Three Weeks Until May Board Meeting - Monday Memo 4/15/19

April 15, 2019

May Board Meeting in Three Weeks; Register Now

The final pre-annual conference meeting of the ABI Board of Directors will be held May 8 in Iowa City.  ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) and board members will meet for lunch at longtime ABI member company MidwestOne Bank in downtown Iowa City. The board meeting will immediately follow lunch.  It will be held steps away in downtown, at MERGE.  

The board luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. on the 8th.  Board members will walk together to MERGE following lunch.  On behalf of David, who will host tours of Bankers Advertising/Tru Art following the board meeting, and our other officers, I look forward to seeing you in Iowa City. 

Still Time to Register for Next Week’s Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference

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 next week, on April 23 and 24. 

The conference is again being held at the Kansas City Convention Center in downtown Kansas City.  There is plenty of first class lodging nearby and plenty of parking connected to the convention center.  While I always note that 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 now by clicking on http://mecconference.com/.    

Watch for Annual ABI CEO Survey

Each year, ABI surveys member CEOs regarding issues important to them and their businesses.  The survey differs from the new quarterly business survey, in that the annual CEO survey is distributed to ALL member company CEOs and it surveys general issues… not what is expected in the coming quarter.  It is anticipated that the survey will be ready for your attention very soon.

When it is, please complete the survey (it should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes).  You will be able to read the results in the June edition of Business Record Iowa

University of Iowa Invites ABI Members to Participate in UI Art Share Program

Officials with the University of Iowa have contacted the association and asked ABI member companies to consider participation in the University’s Statewide Art Share Initiatives.  

Through the UI Office of Outreach and Engagement, students work with companies and communities in a variety of ways.  They can provide arts and culture initiatives or collaborate on design projects or help in many other ways.  Find more information on the office’s Projects webpage: https://outreach.uiowa.edu/projects.  And, see the office’s annual report here: https://outreach.uiowa.edu/sites/outreach.uiowa.edu/files/o_and_e-report_spreads-12.10.2018.web_.pdf.  Please contact me for further information. 

Nominating Committee Work to Begin

With just seven weeks until the 2019 ABI Convention, it is the time of year that the annual board member nominating process is conducted.  As Immediate Past Chair of the ABI Board of Directors, David Zrostlik (Stellar Industries, Garner) will serve as Nominating Committee Chair.  

Dave and I connected last week to review the nominations process.  Look for information regarding the composition and activities of the committee in future editions of this memorandum. 

ABI Advisory Council to Hold April Meeting

Members of the ABI Advisory Council will hold their regular April Thursday afternoon meeting by teleconference.  Making note of this allows me to again thank the ABI Advisory Council members for their support and leadership.  Thank you to 21st Century Rehab, ACS, BCC Advisers, BrownWinick, CIRAS, CliftonLarsonAllen, EMC Insurance, Far Reach, Focus OneSource, HDH Advisors, LMC Insurance and Risk Management, Principal Midwest Business Center, Shift Interactive, Tero International, The Iowa Clinic, Wellmark, and Wells Fargo

CFO Roundtable Meets Friday

The ABI CFO Roundtable will meet this coming Friday.  The Roundtable is one the association’s newest value-added panels, with speakers and programs of special interest to your company’s finance staff.  The CFO programs have received high marks from participants and you and your CFO are also invited.  

By the way, also receiving high marks is the ABI Operational Excellence Roundtable.  That group met last week at Fareway Stores in Boone.  Reply to this message, or contact ABI Vice President Member Development and Programs Kathy Anderson at kanderson@iowaabi.org, for more information.  

Latest Edition of Business Record Iowa Now Out

Each month, in partnership with the Des Moines Business Record, ABI publishes Business Record Iowa.  This newsprint publication reaches about 7,500 Iowa business leaders all across the state.  

The April edition includes some well-known cover models.  Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, and ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) are featured on the cover.  The magazine should now be in your mailbox, inside the Des Moines Business Record.  If you haven't yet received it, please let me know and another copy will be sent to you at once. 

Foundation Nominations Sought; LI Board to Meet

There is a lot happening at the ABI Foundation.  As you know, your nominations for the next sessions of Foundation programs are desired by May 1.  Nominations are free and easy to make; simply go here and click on the link for the programs in which you are interested: http://www.iowaabi.org/abi-foundation/about/.  

In other news, the Leadership Iowa Board of Governors will meet Wednesday in Des Moines.  LI is the ABI Foundation’s flagship program and a national leader in programs of its type.  One reason is because of great leadership by the Board of Governors. 

Final Ames Pre-Conference Site Visit Next Week, 2021 Conference Site Visit Tomorrow

As you know, with the Annual Taking Care of Business Conference only a few weeks away, preparations for a fabulous event are being finalized.  By the way, if you haven’t yet registered, you can do so now at http://www.cvent.com/events/2019-abi-taking-care-of-business-conference/event-summary-ec071db43f184150bfe139920e29c6d8.aspx.  

