Okoboji Event This Week - Monday Memo 7/29/19
July 29, 2019
ABI CEO Forum Thursday, Friday in Iowa Great Lakes Area
ABI will return to the Iowa Great Lakes for the third annual ABI CEO Forum on Thursday and Friday. It is not too late to make your plans to join us later this week for great programming, networking, and venues.
Things start with lunch on Thursday, August 1 at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center in Okoboji. Next up are terrific presentations by just recently-retired CEO Terry Handley (Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny), Iowa National Guard General Tim Orr, trauma surgeon James Swegle (The Iowa Clinic, West Des Moines), and your fellow ABI Board Member Mary Landhuis (Lisle Corporation, Clarinda) follow. The afternoon closes with a terrific panel featuring Kevin Lentz (Performance Marketing, West Des Moines), Jim Nalley (BCC Advisers, Des Moines), and Brian Crotty (HDH Advisors, West Des Moines). The Lakes Area’s newest venue, the Parks Marina Boat Club, is the location for a fabulous dinner to close the day.
On Friday, breakfast at the Arrowwood and a tour of Milford manufacturer SAFCO will close the event. Register now at http://www.cvent.com/events/okoboji-ceo-forum/event-summary-86a0f03f9f4f45e280eeb6ece6d71713.aspx and we’ll see you in Okoboji later this week.
Policy Development Meetings Start Next Week
ABI's annual policy development process is overseen this year by ABI Vice Chair Steven Bradford (HNI Corporation, Muscatine) and it will begin with a meeting of the ABI Workplace and Product Safety Committee a week from tomorrow. Thank you to ABI member Rex Butler (CIPCO, Cedar Rapids), who chairs the committee. Also meeting next week is the ABI Employment and Workforce Committee, which is chaired by ABI member Amy Larsen (United Equipment Accessories, Waverly).
Over a hundred ABI members have already registered to attend one or more of the five committee meetings. If you haven't already done so, there is still plenty of time for you and your employees to register. Simply go to https://www.iowaabi.org/events/ to register for the committee meetings of interest to you. The ABI Board of Directors will act on the recommendations of these committees at the September board meeting.
August ABI Executive Committee Teleconference Two Weeks from Wednesday
Members of the ABI Executive Committee will convene for their monthly teleconference on August 14. ABI Chair Cindy Dietz (Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids) and committee members will work through a full agenda in advance of the next meeting of the ABI Board of Directors.
As you know, the first ABI Board Meeting of the 2019 fiscal year will be held on September 11. Please mark your calendars now and finalize your plans to participate in this important meeting.
Operational Excellence Roundtable to Meet Tomorrow
The latest session of ABI’s Operational Excellence Roundtable will take place tomorrow. The panel will meet at Maple Ventures in West Des Moines. For more information, reply to this memorandum and we’ll get it to you.
Leadership Iowa University to Begin Annual Class Sunday
Next Sunday (August 4), the annual session of the ABI Foundation’s Leadership Iowa University program will convene at ABI. ABI board members and former Chairs are invited to meet and interact with LIU students.
You can help LIU by participating in a business leader roundtable discussion on Wednesday, August 7 at EMC Insurance in downtown Des Moines. The roundtable comes with a free lunch and will take place from 12:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thank you to ABI Board Member Jason Gross (EMC Insurance, Des Moines) for hosting. Please reply to this memo for more information.
ABI Advisory Council to Host Networking Gathering August 15
Members of the ABI Advisory Council provide significant support for the association. Certainly their financial investment is important and appreciated, but even more valuable is the programming and resource support they provide for ABI members.
Instead of its regular monthly meeting, the Council will host a networking gathering on August 15 in Des Moines. Thank you to the members of the ABI Advisory Council. The Council includes 21st Century Rehab, ACS, BCC Advisers, Brick Gentry P.C., BrownWinick, CIRAS, CliftonLarsonAllen, EMC, Far Reach, Focus OneSource, HDH Advisors, LMC Insurance and Risk Management, Principal, Shift Interactive, Tero International, The Iowa Clinic, Wellmark, and Wells Fargo.
ABI Members Encouraged to Participate in Workforce Workshop at Drake University
As you have read the last couple of weeks, a new workshop is being held at Drake University August 13-15. Everyone at Work, an organization focused on placing differently-abled persons in jobs, is hosting the workshop. That organization is led by Kyle Duarte, who is associated with longtime ABI member Deaf Services Unlimited. The August workshop focuses on how deaf persons can be great employees.
Please share this information with your HR teams, as ABI members are especially encouraged to participate in the workshop, both as attendees and to have a booth for potential workers. Click here for more information and to register: https://www.everyoneatwork.com/job-seekers/.
