MAY 2018 May 11th
May 18th
May 14th
Monthly Breakfast Meeting
Sales Roundtable
Insight Sporting Clay Shoot!
Keeping Your Confidence Level High
Dr. Bill Mitchell Foxconn
Inside This Issue:
HIRSCHFELD: 7 CHALLENGES TO GROW INTO A BETTER LEADER
KITTLE: SPARKS FLY AT U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DEBATE
NORTHWOODS TEAM: 6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE REDESIGNING YOUR B2B WEBSITE
Networking matters
At AT&T, we know that making connections is critical to success. In Wisconsin and across the nation, we link businesses with their customers and the world through our wireless network with access to the nation’s largest Wi-fi network. It’s just another way we help our customers stay connected. AT&T is proud to support the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin.
© 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
IBAW thanks AT&T for it’s continued sponsorship.
MEDIA LINK Executive Director Steve Kohlmann
Jeff Hoffman of The Boerke Company and IBAW Board Member gives an overview of Q1 Industrial Activity
Jeff Hoffman: Q1 2018 Industrial Overview
President Dan Hansen Secretary Charles Fry Baird Treasurer Tony Palmen Sikich Directors Jim Leef ITU AbsorbTech Ann Barry Hanneman Von Briesen Law Office
Watch the video here.
John Weber Hypneumat Jeff Hoffman Boerke Co. Lisa Mauer Rickert Industries Tom Boelkow BSI Design, Build, Furnish Robert Gross Gross Automation Scott Seroka Seroka Brand Development Tom Parks Annex Wealth Management Jake Hansen Jacsten Holding Scott Hirschfeld CTaccess
IBAW Mission: To advance business prosperity through insightful programming, executive networking and member-driven public policy and advocacy.
Sporting Clay Shoot Friday, May 11, 2018
11:30 am - 4:00 pm
4th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot! Join the IBAW for an afternoon of fun and fellowship at our 4th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot at the Waukesha Gun Club. Come by yourself or bring your business associates. Gather up a team of 4 and there's special sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Steve Kohlmann for details. Your fee includes: - Shooting time & shells - Big lunch buffet - 2 drink tickets per person - Special networking afterparty - Door Prize Drawing Ticket Registration is now open! For more information or to register, click here.
New s Shooter e! Welcom
Sporting Clay Anticipation Steve Kohlmann, IBAW Executive Director This past weekend was truly a glorious spring weekend. Clear blue skies, temperatures were in the mid 50’s and the grass was starting to tinge green. Robins were in my yard pulling up worms and gathering nesting material. And while the wind was out of the east creating a bit of lake chill, there was no denying spring was on its way. So yesterday afternoon I pulled out a lawn chair and set it in front of the garage to sit and soak up some sun. Sue joined me a few minutes later, we sat there enjoying the sunshine. A few minutes later my neighbor, Steve, came home, saw us and brought his chair over and joined us. I went inside to get some beers. Fifteen minutes later Steve’s wife, Jayne, came home and also joined us. For the next hour we sat, drank and enjoyed each other's company, conversation and the warm spring sun. Springtime in Wisconsin. I’m sure to the people passing by we looked goofy sitting in our lawn chairs in the driveway but we didn’t care. It was a nice break from work, weekend activities and the long winter. If life had reset button, it was pressed here. Thinking about this little weekend reset got me thinking about our Sporting Clay Shoot coming up soon (May 11th). We’re in our 4th year of this event and everyone who attends it really seems enjoys it. Just like my little driveway break, the Sporting Clay Shoot is a time to leave work behind for a few short hours, laugh, enjoy each other’s company, have some fun and enjoy life. There’s misconception about this event that you have to be good at shooting or own a shotgun in order to participate and that couldn’t be further from the truth. The first year of this event I was a newbie and I put myself in a group of other newbies under the watchful eye of IBAW member and NRA shotgun guru Bob Gross. Myself and the four other newbies had a blast (pun intended). I think I hit about half of the targets. It was great fun and I still remember what a great time it was. I’m sure if I would have had a business meeting that day I wouldn’t have remember that. We’re closing in on the Sporting Clay event and I would encourage you to sign up for it. I’m sure many of you have a busy calendar but I’m going to ask you to do something radical. I’m going to ask that you reschedule that meeting and come out and enjoy yourself for the afternoon. Make some time for yourself, come out and enjoy the company of your business buddies. If you have a meeting scheduled with someone, pick up the phone and invite them for an afternoon of fun, networking and fellowship. We’re going to have a great BBQ lunch, enjoy a fun afternoon of shooting and wrap up giving away some cool door prizes, eating pizza, drinking a few beers and laughing. Doesn’t that sound better then being at the office for an afternoon? Business is more than just an exchange of goods and services. We often say business is about relationships, this is a great time and place to strengthen business relationships and make new ones. I hope to see you there!
Sales Roundtable Monday, May 14th, 2018 | Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Location: CTaccess, 740 Pilgrim Parkway, Elm Grove
What Are You Doing To Keep Your Confidence Level High? One of the keys to sales is staying motivated and confident so you can continue with high performance sales. But there are times when we feel sales can be a very steep uphill climb. This month Steve Kohlmann will lead a discussion on what to do to stay inspired and motivated. Tips and tactics that will carry you through the rough spots every sales and marketing person experiences. The IBAW Sales Roundtable is a FREE event open only to IBAW members. Presenter...
Steve Kohlmann
IBAW Executive Director
Register at IBAW.com
Independent Business Association of Wisconsin
MONTHLY MEETING
Friday, May 18th Dr. Bill Mitchell A global and economic giant is coming to southeastern Wisconsin...and the United States. The Foxconn footprint is so large it has over $500 billion dollars of cash traveling through it’s entities for payment on a daily basis.
Insight
Who are they? How do they do business? What is their business philosophy? Join us for a morning of introduction and insight with Dr. Bill Mitchell as he introduces you to Foxconn, as their products, services and business philosophy come to Wisconsin...and the United States. Dr. Bill Mitchell is President and CEO of Aguila, a Foxconn company, and a VP of Business Operations for the Foxconn Corporation.
