IIPAC Board Meets; Endorses Three More Candidates Running for Statehouse
The board of ABI’s political action committee, IIPAC, met on Tuesday to discuss a second round of investments in the campaigns of candidates who are running on a pro-business agenda in 2020. The board also decided to endorse three additional candidates who are running for seats in the Legislature. Those candidates, who are all challenging sitting incumbents, are Brooke Boden, Cherielynn Westrich and Jeff Reichman. Boden is running in House District 26, which is located in Warren County just south of Des Moines. Westrich is running in House District 81, which can be found in Wapello County in Southeast Iowa. Reichman is running in Senate District 42, which is located in Henry County, also in Southeast Iowa. You can view the news release here. IIPAC is proud to endorse and support candidates who back business and industry. You can view our first round of endorsements made in September here.
ABI Members Host Elected Officials and Candidates
ABI members are always great to open their businesses to candidates and elected officials at all levels of government. Earlier this week, ABI Vice Chair Jack Hasken hosted a successful event at his manufacturing facility in Maquoketa. Details about the visit will be featured in Monday’s Election Update! If you don’t receive the Election Update and would like to be added to the list for exclusive content, please contact JD Davis.
Public Policy Team to Provide Redux of Advanced Manufacturing Conference Presentation Later This Month
ABI members will have an opportunity to hear from the public policy team of JD Davis and Brad Hartkopf as they give an up-to-date breakdown of their workshop, 2020 Landscape: Implications of Policy and Politics to Iowa Businesses. Those who register will receive a current look at some of the most competitive races in the state and learn about the effects that having a pro-business or unfriendly-to-business majority could have on businesses in 2021. The webinar will be Monday, October 26 at 11 a.m. Registration will be available soon.
Still Time to Register for Next Week's Childcare Webinar
ABI, in partnership with the Iowa Women’s Foundation, will host the “Return to Learn: Childcare and Business Best Practices During COVID-19” webinar next Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. The virtual meeting will share models for childcare success with business and community partnerships. Frontier Co-op will also share details about its new virtual learning. Be sure to register for this educational event.
ABI and DNR Host Upcoming Meetings
ABI will host Environmental Services Division Administrator Ed Tormey and Air Quality Construction Permit Supervisor Sarah Piziali on Oct. 20 to discuss improvements in communication processes at the Air Quality Bureau. Click here to register.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Air Quality Bureau also announced a stakeholder meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. It will be held via conference call or virtually. Stakeholders have the opportunity to submit topics they would like to see added to the agenda of the meeting. Those items are due by Friday, Oct. 16 and should be emailed to Christine Paulson.
Register for DOR Legislative Update Webinar
The Iowa Department of Revenue (DOR) will host a free webinar to discuss 2020 legislative updates that impact taxation in Iowa. It will take place next Wednesday at 12 p.m. The DOR will discuss a number of bills that were signed into law earlier this year including HF 2641, which is the tax omnibus bill. You can register here.
Continuing Unemployment Claims and Trust Fund Payments Slide Down
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) announced there were 4,730 initial unemployment claims filed by individuals for the week of Sept. 27 through Oct. 3. Approximately $14.8 million was paid out of the state unemployment trust fund, which is about $2.2 million less than the week prior. The number of continuing unemployment claims was 51,666, which is a decrease of 6,753 claims from last week. The top sectors that saw the most initial claims filed included manufacturing (959); those not identified by industry including the self-employed, independent contractors, etc. (926); and health care and social assistance (374). Read IWD's news release.
Federal Spotlight: Trump Calls Off Broader COVID-19 Talks Until After the Election
On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted that he decided to end talks between the White House and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi concerning a robust COVID-19 package and will wait until after the election to continue negotiating. The announcement comes as both sides had been working for months to come to some sort of agreement on Phase IV relief. The size of the deal was largely the biggest sticking point as Democrats wanted to spend between $2-$3 trillion where Republicans are more inclined to back a deal around $1 trillion. The president did indicate he is willing to sign smaller, more targeted relief for specific industries, as well as another round of stimulus checks should a bill(s) reach his desk. Read more from CNBC.
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ABI Launches New Webinar Series |
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When the 2020 Taking Care of Business Conference was canceled, you missed valuable programming you rely on. And workshop presenters lost an opportunity to share their expertise with you.
That’s why we’re excited to announce plans to offer six of the previously scheduled workshops virtually. Each is designed to provide ideas and insight you can implement immediately.
