Plan Now for ABI's Garner Events - Monday Memo 4/9/18

April 9, 2018

Register Now for May Board Meeting in Garner; Dinner Night Before in Clear Lake

With last week's meeting of the Executive Committee, ABI leadership meetings are complete until next month.  ABI Chair David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) will host the ABI Board of Directors in Garner on Wednesday, May 2.  Following on the success of other board meetings held outside Greater Des Moines, the May board meeting will be held at the Garner Golf Club (http://www.garnergolfcourse.com) in Garner.  

Last week, you should have received a message with a link to allow you to register for the meeting.  If you have not yet done so and wish to do so now, simply reply to this message and we’ll take care of getting you registered.  Nearly 40 of you have already registered for the meeting, which will be the final meeting of the board until the annual convention in June. By the way, the board meeting will begin at noon on the 2nd and lunch will be served.  

For overnight stays, the Garner Inn and Suites (http://www.garnerinn.com/) on the west side of town is a great place.  The night before, on May 1st, those members in Garner are invited to join us for dinner hosted by ABI.  We'll dine at the beautiful Surf District Grill http://www.surfdistrictgrill.com/), located next to the legendary Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake (about 25 minutes east of Garner on U.S. Highway 18).  Detailed information will be included in the board packet that you will receive about a week in advance of the meeting.  There is no fee for dinner or for the meeting, but please register for both by replying to this message. 

The Garner events will conclude with tours of the Stellar Industries campus (http://www.stellarindustries.com/) in Garner.  This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility recently underwent a major expansion and you will enjoy seeing the results.  I look forward to seeing you in Garner! 

ABI to Host Regional Policy Meeting in Garner May 2

For those board members planning on attending the May board meeting in Garner, you will want to arrive an hour early. At 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2nd, the ABI public policy team will present one in a series of meetings focused on the results of the 2018 Iowa General Assembly. The meeting will be held at the Garner Golf Club in Garner, the site of the May meeting of the ABI Board of Directors. 

Attend the meeting to get the most complete information about business issues and the Iowa Legislature. In addition, ABI staff members will discuss the coming election and even address the 2019 legislative session. Click here for more information and to register: http://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/107-2018-regional-public-policy-meeting-garner/

Next ABI Legislative Call April 20

You will not want to miss what (hopefully) will be the final in a series of ABI conference calls related to the actions of the Iowa General Assembly’s 2018 Session. Register now for the call. 

You can do so by clicking on http://www.iowaabi.org/events/detail/95-abi-members-only-legislative-conference-calls/. The call, which is free and open only to ABI members, will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, April 20. Participate in the call and get the latest in happenings at the Statehouse from ABI’s public policy team. 

ATTENTION ABI BOARD MEMBERS AND FORMER BOARD CHAIRS - Easy Convention Registration Option Available – Two Hotels Sold-Out, More Lodging Options Available

The 115th Annual ABI Convention, the 2018 Taking Care of Business Conference, is just two months away.  The annual conference flyer, which seems to be something everyone waits for every year, should have arrived in your mailbox last week.  Now is the time to make sure YOU are registered for the convention.  Doing so is easier than ever. 

Simply reply to this message and type “convention” or “register me” or just about anything… and then we’ll take care of it for you.  The ABI staff will ensure you are registered, send you a personal statement related to any fees involved, and send you information about your lodging choices.  All you need do is show up in Coralville-Iowa City June 5-7.    

Speaking of the annual conference (access the conference website here: http://www.cvent.com/events/2018-abi-taking-care-of-business-conference/event-summary-10c1c9760a3e4dd682c42cdc092b358e.aspx), it is clear there will be a terrific crowd of ABI members attending this year's event.  TWO conference hotels have already been sold-out and a third is close.  Many more lodging options remain.  Use the link above to access lodging information.  The point is, please make your lodging reservations now! 

