About Us - Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation

The Iowa ABI Foundation, established in 1984 as a 501 (c)(3) organization, has worked diligently to reach students, teachers, and communities across the entire state of Iowa and has the good fortune of well-respected, successful programming. Today, the Foundation helps develop Iowa’s workforce and leaders through statewide programs such as Business Horizons, Leadership Iowa University, Young Professionals of Iowa, Leadership Iowa, and various workforce development initiatives. The ABI Foundation was created by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, an association of over 1,400 Iowa businesses and representing over 300,000 employees in Iowa.

Mission Statement
To deliver programs and to conduct research for the benefit of students, educators, emerging leaders, and employers that expand their knowledge and enhance their individual responsibility and leadership skills.

Accomplishments
The numbers speak for themselves when we mention the impact of our programming:

Leadership Iowa – 30 years – more than 900 alumni
Business Horizons – 28 years – more than 5,000 graduates
Leadership Iowa University – 3 years – 60 graduates
Young Professionals of Iowa – a resource for more than 120 YPOs
School-to-Work – 11 years – impacting nearly 200,000 students
Educator/Administrator Institutes – 10 years – 800+ teachers and administrators

There are untold thousands more in the state that benefit directly when teachers and administrators modify their districts’ curriculum to reflect the new skills students will need to develop to be successful in today’s workforce. Our Leadership Iowa graduates return to their communities to take active roles, affecting untold thousands. Our Business Horizons students come away with a newfound appreciation and understanding of business and what Iowa has to offer by way of career and business opportunities. Our Business Horizons post-session evaluations reveal an eagerness of our students to not only stay in Iowa after graduation, but, also pursue a business education in college.