Register at IBAW.com
LOCATION
THE WISCONSIN CLUB 900 W. WISCONSIN AVE. MILWAUKEE
7:00 AM
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
7:30 AM
BREAKFAST & PROGRAM
9:00 AM
PROGRAM ENDS
7 Challenges to Grow into a Better Leader Scott Hirschfeld, CTaccess We are doing many new things at CTaccess, and sometimes it all feels a little overwhelming. I recently had a conversation where we said with a bit of a grin, “We love change, we eat it daily with a spoon. Our favorite breakfast food is change”. Change makes us uncomfortable, but it is necessary for growth. Our purpose is to make it through all of these changes better positioned for growth with improved systems, more solutions to offer our clients, and more people on our team. Sometimes though, I find myself wondering how I personally need to change to lead our team to succeed in a greater way. Too often, it is we as leaders of a group or department or company that are limiting our team. Maybe we are not willing enough to hold others accountable. Or, maybe we are not positive and enthusiastic enough. Whatever the issue, I find myself challenging my leadership in several areas, hopefully for the good! Here Are 7 Ways I am Challenging Myself to Lead Better: 1. Lead with Purpose – I choose to ask myself if fear is my primary motivator when making a decision, or if it is purpose. Often we don’t recognize it, but at our core we are motivated by the negative. We find ourselves saying, “I’m afraid that if…”, without even realizing it. Am I afraid of losing a key team member? Am I afraid of being wrong? Am I afraid of losing a good client? How do these fears motivate me to be less than? Leading with purpose counteracts fear. We can change our outlook by asking ourselves to make decisions based on purpose. One of the hardest things we ever did at CTaccess was to refer existing customers, who were no longer a fit off to another provider, and turn down new business that was not quite a fit for us. Those fears about what would happen if the economy soured, or if we upset a customer would have been easy to embrace. Instead we acted out of purpose. It was in the best interest of those customers to match them with someone who fit their needs better. It was in the best interest of CTaccess to divest that business to make room for more customers who were a fit. This single change ended up creating room for new customers and reducing the stress on our team. Looking back, it was a great decision. 2. Outlaw Sarcasm – Sure, sarcasm can be funny, and it can even be a tool. However, it is often used to cut or deride. “Wow, he really has it together.” “So glad you made it here today.” We all hear comments like these and have probably spoken them. I’m learning that it is better to say what you mean. If you want to express displeasure over someone’s behavior, why not take the time to do it appropriately. If it is not worth having that conversation, then just let it go. Even when sarcasm starts in good fun, it often turns to a harshness, and leads to someone wondering what you really think. As I have often told my children, sarcasm is not a virtue. 3. Encourage x 2 – It is surprising to me how difficult it can be to create a habit of encouraging others. It seems so simple. Compliment someone and then do it again. Tell them they are appreciated. Consistently being an encourager is difficult. It is easy to get caught up in our own world and forget to sincerely express gratitude. It is also easy to express gratitude, but dampen it with a follow up about the next problem or issue. I’m learning to compliment and thank and leave it there. The follow up about the next issue should be a separate discussion. Don’t be the wet blanket, encourage the fire of success! 4. Counter Stress – Often our days are filled with things that can create stress. It seems we are all always asking more of ourselves and more of our teams. At CTaccess, we are in the service business, and when things aren’t going well for a customer, their stress level can be transferred to us. I find that if I let this stress build over the day or even over days, it becomes too much. There are three steps I am working on to counter the stress of the day. First, purposefully disconnect. I purposefully make a mental separation from the day. Sometimes I sit in the car at day end and mentally lay aside the day and pick up my “Dad” hat or “Husband” hat, so that I am present and not consumed by the day. Second, spend time doing something other than work. This could be reading, watching something, spending time with a kid, going outside, playing a game, or anything other than work. Finally, I find great strength in spending time praying or worshipping God, and this truly changes my frame of reference.
5. Embrace Vulnerability – So often we try to act more put together than we feel, or “play bigger than you are”. And, sometimes it is necessary to put on a game face and make it happen. However, there is also great value in being open with others. In his book, ‘Getting Naked’, Patrick Lencioni uses his typical fable telling style to show the value of being open with a prospective client in the buying process. He says, “At its core, naked service boils down to the ability of a service provider to be vulnerable – to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness, and transparency for the good of a client.” In truth isn’t this what we all want. We want to interact with others and with smart leaders who are humble, care about us, and are somewhat transparent, as they strive to lead. How much better is this than the arrogant, self-protecting leader, who is too inwardly focused to really see those around him. 6. Subdue Distraction – Distraction can have multiple meanings, but the kind I am talking about is what dictionary.com defines as “that which distracts, divides the attention, or prevents concentration”. I find that there is an ever-increasing level of distraction during my work day. There are two things about distractions. Some of them are not important and should be ignored. Others are important for a variety of reasons and the goal is to move as many of them as possible into a block of time designated for dealing with them. This is a bit of a balancing act, because often these distractions are attached to people, and even if the distraction is not important, the person is. Much of time management principles are focused on reducing distraction and spending time on purposeful things, but it remains a challenge! 7. Always Think the Best – It is easy to assume that others are thinking the worst in reaction to a situation or something that is going on. This inner narrative goes something like… “Even though he didn’t say it, I bet he is thinking…”, or “I bet she thinks I am lying about this… “. We all know there is little value in thinking this way. It produces nothing good and leaves us with an imagined situation that probably is nothing like we imagined it. How much better to assume the best, even if you are proven wrong. And if you really want to know what is on a person’s mind, how much better to ask a sincere question and listen.
I’m encouraged, as I look at these things to see myself beginning to learn some of them. Leadership certainly is a journey! What are your leadership challenges? Please let us know.
