When people talk, Frank Luntz listens. And then Luntz discusses what he heard and what he wishes had been spoken — and many powerful and influential people pay close attention.

Luntz is a top political pollster and communications professional. But he delivers his message in a very "common man and woman" sense. In fact, when I had a chance to interview him for our BizVoice magazine about 18 months ago, he was munching on a salad after contributing to the state’s economy by dropping a few dollars in one of our riverboats. He said he never could have imagined the opportunities he has had, but then quickly demonstrates why world political leaders and many more have called upon his services.

Luntz returns to Indiana on February 16. An Evening With Frank Luntz, a special dinner program, follows the Indiana Chamber’s annual Legislative Reception. Both are at the Westin in downtown Indianapolis. Luntz’s latest bestseller — What Americans Really Want … Really: The Truth About Our Hopes, Dreams and Fears – will be one of the topics, but expect much more. You won’t be disappointed. Order your tickets or tables today.

Despite a tumultuous 2009, the potential for growth in the dairy industry remains in foreign markets. Those are the findings of a study released by the National Milk Producers Federation.

Overcapacity and federal bailouts came into play last year. And while some see that as a signal to retreat or focus on supply management, industry leaders say that is not a long-term solution.

"It’s our future," said Connie Tipton, CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association.

The study, conducted by Bain & Company, "called for the industry to focus on the needs of foreign customers and start a collective effort to reform the milk marketing order and price support systems to address volatility in prices."

According to published reports:

The U.S. dairy industry’s market remains largely domestic, but exports have been rising in recent years. In 2008, dairy prices soared while the amount of U.S. milk production exported rose to a record 10.8 percent, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

But in 2009 exports "dropped like a rock," as Tipton put it, and prices plummeted. The federal government intervened in an attempt to stave off dairy farm bankruptcies. Since then, some dairy farm leaders have said dependence on exports led to greater instability for the industry and should not be encouraged.

Clinton Anderson, who conducted the study, said domestic consumption "will always be the most important part of our business," but noted that dairy demand per person is not growing in the United States, and the only potential for growth appears to be abroad.

Anderson said demand for dairy products will grow more quickly than supply as developing countries become richer. The U.S. dairy industry has the potential to increase sales in China and South Asia in particular, he added, but probably not in India because the industry there is so localized.

The traditional exporters — the European Union, Australia and New Zealand — will not be able to satisfy the growing demand, which gives the United States the opportunity in the next 15 years to gain a bigger share of the growing export market, he said. He also urged the industry to move quickly because Brazil, Ukraine and Belarus are likely to become highly competitive due to their low-cost suppliers.

The industry should be applauded for this forward-thinking approach. Ignoring the global marketplace and concentrating only on the needs of today will not, no matter the type of business, be a formula for success.

Allied Physicians Surgery Center (an Indiana Chamber member in South Bend) is currently celebrating a couple of major landmarks. The physician-owned, multi-specialty ambulatory surgery center celebrated its 100,000th case last month, and will reach its 10th anniversary this Valentine’s Day.

"Reaching 100,000 cases in less than 10 years is pretty remarkable," explains Controller Thomasine Harrison. "We’ve actually reached over 12,000 cases in a year before."

She adds that while the economy has impacted the business to a degree, its challenges haven’t been as notable as those in other industries.

"The economy has impacted us a bit in recent years, although not as badly as some," Harrison says. "But because we’re close to Elkhart, we’ve seen our worker’s compensation cases go down."

Lagging economy notwithstanding, the past and future of Allied Physicians Surgery Center remains quite bright.

"When we first started, we had a smaller physician base, and we’ve added specialties over the years (including ophthalmology and facial plastic surgery)," explains Clinical Director Chuck Strasser. "Now we’re really helping the community as far as access, and we offer a cost-effective, safe environment."

Founded in 2000, the company has grown to host 90 employees and features a very low turnover ratio.

"I think we have a very happy staff," Strasser contends. "One nice thing we do is offer a productivity bonus each year based on our success, so people like that."

It seems that treating its staff well directly correlates to happy workers and customers.

"Doctors like to do their cases here because they can get on our schedule easily and our staff is well-trained," Harrison notes. "We average 99-100% satisfaction rating from our patients. They say our people genuinely care about their well-being."

The company also has an ardor for community service, taking part in programs with the United Way, Logan Center and the local fire department.

