look for your usual packet of meeting materials to arrive in your email in-basket later next week.
On behalf of our ABI officers, I look forward to seeing you next week. As always, thank you to ABI Member Programs Director Holly Mueggenberg for her great help in handling meeting arrangements and related issues. And thank you, too, to ABI Membership Coordinator Dorothy Knowles and Bookkeeper Chrissy Viers, who also play key roles at ABI.
ABI Regional Policy Meetings Coming Up in May
Soon you will be able to register for an ABI Regional Public Policy meeting coming to your area in May. At the meeting, you will hear the latest report on the 2019 Iowa Legislative Session, hear news about the impact of legislators' actions on your business, and you will receive a preview of the legislative interim. You will also have the opportunity to share input about legislative issues that you and your employees believe should be the focus of ABI in 2020.
The ABI public policy staff and I look forward to seeing you and your employees at the upcoming meetings. Thank you to ABI Senior Vice President Public Policy Nicole Crain, Director Public Policy Brad Hartkopf, Coordinator Public Policy Drew Wynes, and ABI Executive Administrative Assistant Michelle Vollstedt for their terrific work during the session, which hopefully adjourns very soon.
Register NOW for 2019 ABI Taking Care of Business Conference; Three Hotels Nearly Sold-Out; Final Site Visit Thursday
The 116th Annual ABI Convention, the 2019 ABI Taking Care of Business Conference, will be held in Ames June 4-6. As I noted last week, first class venues, terrific speakers, golf at one of Iowa’s finest private courses, and the very best business networking in Iowa will make the 2019 meeting one for the record books. Nearly 300 people are already registered for the conference.
In conference-related news, one of the conference hotels has been sold-out for weeks. The Gateway Hotel and Conference Center, the conference flagship hotel, was sold out months ago. Both the Best Western University Park Inn and Suites and the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU are also nearly full. That's okay, because there are other terrific hotels that will provide great lodging for conference attendees. Click on this link for more information about lodging and to register for the conference: http://www.cvent.com/events/2019-abi-taking-care-of-business-conference/event-summary-ec071db43f184150bfe139920e29c6d8.aspx.
The bottom line is you want to make your lodging reservations -- and register for the conference -- NOW. In the meantime, thank you again to Holly for her terrific work on the conference and to ABI Vice President Member Development and Programs Kathy Anderson for her great work in sponsor development related to the conference.
Speaking of the annual conference, an ABI team will make a final site visit this Thursday. ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City), Conference Committee Chair Lisa Patterson (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City), and ABI staff will tour venues and conduct other business during the visit. All of this to make sure your conference experience is second to none. See you in Ames in June!
ABI to Partner on Tariff Panel Wednesday
This coming Wednesday, ABI member Kinze Manufacturing, along with the U.S. Association of Equipment Manufacturers, will host an event at Kinze’s Williamsburg plant. ABI is participating in the event, which is focused on the damage to manufacturing done by tariffs. I’ll be a part of the panel and the event begins at 11:30 a.m. Reply to this memo for more information.
Nominating Committee to Meet May 13
As noted in last week’s Monday Memo, the ABI Nominating Committee will kick off its work soon. The committee, which is chaired by Immediate Past Chair of the ABI Board of Directors David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner), will meet by teleconference on May 13.
In addition to Dave, members of the Committee include ABI board members from each of the association's five state districts. They are District 1 – John Riches (Arconic, Davenport), District 2 – Tom Yeoman (Yeoman & Company, Monticello), District 3 – Chris Sackett, BrownWinick, Des Moines), District 4 – John Krogman (Elkhart Plastics, Atlantic), and District 5 – Drew Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City).
If you have someone you believe would make a great ABI board member, the committee wants to know about her or him. Simply contact one of them, or me, and we’ll make sure the names are considered by the committee.
Elevate, Alex Monaghan Transition
This spring marks the beginning of a transition for ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing initiative. Alexandra Monaghan, who has been the Elevate Coordinator for the past several years, is leaving to take a new job at a manufacturing company in her hometown of Manchester. Her last day was Friday. Alex has been a terrific part of Elevate’s success and we wish her all the best.