Annual ABI Executive Open in Four Weeks
Register now for the annual ABI Executive Open Best Ball, which will be held four weeks from today, on August 26, at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines. One of the nation’s most beautiful private clubs, Des Moines Golf provides an exceptional playing experience. Learn more about Des Moines Golf and Country Club here: https://www.dmgcc.org/.
Golf, networking, and a reception will highlight the day. Registration has been open for a couple of weeks and golf is nearly sold-out! To register right now for the remaining spots, go to http://www.cvent.com/events/executive-open-2019/event-summary-9ef1129178d141e78efe89f69b33e418.aspx. We look forward to seeing you there.
Annual Manufacturing Legends Dinner October 1, Manufacturing Conference October 2
The annual ABI Manufacturing Conference and the annual Legends in Manufacturing Dinner will be held in Greater Des Moines on October 1st and 2nd. A special feature of this year’s manufacturing conference is a “manufacturing matchmaking” session. This session is being produced in conjunction with longtime ABI member/partner CIRAS (the Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State University). Go here to register or to find more information: http://www.cvent.com/events/iowa-manufacturing-matchmaking/event-summary-378298b5ab9741cc8275fe61dc7d4594.aspx.
The manufacturing matchmaking session and the advanced manufacturing conference will be held on October 2nd. The evening before, on October 1st, ABI and ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing initiative will hold the annual Legends in Manufacturing Awards Dinner. Watch for more information and registration to be available soon. In the meantime, you may make Legends nominations here: https://www.elevateiowa.com/about/elevate-legends-nominations.
YPIowa Conference September 20
The ABI Foundation provides administrative support for Young Professionals of Iowa, our state's largest group for young professionals. YPIowa is now getting ready for its annual conference, to be held September 20th in Ottumwa. Find more information at YPIowa Annual Conference.
NAM Report: Manufacturing Rebounds for Second Consecutive Month
The lead story in last week’s National Association of Manufacturers’ Monday Economic Report was a good one. It highlighted manufacturing activity’s climb for the second straight month. There was other great information included in the report, as there is every week. If you wish to read the report for yourself, please reply to this memo and I’ll get it to you at once.
Dave Zrostlik Headlines Business Record Manufacturing Panel
Former ABI Chair Dave Zrostlik Stellar Industries, Garner) is a well-known Iowa manufacturing leader. Thus it is not surprising that the folks at the Des Moines Business Record asked Dave to headline a panel discussing the state of manufacturing in Iowa. The event took place last Thursday as a part of the Business Record’s Newsroom 515 series of programs. Dave and the other panelists (I was also pleased to participate) highlighted issues facing Iowa manufacturers, outlined challenges being seen in the industry, and discussed future trends. Congratulations, Dave!
Hargens, Sukup, Bouwkamp all part of WHO TV Coverage of VP Visit
ABI Board Member Roger Hargens (Accumold, Ankeny) hosted Vice President Mike Pence at his plant last Tuesday. The Vice President toured Accumold and spoke forcefully about the need for Congress to ratify the USMCA trade agreement (something ABI strongly supports and is working hard to have completed).
Roger also shared great comments and was part of a television news feature. Two other ABI leaders were also featured in that coverage. Former ABI Chair Charles Sukup (Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield) and member company executive Daryl Bouwkamp (Vermeer Corporation, Pella) were interviewed. Watch the coverage here: https://whotv.com/2019/07/23/vice-president-mike-pence-visits-iowa-tours-accumold-and-talks-trade/. Congratulations and thank you to all involved!
New Book Highlights Lessons from ABI Leaders, Others
Several current and former ABI leaders/partners are highlighted in a new book about leadership. The book, “You Are Destined for Greatness,” was written by Iowan Aaron Putze. It is a quick and interesting read. In addition to some key leadership advice, the book also provides insights to business decisions.
ABI leaders/partners featured include Miriam Erickson Brown (Anderson Erickson Dairy, Des Moines), Randy Edeker (Hy-Vee, West Des Moines), Gene Meyer (Greater Des Moines Partnership, Des Moines), Bob Myers (Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny), Suku Radia (Bankers Trust, Des Moines), Doug Reichardt (Holmes Murphey, West Des Moines), Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines), and President Wendy Wintersteen of Iowa State University. Sports figures, education leaders, government officials, and others were also a part of the book.
Congratulations to all of these leaders! If you wish to read the book, let me know and we’ll get it to you.
ATW Named Top 10 Training Company for Twentieth Consecutive Year
For the twentieth year in a row, longtime ABI member ATW Training and Consulting has been named one of the Top 10 Corporate Education and Training Companies by Enterprise Services Outlook Magazine. Congratulations on this terrific honor to everyone at ATW, including company President and longtime ABI Board Member Todd McDonald (ATW Training and Consulting, Urbandale)!