Vice President Pence Speaks on USMCA at Accumold
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Pictured (left to right): Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, Gov. Kim Reynolds, ABI Board of Director and Accumold CEO/President
Roger Hargens, Vice President Mike Pence
ABI member company Accumold hosted Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. Reynolds on Tuesday. ABI Board Member and Accumold CEO/President Roger Hargens kicked off the event followed by remarks from Gov. Reynolds. Gov. Reynolds spoke about her advocacy for the USMCA and the importance of trade to Iowa’s economy, and introduced Vice President Pence. The vice president praised the work of Accumold and expanded upon the opportunities that lie ahead for companies like it once the USMCA is ratified. The purpose of the vice president’s visit was to advocate for passage of the USMCA and to encourage Iowans to contact members of Congress to urge them to support ratification of the trade accord
this year
. ABI Senior Vice President Nicole Crain and Director, Public Policy Brad Hartkopf attended the event to show ABI’s support for the governor's and the administration's efforts on the USMCA.
DNR Director Lyon to Speak to ABI Environment Committee
Newly appointed
Director of Natural Resources Kayla Lyon will speak to ABI Environment Committee attendees at the August 13 meeting. Director Lyon previously served as Gov. Reynolds' legislative liaison during the 2019 session, was the governor’s agriculture and natural resources policy advisor and worked for the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives.
Register
for the Environment Committee meeting now. More than 150 people have already registered to attend the policy committee meetings, but there is still time to register and help shape ABI’s public policy positions and legislative priorities for 2020.
Strong Employment Continues In Iowa
Iowa Workforce Development
announced
last Friday that Iowa added 5,600 jobs in the month of June and the unemployment rate remains at 2.4%. Iowa’s unemployment rate has held steady at 2.4% for 12 consecutive months, which means the Hawkeye State has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 3.7% for the month of June.
Workers’ Compensation Electronic Filing Launched
On Monday the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) implemented an electronic filing system that is accessible to Iowans 24/7. Commissioner Cortese noted the efficiency and accessibility of the Workers’ Compensation Electronic System (WCES), which is now the mandatory filing system used by the DWC. As a result of the new system, the agency promulgated
new rules
. The WCES will be accessible to attorneys, workers, employees and insurers. Additional information on the WCES is available at
www.IowaWorkComp.gov
. ABI is interested in your feedback about the system and if improvements need to be made. Please contact
Nicole Crain
with any feedback or concerns about the WCES.
Federal Spotlight: Trump To Nominate Scalia For Labor Department
President Trump announced last Thursday his intention to nominate Eugene Scalia, son of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as the new secretary of labor. The proclamation comes as the former secretary of labor, Alexander Acosta, officially resigned from his post last week. Scalia, who previously served in President George W. Bush’s administration as a solicitor for the labor department, is currently a partner in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a well-known law firm. Scalia must go through the Senate confirmation process, which is likely to be contentious as Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already indicated his opposition to Trump’s nominee.
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Help Shape ABI's Policy Priorities for 2020
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You and your employees are encouraged to attend any or all five public policy committee meetings in August. You’ll hear from influential speakers, as well as review and recommend legislative policies to the ABI Board. Meetings are open to ABI members only.
Click on the links below to register for each meeting.
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Nominate Iowa Manufacturing Leaders for Legends Awards
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Nominate an outstanding Iowa leader in manufacturing you know for Elevate Advanced Manufacturing's 2019 Legends in Manufacturing Awards.
Award categories include:
- Under 100 employees
- 100-300 employees
- 300+ employees
- Manufacturing Export Award
- Manufacturing Champion (a supporter of manufacturing–company or individual)
- Posthumous Awardee (a manufacturing legend now deceased)
Nominations are due August 15. Winners will be recognized at an
awards dinner
on October 1.
Learn more
about the categories and download a nomination form.
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Upcoming Events You Don't Want to Miss
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Okoboji CEO Forum
August 1-2 | Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center, Okoboji
Executives: Join us for ABI’s fastest growing event. This year’s focus is leadership when the stakes are high.
Connecting Statewide Leaders – Recruiting (and Retaining) Your Talent
August 7 | 4 p.m. | Shive-Hattery, West Des Moines
Be part of a discussion on how you can use unique strategies to create a work environment everyone can love and to build loyalty among your emerging leaders.
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USPTO to Require U.S. Licensed Attorney for Trademarks
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Luke T. Mohrhauser
Intellectual Property Attorney
McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC
Businesses in Iowa, as well as those throughout the United States, rely on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to register their trademarks. A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate the source of the goods/services.
Registering a trademark or service mark with the USPTO gives numerous advantages to businesses, such as notice to the public of the registrant's claim of ownership of the trademark, legal presumption of ownership nationwide and exclusive rights to use the trademark on or in connection with the goods/services listed in the registration.
Read more
.
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Seven Attorneys from Ahlers & Cooney Recognized in Practice Areas by Great Plains Super Lawyers 2019
Seven attorneys from Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., a Des Moines-based law firm, have been selected for the 2019 Great Plains Super Lawyers listing. Only 5% of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. The Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5% of attorneys in each state. See the
complete list
of Ahlers & Cooney, P.C.'s Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
BrownWinick Law Firm and Two Attorneys Listed in Chambers USA 2019 - High Net Worth Guide
BrownWinick has been ranked as a “leading law firm” in Chambers USA® 2019 - High Net Worth Guide in the area of Private Wealth Law. Two attorneys from BrownWinick were selected for inclusion in Chambers USA® 2019 as “notable practitioners” in the Private Wealth Law–
Paul Carey
and
Robert Hodges
. Objective, independent and research-based, the Chambers USA® 2019 - High Net Worth Guide recognizes the world's leading high net worth advisers. Read the
full news release
.
Storey Kenworthy Foundation for Giving Accepting Grant Applications
The Storey Kenworthy Foundation for Giving is accepting grant applications from qualified non-profit organizations through August 31, 2019. Five $5,000 grants will be awarded to selected non-profits whose programming aligns with Storey Kenworthy’s core giving priorities: Children & Education, Honoring Heroes, and Medical Research & Family Support.
Learn more
and download a grant application.
Iowa’s Agricultural Innovators to Speak at TechTalk in Sheffield
Entrepreneurs in Iowa are using technology to solve big problems in one of the world’s most important industries: agriculture. Join TechTalk: Innovations in AgTech for a founder’s panel covering how advanced nutrition, algorithms and drones are creating jobs in Iowa while bringing tech-enabled solutions to the farm. The event is
August 16, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Sukup Manufacturing Co. in Sheffield. Register at
http://bit.ly/AgTechTalk.
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