Starting May 1, Elevate will focus on a statewide media and digital campaign. Data related to Elevate’s past success illustrates that another summer campaign of this type will lead to continued success. In addition, utilizing Elevate’s large Ambassador Corps and examining future staffing needs are all a part of the Elevate summer plan. In the meantime, thank you to ABI Board Member Michele Farrell (Measured Intentions, Urbandale), who continues to provide strong leadership to the initiative!
ABI Foundation Seeks Your Nominations for Leadership Iowa, Business Horizons, LIU; LI in Carroll Next Week; BH Board Meets Thursday
As I have noted in recent editions of this memo, this is the time of year that the ABI Foundation is seeking your help to nominate worthy individuals for acceptance in Foundation programs. Business Horizons, Leadership Iowa, and Leadership Iowa University are all in the nomination phase. Go to http://www.leadershipiowa.com/ or to http://www.businesshorizonsiowa.com/ or to http://www.leadershipiowauniversity.com/ for more information. Thank you to those of you who have already nominated individuals for these great Foundation programs.
By the way, the current LI class will meet in Carroll next week. The class will convene on Wednesday evening for session that runs through noon on Friday. The session will focus on economic development. We thank ABI Foundation Programs Director Jessi Steward, Foundation Vice President Becky Coady, Foundation Marketing and Engagement Coordinator McKenzie Kielman, LI Alumni Engagement Coordinator Kay Neumann-Thomas, and Administrative Assistant Jane Galloway for their great work in making sure the Foundation programs run smoothly.
In a final bit of news related to ABI Foundation programs, the Business Horizons Board of Directors will convene Thursday at ABI. The 2019 BH session will be held at Central College in Pella July 14-18.
Leadership Iowa Alumni Civic Leader Event May 10
Speaking of the ABI Foundation, Leadership Iowa will host a Civic Leader event for LI Alumni on May 10. Participation is limited, so register now for this event if you are interested.
A military exercise simulation, military helicopter ride, and much more is included in this event. Please click on this link to find more information and to register: https://www.iowaabi.org/upl/downloads/library/civic-leader-may-10-2019-leadership-iowa-alumni-events.pdf. Remember, participation is limited, so register now.
Iowa Rural Equity Project Moves Forward
For several months, a group of people has been meeting to develop the Iowa Rural Equity Project. The project will seek to develop the capabilities of rural Iowans in becoming angel investors, in obtaining investment capital, and in funding qualified projects. ABI has been represented on the group’s steering committee by former longtime ABI Board Member David Underwood (CFO-On-Demand, Clear Lake). Dave is a longtime north Iowa business and financial leader.
The initial phase of the committee’s work has now been completed. Presentations around Iowa have been scheduled, a number of videos have been produced to help in the education of Iowans, and more work is to follow. A full report on the project will be a part of the ABI Board meeting in May in Iowa City.
Final Call: Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference Tomorrow, Wednesday
As you have been reading in recent editions of this memorandum, the annual Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference will soon be held. The conference will take place tomorrow and Wednesday in Kansas City. Find out more information and register now by clicking on http://mecconference.com/.
Check the ABI Events Calendar Often
Between ABI and the ABI Foundation, our organization is sponsoring events throughout Iowa all year long. Please allow this note to serve as a reminder to check the ABI Events page often for information about upcoming events. Simply go to https://www.iowaabi.org/events/ for the latest event information. There you can get further details about upcoming meetings and seminars, register your attendance, or find other information. The page changes weekly, so visit it frequently for the most up-to-date data.
The Weatons Celebrate
As you read in last week’s memorandum, some of us on the ABI staff spent last Wednesday in Fairfield (and other parts of Iowa). There, it is always a pleasure to see former ABI chair Lori Schaefer-Weaton (Agri-Industrial Plastics Company, Fairfield) and former longtime ABI Board Member Nate Weaton (Weaton Capital, Fairfield). There is a lot of things for Lori and Nate and their family to celebrate. First and most important, Lori’s good health, but also Nate’s manufacturing company acquisitions and growth, AND the anniversary of their wedding, which they celebrated April 17. I know all ABI members wish Lori and Nate the absolute best… happy anniversary, Lori and Nate!
ABI Leaders Overseas
ABI leaders are returning from overseas trips. Former ABI Chair Mark Hanawalt (United Equipment Accessories, Waverly) and his wife, Barbara Hanawalt, have been in Paris, France. Longtime ABI Board Member Tom Yeoman (Yeoman & Company, Monticello) has been in Beijing, China. Welcome home!