Allied Physicians is a member of the Indiana Federation of Ambulatory Surgery Centers and is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. If you require an elective surgery and want more information, contact Allied Physicians at (574) 243-9700.

The focus on local government reform efforts in 2010 has been and will continue to be on townships. If you’ve missed that debate thus far, check out some amendments that unfortunately didn’t pass here and practical points on the need for change from Rep. Ed DeLaney here. You can even have your say on the Indiana Prosperity Project web site.

But another reform bill is to be heard today in the Senate Elections Committee. SB 241 contains some common sense provisions that should be adopted. Among them:

• Move city elections to even-numbered years (it costs a lot of money to conduct elections; why separate votes on municipal candidates from others)
• Place the names of city candidates before those running for township offices (who should not be on the ballot anyway)
• Give counties the option of electing a single county chief executive in place of the board of county commissioners(similar to how presidents, governors and mayors serve countries, states and cities). In addition, the county council would become the legislative and fiscal body
• Prevents employees who work in a political subdivision (city, county) from serving on the legislative body that governs that subdivision. In other words, stop people from having a say in deciding their own raises and other issues that directly impact their job. This is a growing problem in a number of areas

These would be good first steps toward a government that operates more effectively and efficiently. 

In the final years of the Bush administration, Washington was noted for its lack of substantive action on Capitol Hill. In 2009, many were wishing for a switch back to the previous inaction. In 2010, it’s "are we going to get anything done because we have to get re-elected and we don’t want to make anyone mad?"

Excerpts from a CongressDaily analysis of what’s to come:

House and Senate Democrats plan a 2010 agenda aimed at leaving the second half of the 111th Congress as firmly identified in the public’s mind with economic measures as 2009 was with healthcare reform. In 2010, virtually every bill will be sold as a jobs bill.

That agenda suggests 2010′s legislative output will be far leaner than last year’s, and could once again bode badly for key measures that were shoved aside in the push to pass healthcare legislation.

And if Massachusetts state GOP Sen. Scott Brown defeats Martha Coakley, the state’s Democratic attorney general, in a special election today to give Senate Republicans a 41st vote, virtually every key 2010 initiative, including health care, will be endangered in the Senate. Democrats last year regularly needed 60 votes to move legislation, and Republicans might be even less cooperative in an election year.

Despite a continued push by backers, climate change legislation, which the House has passed, and an overhaul of immigration law appear to face long odds of passage, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.

"It is going to be a very hard year to do what we have to do to meet the needs of the American people and to maintain the fiscal soundness. And that requires some very tough decisions," House Speaker Pelosi has warned.

Pelosi, echoed by other top House Democrats, said she is determined this year to reduce the deficit, which the CBO says hit $1.4 trillion at the end of FY09 and is projected to hit $1.5 trillion for FY10.

But how to pair these seemingly conflicting goals — passing multi-billion-dollar, job-creating packages with cutting spending and reducing the deficit — must await, in part, the president’s budget, set for release in early February.

Many observers speculate Senate Majority Leader Reid will push an energy bill aimed a creating green jobs and improving energy infrastructure without a cap-and-trade provision that Republicans argue amounts to a major energy tax. In a statement last week, a Reid spokeswoman mentioned "clean energy legislation," financial regulatory reform and immigration among priorities for the first half of the year.

Chamber President Kevin Brinegar explains the dangers off allowing guns in the workplace, and notes several misconceptions about the issue.

TWI (Training Within Industry) has a long history. It also has a bright future as a tool that can help companies train their trainers and make them better teachers of their employees. Officially, it’s "teaching supervisors and team leaders how to improve the way jobs are done, how to quickly train employees to do the job safely, correctly and conscientiously and how to build positive employee relations, increased morale and effective conflict resolution skills."

In the 1950s, Toyota used TWI to train employees in the Toyota Production System, the famous lean manufacturing program. Today, TWI is being reintroduced to North America and you can learn all about it at the TWI Institute. The Purdue University TAP/MEP program is hosting and the Indiana Chamber’s Ready Indiana program is co-sponsoring a March 16 Indianapolis summit (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Patrick Graupp, senior master trainer and the world’s leading authority on TWI, will be the featured guest speaker. Use the code "readyin" for a $100 discount off the registration fee. Contact Ready Indiana Executive Director Kris Deckard for more information about the TWI curriculum.