Sparks Fly At End Of First Republican U.S. Senate Candidates Debate Matt Kittle, The MacIver Institute Just in case you missed it, Delafield businessman Kevin Nicholson is a U.S. Marine Corp. veteran who served combat tours in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And state Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) “stood shoulder to shoulder with Gov. (Scott) Walker” in breaking the “stranglehold of public sector unions” during the Act 10 battles of 2011 and was a key player in Wisconsin’s conservative revolution. Of course, anyone who has listened to conservative talk radio in Wisconsin over the past several months is well aware of the key talking points. So are the attendees of Thursday night’s Republican U.S. Senate primary debate – the first between GOP contenders Nicholson and Vukmir. Let’s just say these oft-repeated storylines were hard to miss. The candidates, however, kept things mostly cordial, at least until closing statements. Then, the gloves kind of came off. “My track record, I would look to the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, if you want it. That’s where I’d look first,” Nicholson said. “I know that doesn’t mean that much to certain politicians.” A chorus of boos rose from some in the crowd at the Country Springs Hotel and Waterpark conference room. It was more than an intimation to the state senator’s supporters that Nicholson was talking about Vukmir. “That was a very, very low blow to say that I don’t respect your service,” Vukmir shot back. “I respect your service and I am grateful for your service. I would ask you apologize.” “If it makes you feel better, I feel respected,” Nicholson retorted. Asked whether they supported a fix to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals , or DACA, program, the candidates agreed that America must first fix its porous southern border. Moments before in his closing arguments Nicholson asserted he is the “clearly different” choice, painting himself as an outsider and arguing that Congress doesn’t need another politician – a shot not only at incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), but at Vukmir and her 15 years in the state Legislature. Vukmir poked at Nicholson’s early political days as a Democrat, saying that the veteran will have to “prove his conservative track record.” “We know more about Kevin’s track record as a Democrat than we do as a Republican,” she said. “You can count on me. I’m not changing my stripes.” For much of the debate, however, the candidates trained their fire on ultra-liberal Baldwin and stuck to the issues. The debate, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and moderated by NewsTalk 1130 WISN conservative talk show host Dan O’Donnell, mainly focused on fiscal conservative concerns.
A three-member panel – including AFP Director of Policy Akash Chougule, Dan Caldwell, executive director for Concerned Veterans for America, and UW-Madison political science professor Richard Avramenko – asked the candidates their thoughts on everything from tax reform to immigration to the problems plaguing health care. Asked whether they supported a fix to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals , or DACA, program, the candidates agreed that America must first fix its porous southern border. “We must first build the wall. There can be no discussion of immigration reform until we talk about the wall,” Vukmir said. Nicholson said any reform must be a “sustainable and economically justifiable immigration plan.” Referring to Baldwin, he said any advocate of illegal immigration or “unfettered immigration” based on economic and political motives must be checked by U.S. citizens. In a room of President Donald Trump fans and free-trade advocates alike, a question on tariffs was particularly intriguing. The candidates walked an interesting tightrope on Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum from China, agreeing that the president is trying to level the playing field in what has amounted to a $375 million trade deficit with the Asian economic powerhouse. But worries over a full-blown trade war have made for jittery markets and raised cost concerns from manufacturers at home. As Reuters reported, Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Chief Financial Officer John Olin warned that he expects extra costs from the tariffs “on top of already rising raw materials that we expected at the start of the year.” “That’s going to provide quite a headwind for the company over the next several quarters,” Olin said during HarleyDavidson’s recent conference call with analysts. Vukmir and Nicholson took aim at Baldwin on a very vulnerable area for the incumbent senator: the Tomah VA Medical Center scandal. Asked about offering VA patients the ability to choose private health care options, Nicholson pointed to Baldwin’s failure to act when whistleblowers alerted her office about the opioid crisis going on at the Tomah VA facility. “Let’s remind everybody how she treats people caught up in government health care, and that is the Tomah VA scandal,” said Nicholson, a former member of the state’s veterans affairs board. Baldwin, a universal health care proponent, is a vocal supporter of fellow liberal U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ costly, big-government Medicare for All bill. She has pointed to the VA health care system as a shining example of single-payer health care delivery. On health care, Vukmir called Obamacare “an utter failure.” She agrees with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) that real solutions to the health care quagmire have and will continue to come from the states – and the funding should go there, as well. Neither Nicholson nor Vukmir supports a boost to the federal gas tax to fund the nation’s infrastructure programs. Vukmir said it was a bad idea at the state level when members of her party proposed a tax hike, and she doesn’t see a reason for it at the federal level. “I do not support raising the gas tax,” Nicholson said. “We do not have a revenue collection problem at the federal government.” Thursday’s debate comes a little more than two weeks before the GOP holds its state party convention, deciding whether Vukmir or Nicholson will emerge with the party’s endorsement. The Republican candidates face off at the polls in the Aug. 14 statewide primary. Nicholson has a significant lead over Vukmir in both campaign contributions and spending, but Vukmir says she is leading the contest in grassroots support.
AVAILABLE. TRAINED.
WORKFORCE. Southeast Wisconsin Reentry Employment Expo -Working With Our Neighbors-
COMPATIBLE OCCUPATION SECTORS General Labor Construction Landscape Janitorial Drivers Manufacturing Warehouse Transportation
Marketing Graphic Designer Software Engineers Network Support Specialists
Thursday, May 17, 2018 8:00 am - 4:00 PM Stop in anytime Location: Cousins Center, 3501 S. Lake Drive, Milwaukee Having trouble finding your next employee? Workforce is the #1 concern of business owners throughout the state. This free event will help your business connect with resources that help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully re-enter the workforce. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has dipped below 3% resulting in the lowest recorded unemployment rate in the state’s history. A recent employer survey conducted by Manpower indicated that Wisconsin employers projected one of the highest job growth rates in the nation for 2018 Businesses and HR professionals are invited to this new, no-cost networking event to learn how to successfully employ our previously incarcerated citizens. Agencies preparing exoffenders to succeed in the workplace will be on hand to answer your questions and explain why your business - and your community - will benefit when you hire returning citizens.
Special Guest: Auxiliary Bishop Jeff Haines will welcome morning attendees.
Register at: reentryexpo.eventbrite.com
Contacts: Anne Haines hainesa@archmil.org 262-339-0367 Kenneth Gales Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1923 Sponsored by: - Milwaukee Community Justice Council - Archdiocese of Milwaukee - Office for Urban Ministry - Employ Milwaukee - Milwaukee County Office of African American Affairs - Milwaukee Reentry Council - U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Wisconsin
Flyer donated by
How well does your brand survive the
ENDURANCE TEST?
Branding Scott Seroka, Seroka
I believe that the difference between a sale and a lost opportunity comes down to brand. If you’ve ever wondered how much of an impact brand has on the sales process, I encourage you to look at the customer journey infographic below. You can then ask yourself how well your brand survives the endurance test to make a sale.
The Customer Journey
1 2 3
YOUR PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMER IDENTIFIES A NEED.
CERTAIN BRANDS IMMEDIATELY COME TO MIND.
RESEARCH COMMENCES
Online search Where does your brand appear? What appears? Competing brands relevant to search come to the surface.
