Legislative News
Elected Officials Recognize Manufacturing Day
The official celebration of Manufacturing Day was Friday, Oct. 6. President Trump signed a proclamation, and many manufacturers nationwide opened up their doors for tours and educational meetings with students, elected officials and their communities. Many Iowa companies and elected officials at all levels participated in the day. ABI member company Hormel Foods held an event with Gov. Reynolds at Burke Foods Corporation in Nevada. Burke Foods recently announced a large expansion that will bring more than 200 new jobs to the state. Also at the event were Sen. Annette Sweeney and Reps. Dave Deyoe and Rob Bacon. To see other events held in Iowa and around the country, go to www.mfgday.com for more information.

Administrative Rules Committee Meets
In the last two years, ABI has commented on dozens of proposed rules and reviewed thousands of pages of administrative bulletins. This in-depth policy analysis is another benefit of your ABI membership. This week, Jessica Hyland and Brad Hartkopf attended the Administrative Rules Review Committee meeting.  Meeting highlights included...Keep reading.

Fundraising Deadline is SUNDAY
If you've been waiting for the right time to contribute to ABI's PAC, don't wait any longer. We only have three days until the next reporting deadline! At this point in the election season, we need to put your resources to work. The IIPAC board has  endorsed 71 candidates for statewide and legislative office and supported candidates with more than $59,000 in contributions. However, some of ABI's most vocal pro-jobs candidates are on the defense. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being poured into legislative races to roll back the great progress that has been made in the last two years. We need your help now. Please consider a personal contribution to the ABI PAC. Every dollar helps.  Contribute now and read more about the success of ABI's PAC and why it matters to you.
Registration Open: Annual Legislative Briefing and Reception
Elections will be held in less than one month, and no matter the outcome, there will be several new faces in the Iowa Legislature in 2019! If you're interested in meeting new legislators early in the legislative session--and networking with state officials and other business leaders--then you will want to sign up for the 2019 Legislative Briefing and Reception. Registration is now open for the Jan. 16 event. We listened to feedback from attendees, and the event will be held at a new venue, the Community Choice Credit Union Events Center. Click here to take advantage of the early-bird registration discount!
Early Voting Begins
Early voting in person began Monday with individuals heading to county auditors' offices in advance of the Nov. 6 election. County election officials also began sending out absentee ballots that had been requested by Iowans since earlier this fall. As a reminder, you can vote in person between now and Nov. 5. You may also request an absentee ballot by mail until Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. The voter identification law was changed in 2017, and the easiest way to vote will be with a valid form of ID. However, the 2018 election still provides you with the opportunity to vote without identification. For more information about voter ID, click here . Don't forget about the one-stop IAVotes.com election center and Get Out the Vote video you can share with colleagues and friends!

Empower Rural Iowa Task Force Meetings Continue
This week, ABI members and staff traveled the state to learn more about opportunities to invest and revitalize rural Iowa. Monday, the Connecting Rural Iowa Task Force met to discuss rural broadband and to hear from speakers about different ideas and initiatives that could help spur investment in this critical infrastructure, including the state broadband grant program and a new federal E-connectivity program, which is scheduled to be rolled out in the near future. A legislative panel and task force members also discussed obstacles and opportunities when it comes to full and sustainable funding of rural broadband. Brad Hartkopf of the ABI public policy team attended the daylong meeting and had the opportunity to speak with Sens. Kinney and Shipley. Keep reading.

Federal Spotlight: E-15 Announcement
On Tuesday in Council Bluffs, President Trump announced he will direct the EPA to do rulemaking to allow the sale of E-15 fuel with a higher ethanol blend to be sold year round. Currently, E-15 sales are banned in the summer months due to concerns over smog. This change, along with the recent announcement of the USMCA trade agreement, could help Republican prospects in the November election with rural voters. Congressman David Young, Gov. Reynolds and several legislators were at the rally with President Trump Tuesday evening. The governor issued a statement on Monday evening in advance of President Trump's announcement stating her appreciation for his decision "that will bring greater stability to the ag economy." You can read the full statement here .
From the Desk of...
Top Reasons to Integrate Your 401(k) Plan with Your Payroll Provider

Jennifer Ready
Vice President, Retirement Plan Services
HK Financial Services

Combining your 401(k) plan administration with your payroll provider might sound like putting all of your eggs into one basket, but there are some true benefits to administrators for integrating support for these two functions. Anyone who works with 401(k) plans knows there are strict compliance requirements to managing a plan. Not only are there reporting requirements, but the timing of everything that makes a 401(k) plan run smoothly, is also critically important.

Payroll impacts your entire employee base, and the 401(k) plan will eventually impact your entire employee base once employees meet your plan's eligibility requirements. Just think if you could supply all of the census information once, and your payroll provider could in turn relay the same information to your 401(k) recordkeeper, how much time would that save you to focus on your core business? It seems pretty simple, but here are the top four reasons to integrate your 401(k) plan administration with your payroll provider. Keep reading
Top News
John DeVries to Receive Inaugural Ivy Award from ISU's Ivy College of Business
Former ABI Chair John DeVries will receive the inaugural Ivy Award from Iowa State University's Ivy College of Business on Oct. 26. The award is presented  to an individual, family or organization in recognition of their exceptional career achievements and service to the college.  Read the news release for information on the awards ceremony, as well to learn about DeVries' exceptional accomplishments.
Honkamp Krueger Acquires Des Moines CPA Firm Short & Company
On Oct. 1, Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. (HK), a Top 100 CPA and business consulting firm in the U.S., acquired greater Des Moines area firm, Short & Company, CPA, P.L.C. 
HK is the largest Iowa-based CPA firm, and its headquarters is in Dubuque.  This is HK's first time in the Des Moines market on the CPA side with a physical location , joining their wealth management firm, HK Financial Services and human capital management affiliate, Kabel Business Services. Read the news release.

UEA in Waverly to Host Manufacturing Night for Parents and Students on Oct. 30
UEA in Waverly will host a manufacturing night for parents and students (grades 8-12), Oct. 30, at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the program begins at 5 p.m. Learn about careers in manufacturing and tour manufacturing facilities in Waverly. Bus transportation to facility tours, along with pizza and drinks, will be provided.  Seniors attending are eligible to win scholarships provided by GMT Corporation, TDS Automation and UEA.  RSVP by Oct. 16  at http://bit.ly/MFGNIGHT.  

R&R Realty Group Wins Two Awards at 2018 Iowa Commercial Real Estate Expo
R&R Realty Group (R&R) won two awards at the 2018 Iowa Commercial Real Estate Expo on Oct. 2. Adam Kaduce received the 2018 Broker of the Year Award. Adam was nominated by Paul Rupprecht, president of R&R Real Estate Advisors, who called out his 27 completed deals in 2017 and his extensive community involvement in the nomination letter.  Brittany Freund received the 2018 Deal of the Year (under $5 million) Award for her work finding Yesway convenience stores a new space for their corporate headquarters. Read the news release.

R&R Realty Group Cuts Ribbon on Future in Omaha
More news from R&R...The realty group cut the ribbon Tuesday on its first building in the Omaha area. Warehouse 1, located at the intersections of Gold Coast Road and Highway 50, is the first warehouse building in the 80-acre business park.  At 250,000 square feet, this speculative warehouse is the largest of its kind in the area. Three more buildings are planned within R&R Commerce Park for a total of more than 1,000,000 square feet. Each of the park's buildings will be designed to meet the needs of modern warehouse users with features like 32-foot ceiling heights and an ESFR fire suppression system.
Governor's Club Sponsors