The final site visit with regard to the conference is being held a week from Thursday.  ABI Chair David Bywater (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) and ABI Conference Committee Chair Lisa Patterson (Bankers Advertising/Tru Art, Iowa City) are leading a group of us to make final checks on venues (such as Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum) and menus.  

Planning never stops for the conference and it takes longer than you might imagine.  The next site visit for the 2021 conference occurs tomorrow, for example!  ABI Vice Chair Cindy Dietz (Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids) and several of us will be visiting Cedar Rapids, the site of next year’s annual conference.  So… see you in in Ames in June, in Cedar Rapids in June of next year, and stay tuned for the site of the 2022 Taking Care of Business Conference.

David Bywater Celebrates This Week

This coming Saturday, April 20, ABI Chair David Bywater (Economy Advertising Company, Iowa City) will celebrate his birthday.  Happy birthday, David! 

Diamond Vogel Again Honored for Paint Iowa Beautiful

Two ABI members were in the news last week.  Each year, ABI members Keep Iowa Beautiful and Vogel Paint Company sponsor Paint Iowa Beautiful.  This unsung program has resulted in well over 800 Iowa communities bettering themselves.  Last week, announcement was made of the communities honored with Paint Iowa Beautiful awards for 2019.  Congratulations and thank you to everyone at KIB and at Vogel Paint, especially to ABI Board Member Drew Vogel (Vogel Paint Company, Orange City)! Click here to read more about this terrific program and about Diamond Vogel’s terrific support: anhttps://www.radioiowa.com/2019/04/10/several-communities-getting-out-brushes-for-paint-iowa-beautiful/

Randy Moore Featured in QC Insight; Iowa American, John Deere, Arconic Honored

QC Insight is a business Journal published in Davenport.  Three ABI member companies were honored by the publication last week and an ABI leader was featured.  Reply to this memo if you wish to read about it for yourself. 

ABI Board Member Randy Moore (Iowa American Water Company, Davenport) was featured in a photo and accompanying story.  On behalf of the company he leads, Randy accepted the Corporation of the Year Award from the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  Also honored at the event for their work with regard to diversity and inclusion were longtime ABI members Arconic and John Deere.  Congratulations to Randy and to ABI Board Members John Riches (Arconic, Davenport) and Stacey Pellet (John Deere, Johnston)

Jim Tyler, Other Terrific Features in Latest Edition of The Fizz

As you know, we appreciate reading ABI member company newsletters.  There is always terrific information and often features that help us make sure ABI is operating as well as it can.  We learn a lot from ABI members. 

The latest edition of The Fizz, the newsletter of longtime ABI member Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, is no exception.  The most fun item in the newsletter is a feature about former ABI Chair Jim Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Atlantic) related to his service as a P-38 combat pilot.  It is terrific!  

Other great features included a business review by company President and COO Rob Feeney (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines), a feature about safe driving, and many other items.  If you wish to read the newsletter for yourself, please reply to this memorandum.  In the meantime, congratulations and thank you to Jim, Rob, and company Chairman and former ABI Chair Kirk Tyler (Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Des Moines) for the great information! 

Tru Art Acquires Iowa City Company

As you read in last week’s ABI newsletter, one of ABI’s founding members is finalizing its latest acquisition.  Tru Art Color Graphics is acquiring Graphic Printing and Designs of Iowa City.  With the acquisition, Tru Art expands its in-house capabilities to better serve its nationwide list of clients… clients it has been serving for over 120 years.  Click here to read some of the media coverage of this transaction: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/CBJ-Business-Daily.html?soid=1102751454250&aid=jGgIUSUqT6U#Story2.  Congratulations to Tru Art and everyone involved, especially to the company’s CEO, ABI Chair David Bywater (Economy Advertising Company, Iowa City)!

Senator Cournoyer Visits LyondellBasell; Sees Elevate in Action

You have heard me say often that one of the best things you can do to help advance ABI’s public policy agenda is to get elected officials into your plant or office.  The folks at ABI member LyondellBasell have been doing that for a long time.  Last Friday, they did it again. 

State Senator Chris Cournoyer (R-LeClaire) visited the company’s Clinton Plant Friday.  She, along with students from Maquoketa High School, toured the facility, learned about the company, and also heard a special presentation about ABI’s Elevate Advanced Manufacturing initiative.  If you would like to read a news release and see photos of the event, reply to his message and I’ll get them to you right away.  In the meantime, thank you to two ABI board members who played big roles in the event, Rich Phelan (LyondellBasell, Clinton), who was a host and organizer on the Clinton end, and Michele Farrell (Measured Intentions, Urbandale), who made the Elevate presentation!