Prospect asks trusted peers for recommendations. Does your brand come up in conversation?
4
BRANDS ARE ANALYZED
.com
Website - Your unique value proposition, your brand essence, content, ease of navigation, personality
WHAT KIND OF FIRST IMPRESSION DOES YOUR BRAND GIVE?
Touch point experiences in the pre-sales stage
Social Media - quality and quantity of content
blog
Blogs - communicate competence, experience, industry knowledge Reviews/Testimonials - third parties are most trusted Glassdoor - poor employee scores signal a warning of poor customer service/experiences
How well does your brand meet customer’s buying criteria? Is your brand sales tiebreaker strong enough to position you in first place? Testimonials “Gut” feel of your brand’s ability to help/perform
5
TOP TWO OR THREE BRANDS ARE CONSIDERED.
A phone call or meeting scheduled
$
6
Price is discussed PROPOSAL/ESTIMATE STAGE
Key brand differences, strategies and tactics are evaluated Quality, clarity and content of proposal/estimate is analyzed
7
A BRAND IS SELECTED
Does your product and service delivery perform to expectations? The customer experience will always be under constant scrutiny.
8
REFERRALS, REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS NEARLY 100% DRIVEN BY THE OVERALL BRAND EXPERIENCE.
A brand needs to endure more than we typically think about to make a sale. Those who rely heavily on word of mouth marketing can only make it so far, simply because what may have been a great fit for those who recommend your brand may not necessarily be the best fit for others. And those lost sales opportunities are a problem. Also, if you’re in an over-saturated and highly competitive industry (e.g. banking and insurance), you must consider everything that takes place in the customer journey, as it doesn’t take much for someone to find a reason not to do business with you and explore other options. If building, maintaining and nurturing your brand isn’t your priority, you may want to reconsider.
A Company’s Response to Tax Reform Legislation Jim Brendenburg, Sikich
On December 22, 2017, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (“TCJA”) was signed into law. This was comprehensive tax legislation—the first in over 30 years. The bill was designed to promote economic growth and create jobs; help make U.S. companies more competitive with the rest of the world; provide middle class tax relief; and simplify the tax law. The tax reform bill received much attention as it moved through Congress and continued this publicity after it was enacted. Within days of its passage, businesses across the country announced that they would be paying bonuses to their employees in response to the bill. From several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, businesses were offering bonuses, in part, due to the tax cut they would receive from the lower tax rates included in this legislation. What can companies do and communicate to their employees in response to the tax bill? Should a company fall in step with highly publicized businesses and pay bonuses? Or, should a company hire more employees, or perhaps reinvest into more equipment? Are there other options? Further, what (if anything) should the company discuss with its employees? This article addresses some of these questions and issues. OVERVIEW OF THE TAX BILL The TCJA was one of the most significant pieces of tax legislation in a generation. There were substantive changes that will impact businesses, regardless of their size, in all industries. A centerpiece of the TCJA was a reduction in the tax rate for corporations (“C Corporations”) from 35% down to 21%. This lower tax rate for businesses first applies beginning in 2018. Further, pass-through businesses (Partnerships, S Corporations, and Sole Proprietorships) will also see a reduction in their tax liabilities, although this tax change for pass-through businesses is much more complicated and there are still many uncertainties. Individual taxpayers will also see some tax rate reductions. In addition, the TCJA offered some expanded CapEx deductions of 100% for bonus depreciation and higher Section 179 amounts. For those businesses with foreign operations or holdings, there were wholesale changes with international taxes, some of which apply here in 2018. (Please click here for Sikich articles on a TCJA overview and another on international changes.) PROJECTED TAX IMPACT TO THE COMPANY It is important for a business to determine the impact of tax reform. Before a business can look at paying bonuses to its employees or investing in anything else, it needs to assess what its tax position will be once the new tax law takes full effect. While the lower tax rates noted above should provide some savings for most businesses, this needs to be modeled out. In addition, businesses should evaluate whether there are any tax planning strategies they can implement that could enhance their savings from tax reform even more. This might include perhaps changing entity status from an S Corporation to a C Corporation to take advantage of the new lower tax rates, or re-structuring their business for the new 20% deduction for pass-throughs. We can assist businesses in modeling out these tax changes, as well as in identifying any tax planning opportunities. PROJECTED TAX IMPACT TO THE COMPANY’S EMPLOYEES As indicated above, not only will a business likely see tax savings from the TCJA, but a business’ employees should also probably realize individual tax savings. Again, one of the stated themes of the TCJA was middle class tax relief. There were a number of tax provisions in the bill impacting individuals, with the major changes being a reduction in the individual tax rates and a modification in the tax treatment of itemized deductions. Several itemized deductions were scaled back or eliminated, but the TCJA also made corresponding changes to the standard deduction by nearly doubling it to $24,000 in 2018 for a married couple filing jointly and to $12,000 for a single taxpayer. In addition, the personal and dependent exemption was eliminated for 2018, but the child tax credit was doubled from $1,000 to $2,000.
Most individual taxpayers should see some tax savings under TCJA, but each individual situation is different. Here are two examples illustrating the tax impact of TCJA in 2018: •
•
Example 1. Brad earns $60,000 in his job and has no other sources of income. He files as a single taxpayer; has no dependents; claims the standard deduction; and has no other tax credits or special deductions. In this case, Brad’s federal tax in 2017 would be $8,139, but assuming the same income and facts as for 2017, his tax in 2018 would drop to $6,500—a $1,639 tax reduction (roughly 20%)—as a result of the TCJA. Example 2. Fred and Ethyl earn $110,000 of combined income in their jobs and have no other sources if income. They use married filing jointly status; have two young dependent children aged three and five; claim the standard deduction; and have no other tax credits or special deductions. In this situation, Fred and Ethyl would have a 2017 federal tax of $9,753, but again assuming the same income and facts as in 2017, this tax would drop to $6,799 in 2018—a $2,954 tax savings (approximately 30%)—as a result of the TCJA.