The workshops will be presented live—two per day—on Oct. 29, Nov. 11 and Dec. 3. Individual registration is required for each session and is $35 for members and $45 for not-yet-members.
Oct. 29
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Get Your E-Commerce Product Data Right: Selling Online & Supporting Your Dealer Partners | 9 a.m. | Register
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How to Turn Negative Reviews & Upset Consumers into Loyal Customers Singing Your Praises | 11 a.m. | Register
Nov. 11
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The Unbusy Leader | 9 a.m. | Register
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Recruiting and Retention in a Different Light: Building a Culturally Vibrant Community | 11 a.m. | Register
Dec. 3
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How to Diffuse Unconscious Bias that Damages Culture, Productivity and Brand | 9 a.m. | Register
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Understanding Cannabis and Its Workplace Safety, Legal and Health Implications | 11 a.m. | Register
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New Buy ABI Participant: ATW Training Solutions Offers BOGO Business Training |
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ATW Training Solutions has joined the Buy ABI program, and ABI members can buy one seat to any ATW Public Session and get one free. Virtual and in-person options are available for topics including Driving Difficult Conversations, Emotional Intelligence and Leading Virtually. View ATW Training Solutions' calendar for current offerings. See the Buy ABI webpage for more information and to view offers from other program partners.
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Resiliency: The Mark of Our Members |
Mike Ralston
President
ABI
In recent editions of the Monday Memo, I made mention of the business reports delivered by ABI leaders at the September board meeting. There is nothing more interesting than listening to board members speak about their business; they are passionate about their employees and their businesses.
What struck me was the resiliency of ABI members. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic caused incredible disruption to their operations. But ABI members were positive about the future. They talked about taking care of their employees and how everyone was working together to take care of customers. Members impacted by the derecho that struck Iowa some weeks ago also focused on the future.
That resiliency was raised again at the ABI Advanced Manufacturing Conference on Sept. 30 and at the Corridor Business Journal Manufacturing Conference on Oct. 2. Issues related to supply chain, inventory management and sales were also discussed. The bottom line at all times seemed to be that Iowa manufacturers and other businesspeople are finding ways to operate and to grow throughout this pandemic. That’s good news for Iowa. Read more.
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Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has announced a new cybersecurity initiative to ensure the protection of Iowa’s election infrastructure. Iowa is the second state in the nation to create a Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP), inviting private sector security researchers to test Iowa’s system. Secretary Pate is partnering with Bugcrowd, a national leader in crowdsourced cybersecurity, for this initiative. Read the full news release.
DMACC and Microsoft to Host Free 'Careers 4 Women in Technology' Virtual Event on Oct. 13
DMACC and Microsoft are teaming up to host a free “Careers 4 Women in Technology” Virtual Event to help share information and inspiration with young women who are interested in pursuing a career in technology. The event will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Oct. 13 utilizing the Microsoft Teams app. A panel of five women who have built careers working in technology will discuss their current positions and how they embarked on their career pathways, as well as the obstacles they faced and overcame along the way. Learn more.
How to Keep Your Phone Safe from Cyber Threats
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and Bankers Trust is sharing mobile security tips and tricks to help secure your mobile device and protect sensitive data. With the increasing ease of mobile interactions, including financial transactions, it’s important now more than ever to take preventative steps to protect the sensitive data stored on your phone. Click here to read the article.
BrownWinick Attorney Loree Nelson Inducted to the American College of Trial Lawyers
BrownWinick is excited to announce that attorney Loree Nelson has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. The induction ceremony at which Loree Nelson became a Fellow took place Sept. 24 during the recent 2020 Annual Meeting of the College. Founded in 1950, the college is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Read the full news release.
Principal Study Finds U.S. Businesses Are Prioritizing Employee Well-Being as They Look to Rebuild
Principal Financial Group announced Tuesday the findings of its quarterly Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM (WBI). In its seventh edition, the results showcase how businesses have responded to the disruptive effects of COVID-19 since the last quarterly pulse was released in June. The financial situation of U.S. businesses is slowly starting to show signs of recovery. Compared to June, more businesses are growing. Among those businesses with fewer than 500 employees, 42% said they are expanding their operations, compared to 34% in June. Read the full news release and view the full report.
Take National Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Your Business and Childcare
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is working with Cicero Group, a third-party researcher, to continue ongoing research on the impacts of COVID-19 on employers, employee childcare needs and return-to-work planning. They have created a short survey and are encouraging ABI members to participate. If you have not already done so, please take the survey by Oct. 13. It should only take 10-15 minutes to complete.
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