Cedar Valley Manufacturing Conference Wednesday

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber and Hawkeye Community College are partnering to produce the Eighth Annual Cedar Valley Manufacturing Conference.  It will be held this Wednesday, April 11, on the Hawkeye campus.  

At a registration fee of $25, the conference is a great value.  Click on this link for more information and to register: https://www.hawkeyecollege.edu/calendars/community/2018-cedar-valley-manufacturing-conference.  The program will feature ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing program and information from another ABI great partner, Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service.   

Foundation Programs Active; Nominations due This Month

This is a busy time for ABI Foundation programs.  And, now is the time to make your nominations for all Foundation programs.  Doing so is easy and doesn’t cost a thing.  Simply go to http://www.iowaabi.org/abi-foundation/about/ and click on the links for each program.  

In surveys of participants, all the ABI Foundation programs (Leadership Iowa, Leadership Iowa University, and Business Horizons) receive very high marks. Strong nominations are the first step in ensuring a quality program, so please make your nominations now.  They are due by May 1 and your support by nominating worthy individuals is appreciated.  

Final Call for Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference

There is still time for your environmental and compliance staff members to register and attend the Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference.  The conference will be held this Wednesday and Thursday at the Kansas City Convention Center in downtown Kansas City. While ABI receives financial support for every Iowa participant that registers for the conference, the real reason to attend is for the high-value program.  Find out more information and register by clicking on http://mecconference.com/.    

Register Now for ABI Productivity Workshop

ABI will host well-known time management expert Randall Dean for a seminar on productivity and making the most of your time. This 90-minute seminar will begin at 2:00 p.m. on April 25 at ABI in Des Moines.  Please click here: http://www.cvent.com/events/from-distracted-to-productive-finding-your-productivity-and-focus-in-a-hyper-interrupted-world/event-summary-8bfd469e9800433790351398313df1ed.aspx to find more information or to register. 

Charles Sukup Appears on Maria Bartiromo Show

Former ABI Chair Charles Sukup (Sukup Manufacturing Co., Sheffield) was interviewed by Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo during her show Friday morning.  Ms. Bartiromo asked Charles about workforce issues and the impact of U.S. trade policy related to tariffs.  It was a terrific interview and you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51WnozmfkF8.  Congratulations, Charles! 

David Zrostlik Quoted in Register Article

ABI Chair David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) was quoted in an article in the Des Moines Register.  The article focused on the impact of tariffs and concerns about a possible trade war.  Dave’s comments were terrific and you can read the article for yourself here: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2018/04/06/iowa-trump-china-tariffs-trade-war-farm-economy-negotiations-soybeans-corn-pork-beef-duties/492413002/.  Congratulations on the great press, Dave! 

Atlantic Bottling Honored for Community Enrichment

At a ceremony to be held this Friday in Coralville, longtime ABI member Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company will be presented with the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council’s 2018 Community Enrichment Award.  The award, which is the Council’s most prestigious annual award, is being given to Atlantic Bottling in recognition of the significant safety, health, and environmental contributions the company has made to the communities it serves.  Congratulations to everyone at the company, especially to its leaders, who are both former Chairs of ABI: Jim Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Atlantic) and Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines)

Blog Post Highlights Leadership Iowa’s North Iowa Session

Shannon Latham is a well-known north Iowa business leader. Last week, she wrote a blog post about a visit by Leadership Iowa.  It’s a great read and you can find it here: http://www.thefieldposition.com/2018/04/leadership-iowa-visits-latham-seeds/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email.  Thank you to Ms. Latham for the wonderful coverage of Leadership Iowa.

Birthdays for Wersen, Roberts Celebrated this Week

As is always the case this time of year, two longtime ABI leaders are celebrating birthdays this week.  Former ABI Chair Bob Wersen (Interpower Corporation, Oskaloosa) celebrates today and former longtime ABI Board Member Steve Roberts (Davis Brown Law Firm, Des Moines) celebrates tomorrow.  ABI sends best birthday wishes to Bob and Steve!