WHAT COMPANIES AND OTHER EMPLOYERS CAN DO REGARDING THE ANTICIPATED EMPLOYEE TAX SAVINGS FROM THE TCJA IN 2018 Employees may see similar tax savings in 2018 (as shown in the examples above) as a result of the TCJA. Rather than wait until they file their 2018 individual tax return next April to grasp these tax savings, the employee may want to adjust their tax withholding now to realize these savings with each paycheck during 2018. They can do this by filing a revised Form W-4 and providing this to their appropriate personnel in the company’s payroll department. Employers can make employees aware of the possible tax savings in 2018 and give them the opportunity to file a new Form W-4. This allows them the opportunity to gain these tax savings earlier in 2018 and not wait until the end of the year. The IRS has recently issued a Form W-4 calculator which can assist employees in determining what changes to make in their Form W-4 (please click here for this Form W-4 calculator from the IRS Website). While businesses and employers can inform employees of the possible tax savings in 2018 and the opportunity to file a revised Form W-4, employees should be encouraged to consult with their tax advisors for the impact in their particular situation. OPTIONS A COMPANY MIGHT CONSIDER WITH ITS TCJA TAX SAVINGS COMPENSATION RELATED. As noted above and publicized in the news, companies can pay bonuses or higher wages to their employees with their TCJA tax savings. But there are other compensation alternatives that might also be worth exploring. For instance, making additional contributions to a company’s 401(k) or other qualified retirement plan. This could provide added retirement benefits for employees. A business could also establish a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain key individuals. In addition, there is a new stock options program that was added by TCJA that is available to all employees (not just certain key employees) and it provides some tax savings and deferral features for covered employees. This new program has some complications and IRS guidance is needed. A combination of these compensation tools could be used, say paying bonuses and making added 401(k) contributions. NON-COMPENSATION RELATED. Companies could also look to grow their business with their TCJA savings. This could include hiring new employees and also buying new machinery and equipment for the business. Or, a company could look to expand by making an acquisition or moving into new geographic areas. Another approach a company could take in trying to add market share might be cutting prices on some of its products with the price reductions funded by the TCJA tax savings. Companies could also look to make financial oriented moves with their tax savings. This could include paying down outstanding debt, which should be analyzed in light of new limitations from the TCJA on deducting interest expense. A company could also direct some of their tax savings in redeeming out some owners, along with evaluating perhaps higher distributions to its stakeholders. So, there are a number of options as to what a company can do with its projected TCJA tax savings. It could focus its efforts on one of these items, or a combination of several of these.
ALSO, WHAT (IF ANYTHING) SHOULD COMPANIES DISCUSS WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES? This is something the ownership and management of each company needs to consider. They should determine what the impact of the TCJA will be on their business and what they plan to do with the tax savings. Once they have made these decisions, they can then determine whether or not they will share these findings with their employees. Businesses generally have a good idea on how news will be received by their employees. But since many businesses have been up front in recent weeks with their plans on paying out bonuses, other businesses may now feel they owe it to their employees to at least address what they plan to do and why. Many employees see and hear what is going around them and are asking how this tax bill may impact them not only individually, but how the company they work for will be impacted. If the company decides to share the news with employees, they next need to determine how best to present the news. Should it be a company-wide meeting? Or, a video message from the company’s president or other top management? Perhaps a well-written company email or memo would suffice? There are different approaches and styles to consider. Remember, even if management decides not to share what its plans are for its TCJA savings, the company can at least address the likely tax savings for its workforce and the need for all employees to review and perhaps adjust their W-4 withholding to realize some tax savings earlier. Further, a company might approach these tax reform efforts in stages: (1) inform employees of the tax changes and opportunities to evaluate their withholding in their Form W-4; and (2) perhaps later what the company intends to do with its tax savings. There are many options for a company to consider. IN SUMMARY Taxes are top of mind for everyone this time of year. Most of the tax changes in the TCJA first take effect for 2018, and businesses and individuals should realize some tax savings. Company management needs to be intentional about determining the anticipated impact of tax relief on their business and what they plan on doing with these savings. Once they have completed this process, they should decide what to share, if anything, with their employees. Whether it’s a bonus; a higher 401(k) contribution; a new major CapEx purchase, or the hiring of several new workers, employees are curious on these matters. As you move through this process, we can help. Please contact your Sikich advisor to assist in evaluating the impact of the TCJA, what to do with these savings, and how to share this message with your employees.
Six Things to Consider Before Redesigning Your B2B Website - Keep These Factors in Mind Before You Talk Colors or Design Rick Fessenbecker & Matthew Karge - Northwoods Web Development
Six Things to Consider Before Redesigning Your B2B Website Keep These Factors in Mind Before You Talk Colors or Design You finally made the decision to redesign your B2B website. Whether by frustration, need, or to get your marketing director off of your back, you relented. But now you are confronted with myriad questions like: What will it look like? How will we keep it up to date? What's this going to cost me? Is this really worth it? A website redesign is like any other project for your business. You need to determine the value of the effort to justify the cost. Here are a few things to consider to help you make this determination. What do you want your website to do? This is quite possibly the simplest, yet most difficult question to answer for most businesses. Ask this question of five staff members in your company, and you'll likely get five different answers. Here are the typical responses we hear: • The website should provide a means to validate that our company is a legitimate organization. • It should be the ultimate sales tool that is always available to sell services and/or products. • It is a way for us to keep the latest information available for our services or products. • The website is another marketing tactic to reach new audiences that we miss through our normal sales efforts. There are plenty of other purposes and your website may serve multiple purposes for different audiences. If you are considering its purpose, you'll be one step closer to a successful project. What is your sales process? The main goal for most businesses is to make money... lots of money! It's important think of your website as an extension of your sales process and how it can play an instrumental role in gaining leads and closing new clients. Countless reports have been released in the past several years that show B2B purchasing behavior has effectively gone online (https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/02/15/b2b-e-commerce-trends-to-take-notice-of-in-2018/ #27c56cdf7339). An overwhelming majority of purchase decisions are highly influenced by looking at a vendor's website before the buyer talks to a representative. Consider how you sell your products and service: • Are your sales consultative? • Consider the moments during your sales calls where you know that you've peaked your prospect's interests. What is the content that distinguishes your value over your competition? In what ways can you apply this to your website? • Are your sales commodity driven?
