Legends nominations due Sunday!
Time is running out to nominate iconic manufacturers for the prestigious Legends in Manufacturing Awards. The deadline to make your nominations is Sunday, July 31. These awards  recognize key leaders and champions of this important industry. Award winners will be recognized at a dinner on Oct. 3 at The Meadows Events & Conference Center in Altoona.

The awards will recognize five outstanding leaders in manufacturing, including individuals who have served as key leaders within a company and individuals or organizations not directly engaged in manufacturing but who support the industry as a whole. Click here to learn more and submit an application. Mark your calendars now to attend the Legends in Manufacturing Awards Dinner on Oct. 3 and the Advanced Manufacturing Conference on Oct. 4.  
Legislative News
Last Chance: Register for Public Policy Committees 
The 2017 policy development process continues with ABI's public policy committee meetings beginning next week. Below is a full list with speakers and links to register for each meeting. Each committee is responsible for recommending policies to ABI's full board for approval. You can see last year's policy handbook here. Click on the committee name below to register.

Aug. 2- Workplace and Product Safety-Joe Mullen-OSHA Consultation and Education
Aug. 9- Employment and Workforce-Director Beth Townsend, Iowa Workforce Development
Aug. 10- Environment-Director Karen Flournoy, Environmental Protection Agency-Region 7
Aug. 16- Economic Growth-Director Paul Trombino, Iowa Department of Transportation
Aug. 23- Tax Committee-Speaker TBD

IIPAC Endorsements to be released soon
ABI's PAC Board met on Friday, July 22 to consider legislative endorsements for the 2016 election. The endorsements will be released to those individuals signed up for the ABI Election Update first! Make sure you have signed up to receive updates here

Dakota Access Pipeline Permits Approved
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved the final permits necessary to construct the Dakota Access pipeline project in areas under their jurisdiction. Construction has already begun on other segments of the 1,172 mile project, which was approved by the four state regulatory bodies in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois earlier this year. Keep reading...

Federal Spotlight: Take Action on DOL Overtime Rule
ABI's federal partner, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is encouraging members to Take Action if you would like to see Congress act on the Department of Labor's (DOL) overtime rule. The legislation will require the DOL to rework and further review the impact the rule will have on employees, businesses and the economy. Keep reading...
Advanced Manufacturing Conference presentation proposals due Friday
Do you have expertise on issues important to Iowa manufacturers? Share your insight with attendees at the upcoming Advanced Manufacturing Conference on October 4. ABI is now accepting proposals for workshop speakers at the conference. 

Proposal Deadline: July 29, 2016 

Tentative Schedule: October 4, 2016 | Meadows Events & Conference Center | Altoona
Workshop 1 | 1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Workshop 2 | 3 - 4:15 p.m.

Preferred Topics:     Manufacturing Technologies
LEAN
Automation and Robotics
Building a Culture of Innovation
Data and Benchmarking
Workplace Safety
Creating New Products/Reaching New Markets
Policy Effects on Manufacturing

Email Holly Mueggenberg, hmueggenberg@iowaabi.org with your interest or for a proposal form.
From the Desk of...
Insurance regulations are becoming more complex. Are you keeping up?

Lisa Benoit 
Workiva

At the beginning of the year, I spent some time looking at predictions about what lies ahead for the insurance industry and the trends that are likely to make an impact. One thing stood out: the increasing burden of regulatory requirements.
Now that we're at the midway point in 2016, insurance regulations have proven to be more important than ever. Amid a season of political uncertainty and pending updates on capital standards, there's no doubt that the insurance industry is in a state of flux.
But what does this mean for you and your business?  Having spent many years in external statutory reporting, I've learned that a company's ability to react quickly to changes in regulations is closely connected to two key areas.
  1. Whether it can attract and retain quality talent
  2. Whether it has the technology required to keep pace
Let's take a closer look at each concern. Keep reading...

Top News
West Des Moines Selected as Host Site for L2L: LIVE2LEAD  (LIVE2LEAD)
Author, coach and speaker John C. Maxwell will host the event on Oct. 7.

Carl A. Nelson & Company Achieves Significant Milestone  (CarlANelson)
1,500,000 man-hours worked without a lost time work injury. 

Alliant to add $1 billion in wind energy (BusinessRecord)
Alliant Energy's plan  to add up to 500 megawatts of wind energy is a large play that will help keep Iowa's electricity rates low, a key authority on clean energy said.

Bakken pipeline clears final regulatory hurdle in Iowa   (DesMoinesRegister) 
Plans for the Bakken oil pipeline in Iowa cleared a final regulatory hurdle on Tuesday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded that proposed crossings of Iowa waterways will comply with federal environmental laws.

Arts professor receives $10,000 Iowa Arts Council grant (NorthwesternCollege)
The Iowa Arts Council has awarded a $10,000 artist fellowship to  Yun Shin , assistant professor of art at Northwestern College.

Starting their own business to improve lives in Africa (IowaNow)
African entrepreneurs learn about business in the US during six-week State Department program at the University of Iowa.

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