• Think of the information you need to provide a purchaser to help him/her make a decision to buy. Often this is based on price but think of the other areas where your products may have greater value. What other attributes set apart your products from the rest and how can you put this on your website? • Are your sales contract based? • If you are a contract-based company, such as a manufacturer, more often than not, your prospects are interested in what you can and cannot do. Think of what information your prospects typically need like capabilities, materials, or other things that set you apart. The stronger the case you can build about your services and/or products, the better the opportunity of getting a lead from your website. Users go where they find good content. Provide it to them. If you consider your sales process and what peaks your prospect's interests, you'll be one step closer to building a successful website. What do your competitors do better than you? This is sound business and sales strategy that should also translate on your website. Look at the ways your competition promotes its services and products online. There are a number of free tools available to help you determine how your competitors get website traffic. Tools like Similar Web (https://www.similarweb.com) and SEM Rush (https:// www.semrush.com) can provide data that attributes the sources of where your competitors get their traffic and the types of keywords they use to rank on search engines. The baseline goal for your website redesign should be to level the digital playing field with your competition. Once you know what your competition is doing to set themselves apart, match it and then blow them out of the water! What are you comfortable doing long term? B2B websites that have a content strategy are more likely to bring a return on their investment than those without. Content strategies, while important, can also take up a lot of time. The very last thing you want to do is to set yourself up for failure. It is vital to consider your limitations. Ask yourself the following questions: • How much time can I comfortably dedicate to my website each week? • Do I enjoy writing or is it a chore? Is there anyone on my staff that is considered a writer? • How active am I on social media? Do I even care about social media? You shouldn't commit to writing a blog every day if you have a tepid response to everything digital. Know your limitations and only commit to what you can comfortably do and find help for everything else. What do your Users want from your website? Users typically come to your website with two questions in mind, "What do I want to do?" and "Can I do it here?" It's important to anticipate these questions so that you can redesign your B2B website with answers that readily and directly respond to them in clear language. User are more likely to stay, return, and convert when they instantly understand what they can do on your website. Think about the ways you can describe your business, products, and/or services in the most concise, least marketing mushy way possible. Consider what your users will want so that you can set the hook toward a sale. What is the value of your website? We live in a time where a digital presence is almost as important as a physical presence. Case in point, if a user cannot find your business online or gets no value in the content of your website, s/he is likely to find another. What value can you assess to that lost potential customer?
Simply put, businesses that value their website are more likely to create better content and, in turn, achieve higher levels of success in finding new leads and potential business. In Closing This is just a starter list of things to consider when you are ready to redesign your website. If you take the above considerations to heart, you'll be much further along than most businesses who start the redesign process.
Authors
Rick Fessenbecker is a Founding Member and Managing Director of Northwoods. Rick oversees the business development team and is a key resource for many long-term clients. Rick has been involved in website strategy and new customer acquisition for over 15 years.
Matthew Karge is a Business Development Manager at Northwoods. He's always happy to meet over a cup of coffee to listen to your needs and serve as a resource to help you succeed.
President’s Circle IBAW / DALE CARNEGIE PRESIDENTS CIRCLE A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR CEOs, PRESIDENTS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS
As the CEO, President, or Owner you are asked to produce more results with fewer resources, meet and exceed competition, innovate and motivate. This creates very difficult teams and leadership challenges. Leaders must encourage teamwork, bottom-up idea generation, alignment, loyalty and above all commitment. Rather than direct and dictate, leaders must inspire and motivate!
The Presidents Circle: The IBAW and Dale Carnegie Training have developed an exclusive Leadership program for IBAW members only. The Presidents Circle combines peer group engagement and highly targeted executive Dale Carnegie Training among peers to help you achieve significant results. These results will be achieved by providing insights, peer challenges, and developing leadership skills which are aligned with your organization and which will help drive agendas. By combining corporate mission, vision and values with our unique methodology employees will begin supporting a world they helped create.Ultimately, the only sustainable competitive advantage is the innovation, motivation, and creativity of the employees of an organization. Establishing a strong leadership culture provides the environment where innovation and creativity can flourish.
Program Specifics: • • • •
Meetings with other IBAW CEOs/Presidents/Business Owners 10 monthly meetings Dale Carnegie Executive Leadership Training workshop each session. Round Table Issues Discussed and Resolved
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Guided Yearly planning Accountability among peers. Business Results
The President’s Circle will help you achieve results by: • • •
Providing training among peers Creating and sustaining change initiatives Ensure continuous improvement and bottom-line impact
• • • • •
Align the organization behind a common vision Develop a habit of fact-based decision making at every level. Strengthen and implement strategic planning Create a value based culture to ensure loyalty Build energy and trust up and down the organization to insure customer loyalty.
Program Leader: Steve Bobowski
“Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.” -Dale Carnegie
Commitments: • Attend meetings • No cost for meetings, a benefit of IBAW membership •
Referrals or 3 enrollments
This program is now forming and is limited in the number which can attend. For more information, contact Program Leader Steve Bobowski by clicking here.
Tax Reform and its Impact on the Small Business Environment Ray Keating, Chief Economist, SBE Council, Washington D.C.
Small business confidence remains high, and pro-growth policy changes on the tax and regulatory fronts have a lot to do with that optimism. Consider, for example, the Vistage CEO Confidence Index (Q1 2018) from small and mid-size CEOs. The Index finds confidence remains very high, although it slipped a bit at the end of the first quarter. According to the survey results: “SMB CEOs are optimistic about the growth prospects of their own businesses. The majority of CEOs (79%) expect their company’s revenues will grow in the next 12 months. This is close to the record peak (83%) recorded last quarter. Twothirds of CEOs (66%) also anticipate increased profits, which is nearly equal to last quarter’s peak record of 67%.” The most recent NFIB Index also shows continued strong optimism. According to the report: “The 104.7 March reading, down from 107.6 in February, remains among the highest in survey history and for the first time since 1982, taxes received the fewest number of votes as the number one problem. Taxes as the number one problem has declined since November 2017, the month before the tax bill passed, from 22 percent to 13 percent in March.” Given the ongoing debate over the tax law, it pays to provide a quick reminder of key reforms positively impacting small businesses and, therefore, the economy. For example, the corporate income tax rate was cut from 35 percent to 21 percent. This lower corporate tax rate is a direct benefit for the small businesses, since most C-Corps are small firms, with 86 percent of C-Corp employer firms having less than 20 employees; 96.7 percent less than 100 workers; and 99.1 percent fewer than 500 workers. Also, pass-through enterprises – S-Corps, LLCs, partnership and sole proprietorships – experienced a cut in the top personal income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 29.6 percent, thanks to a 20-percent deduction. While there are some limitations on this (such as phasing out at higher incomes for certain services, and there are measures to distinguish between individual wage income and business income), it was a clear plus for small businesses. In addition, expensing of certain investments, such as machinery and equipment, is allowed for five years for all businesses, and then phased down over the following five years. Meanwhile, small business Section 179 expensing was expanded, increasing the cap from $500,000 to $1 million and the phase-out level from $2 million to $2.5 million. For good measure, the corporate alternative minimum tax was eliminated; the use of cash accounting was expanded; the ObamaCare individual mandate is repealed in 2019; and the exemption level of $5.6 million was doubled. All of these rank as positives for small businesses, increasing resources and incentives for business investment and growth. Act II on Tax Reform and Relief Looking ahead, of course, there is more that needs to be done on the tax reform front, such as improving and making the lower rates for pass-through businesses permanent, moving the top individual rate to a much lower one, and expanding expensing to all businesses and making it permanent. The capital gains tax either needs to be eliminated or cut from 23.8 percent to, at most, 15 percent (where it was from 2003 to 2012); and the death tax needs to be terminated. Indeed, it’s important that the Trump administration and Congress stay focused on continuing tax and regulatory relief efforts. SBE Council’s agenda for tax reform and modernization includes a host of ideas, which also highlights an important bipartisan bill – the Small Business Tax Simplification Act (H.R. 3717) that makes common sense changes and long overdue tweaks to improve the tax system for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. _______ Raymond J. Keating is chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. Keating’s latest book published by SBE Council is titled Unleashing Small Business Through IP: The Role of Intellectual Property in Driving Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment and it is available free on SBE Council’s website here.
Staff Retention Steve Bobowski, Dale Carnegie
There are many managers who are experiencing employee retention in this ever-changing business world. Retaining employee is vital part of a business well-being and triumph. Here are few suggestions that will save you talented employees and capital: " Support employees in building strong skill sets • " " Employees tend to lose interest of the projects when they lose visibility or the learning curb is slow. You can put a stop to this by building both their technical abilities and transferable skills (communication, confidence, leadership, and people skills). By taking this holistic approach to employee development you can create an engaging environment. • Prepare employees for, and support them during, times of transition Transition during a person’s personal and professional life can be intricate. In this way making connection with your employee by helping employees prepare for job and role transitions, supporting them during the transition, and then recognizing their successes in the situation, organizations can strengthen their engagement with the team and their willingness to help others during their times of transition. • Foster a sense of ownership within employees Allowing employees to contribute to plans, activities, and outcomes can demonstrate a great deal of engagement within employees. Ultimately, this will lead them to take ownership of their projects and fully engage in providing successful outcomes consistently. • Help employees see the link between current efforts and future opportunities " If the task seem insignificant to the employee, manager must clearly explain to the employees how their work supports positive results of more strategic nature. Clarifying the line of sight between their work and the larger initiatives of the organization directs more engagement and retention of employees.
President's Circle Leadership Group Friday, May 4th, 2017 | Time: 8:00 am - 11:30 am Location: Dale Carnegie Offices, 10909 W. Greenfield Ave. Suite 207 (Tri City Bank Building) As the CEO, President, or Owner you are asked to produce more results with fewer resources, meet and exceed competition, innovate and motivate. This creates very difficult teams and leadership challenges. Leaders must encourage teamwork, bottomup idea generation, alignment, loyalty and above all commitment.
Register Now
: S E L A S
2nd Monday of the Month SALES ROUNDTABLE 7:30 am - 9:00 am Free & open to IBAW members only Register at IBAW.com
Sales can be a tough road of ups, downs, potholes and a few bumps. But it can also be fast paced, exhilarating and rewarding. If you’re in sales, you know there are things only other sales people understand; the thrill of scoring the big account, the uncertainty of “let me think about that.”, the frustration of phone calls or emails that don’t get returned. IBAW’s Sales Roundtable is a support and knowledge resource for sales professionals, business owners, marketing and branding experts who are charged with driving sales. Join us to discuss the strategy, tactics, inspiration, and motivation to increase sales. It’s a FREE benefit of your membership! Who should attend: • Sales professionals of any level. • Business owners • Sales Managers • Marketing & P.R. Professionals
“For many years I ran sales meetings for as few as 3 and as many as 22 sales rep’s now I can go as a participant once a month to IBAW’s Sales Roundtable.
BONUS! Join the IBAW Sales Roundtable and get a compact disc with the BEST in Sales Survival Music. Play it to pump you up before that big meeting or to console you if you hit a sales slump. Guaranteed to make life better.
It’s a focused meeting and everyone wants the same thing – to be more effective at selling.” - Jerry Wick, CEO, Custom Data Too Mail
IBAW Public Policy Committee Hosts Legislative Roundtable in Brookfield
On the afternoon of Thursday, January 25th, the IBAW Public Policy Committee hosted a Legislative Roundtable featuring Senator Lena Taylor, Senator Chris Kapenga, Representative Rob Hutton and Representative Dale Kooyenga, held at the offices of Sikich in Brookfield. Welfare reform, excessive business regulations and the ever increasing shortage of a competent workforce were the main concerns of business owners. Additionally, the topic of the present state of the city of Milwaukee - crime, unemployment and the state of Milwaukee Public Schools, became quite heated at times. Look for more Roundtables discussions by the Public Policy Committee in the future.
IBAW is on an upward trend of growth and we are actively recruiting businesses just like yours to join! When you join IBAW your entire company is a member - anyone from your team can attend our fine educational and networking events. Help yourself, your business AND your Team Members. Come on in...we’re open for business!
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2018 Membership Committee
Jake Hansen Jacsten Holdings
Charles Fry Robert W. Baird
Mike Poludniak Merrill Lynch
Dan Hansen
Tom Parks Annex Wealth Mgt.
Legislative Fix Moving Ahead for Wisconsin’s New Manufacturing & Agricultural Credit Jim Brandenburg, CPA, MST - Sikich LLP
In IBAW meetings and publications in recent years we have introduced you to Wisconsin’s new tax incentive - the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (referred to as the “MAC”). The MAC came about in 2011 to provide an incentive for Wisconsin manufacturers and agricultural companies to remain and grow here, and also perhaps to have out-of-state companies move here. It was scheduled to begin in 2013, and when fully phased-in by 2016 it would essentially exempt any Wisconsin manufacturing and agricultural income from Wisconsin income tax. The MAC was championed by Representative Dale Kooyenga and Senator Glenn Grothman in the legislature.
Magazine Content Needed Consider Submitting an Article!
The MAC, however, had some problems for individual taxpayers when it was drafted and this glitch was recently identified. Here is the issue in a nutshell: the MAC would reduce a taxpayer’s Wisconsin individual income tax, but then would trigger a Wisconsin minimum tax for nearly the same amount. Thus, there may be little, if any, net savings for the MAC in 2013 (a “MAC Attack?”). The legislature is trying to remedy this situation now so that taxpayers can realize the proper tax savings with the MAC on their 2013 Wisconsin individual tax returns.
The IBAW magazine is in need of content, we rely on our members and sponsors to supply us informative articles. The digital magazine is sent out to over 650 contacts statewide and the magazine is parked on the web where, on average, it gets over 1100 views.
Legislative Update: It seems that all key legislative leaders are now on board to correct this issue. It was approved by the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee last week. The Senate and Assembly will be in session in March and voting on final passage for several bills, one of which is this tax bill with the MAC correction. It looks like the legislative timetable will have the bill passed near the middle of the March, before going to the Governor. Thus, a best guess now is that the bill would be enacted into law somewhere in the latter half of March, 2014. MAC Attack Options: For any of our individual taxpayers taking advantage of the MAC, this may present some filings logistics. Here are the possibilities:
1. Best case scenario - in some cases the taxpayer’s share of the MAC for 2013 will be used and not result in a Wisconsin Minimum Tax. A taxpayer in this situation could go ahead and claim the MAC and file their 2013 Wisconsin individual return. There would be no need to wait for the legislation to pass.
Consider writing an article on a timely business related topic to your particular field of business. This is an outstanding opportunity for you and your company to gain exposure and increase your brand awareness to a statewide audience. There is no cost to submitting an article.
2. Next, a taxpayer has generated a MAC for 2013, but it will trigger a Wisconsin Minimum Tax. The taxpayer in this case could wait until the law is changed (and then wait a little for the WDR to update its computer processing systems) and then file their Wisconsin tax return and claim the MAC, and not incur the Wisconsin Minimum Tax. This could present a tight timeline for the April 15 deadline, and you may need to file for an extension.
3. Similar case as #2, but this taxpayer could file their Wisconsin individual return with the MAC, but also incur and pay a Wisconsin Minimum Tax for 2013. Then, once the corrective law is enacted go back and file an amended 2013 Wisconsin tax return to obtain the proper tax benefit of the MAC. You would not need extend, but you would need to amend. We’ll keep you posted as this legislation moves forward. If you have any questions, please contact Jim Brandenburg or Brian Kelley at Sikich, LLP in Brookfield (262)754-9400.
Contact Steve Kohlmann for details.
Articles submitted by our members & sponsors.
Welcome New IBAW Members!
Meeting Recaps 2014 Wisconsin Manufacturing Knowledge Summit
Power Test
On June 20, 2014 the IBAW partnered with the Tool, Die & Machining Association of Wisconsin (TDMAW) to offer Wisconsin manufacturers and their suppliers a unique look at trends within the industry and to also report on some of the challenges the industry faces in the next 5 years.
Power Test, Inc. is an industry leader in the design, manufacture and implementation of dynamometers and control systems.
Special thanks to the event sponsor, First Business Bank for their efforts in helping organize this event.
For more than 37 years, Power Test has provided specialized test equipment to manufacturers, rebuilding facilities and distributors globally. Our products can be found in use at these facilities in nearly 100 countries on six continents.
Chris Halaska
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Our headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Sussex, WI with sales representatives worldwide. Our unparalleled customer service is well known throughout the industry. Power Test employs a dedicated staff of talented machinists, fabricators, electronic technicians, assemblers, designers, engineers, software developers, and administrative and customer service personnel. Our exceptional product life and excellent customer service is well known throughout the industry and has made us one of the industryleading dynamometer manufacturers. Our dedication to the customer and to the advances in powertrain component testing keep us there.
Power Test N60 W22700 Silver Spring Drive Sussex, WI 53089 Phone: 262-252-4301
4 Advanced Waste Services Advanced Waste Services is an environmental services company that provides wastewater recycling and other waste and risk elimination services to manufacturers in all industries. Each day, AWS helps hundreds of businesses, both large and small, meet their community and environmental obligations. Annually, we collect, treat and recycle more than 50 million gallons of contaminated wastewater into clean, reusable water and other valuable resources like fuel, steam and electricity. AWS is constantly helping our clients manage, reinvent and improve their sustainability successes. For example, we recently partnered with Forest County Advanced Waste Services Potawatomi Community to help Wisconsin food and beverage manufacturers convert 1126 South 76th Street food waste into clean, green renewable energy. Suite N408B West Allis, WI 53214 Founded in 1993, AWS employs 55 people in the Milwaukee area and a total of 150 people companywide in 5 states. 414-847-7100
Photo Key 1: A full house in the main ballroom of the Wisconsin Club as IBAW & TDMAW members prepare to hear about the state of manufacturing and the challenges the industry faces in the workforce.
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2: David Vetta of First Business Bank delivers opening remarks and highlights the importance of a strong relationship between banking and manufacturing working together for success. 3: New IBAW President, John Weber of Hypneumat addresses the change in IBAW Bylaws and calls for voting in new board officers. 4: Kent Lorenz of Acieta gives the main presentation on “Manufacturing Matters” pointing out the trends on manufacturing now and what to expect in the future. 5: Outgoing IBAW President, Steve Van Lieshout receives his award for his efforts as 2013 - 2014.
6 Photos courtesy of Tim Townsend.
6: IBAW Executive Director, Steve Kohlmann (Left) presents David Drumel with an award for his service on the IBAW board.
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THERE’S ROOM AT THE TABLE
As an advocate for small business, the IBAW offers intimate meetings on relevant topics such as Leadership, HR, Sales, and Political Issues. Business Leaders...Leading Business
Join us. “...the sales round table was very informative, Judson will be renewing our membership in the IBAW. Thank you and I look forward to more roundtables!” Dominic Misasi, Judson and Associates s.c.
“ I almost always come away from an IBAW meeting with useable material that helps me with my business. Many times, a speaker will give me something that applies to ITU AbsorbTech. Other times, it is a conversation over breakfast that gives me value.” Jim Leef, President & CEO, ITU AbsorbTech
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