Presentation Transcript

1. Wisconsin Manufacturers Association

   A state association of Wisconsin manufacturers organized in the autumn of 1910, established in January 1911.
2. The16 In November of 1910, businessmen gathered in Milwaukee to discuss the formation of a statewide organization to represent industry and to promote its interests. Otto H. Falk (The Falk Company, Milwaukee) G.F. Steele (Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Co., Port Edwards) C.A. Johnson (The Gisholt Co., Madison) Conrad Shearer (Kenosha Manufacturer’s Association) J.A. Vail (Fairbanks Morse Co., Beloit) L.C. Tolles (Phoenix Manufacturing Co., Eau Claire) C.W. Dickenson (La Crosse Plow Works, La Crosse)
3. The16 L.E. Green (Manitowoc Boiler Works) D.P. Lamoureaux (Beaver Dam Malleable Iron Co.) Frank Sensenbrenner (Kimberly-Clark Paper Co., Neenah) H.M. Wallis (J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., Racine) Harry W. Bolens (Port Washington) Thomas M. Blackstock (Sheboygan) L. Osborne (Scott & Howe Lumber Co., Oshkosh) William George Bruce (Bruce Publishing Co., Milwaukee) George R. Gove
4. The Wisconsin Manufacturers Association Inaugural MeetingPfister Hotel MilwaukeeJanuary 18, 1911
5. WMA Board observed that… “ …Political and social unrest find expression in extreme measures which seriously disturb economic stability. Radical and unwarranted legislation is proposed as the panacea for every ill and every shortcoming. Political factors have fed upon prejudice and built their individual preferment and ascendency upon hatred and selflishness.”
6. WMA Board resolved that we should strive for… “ …a conservative attitude on all controversial problems and the application of sane methods to their solution; a more friendly cooperation between capital and labor, between employer and employe; that, we impress upon the agencies of government the duty to promote rather than retard the progress and prosperity of a whole people.” January 18, 2011
7. WMA Leaders Are Influencial General Otto Falk The Falk Company Frank J. Sensenbrenner Kimberly, Clark & Co. William George Bruce Bruce Paper Company
8. WMA Takes Action Two early objects of WMA attention: the post-1907 depression movements for a Wisconsin income tax and a state workmen’s compensation law.
9. WMA Takes Action Manufacturers of Wisconsin were targeted by Governor “Fighting” Bob La Follette for higher taxes and increased regulation.La Follette boasted Wisconsin had the highest corporate tax in America at 70 percent.
10. WMA Takes Action The legislature enacted both an income tax and a workmen’s compensation law in 1911. The WMA was drafted significant provisions of the workman’s compensation law.
11. WMA is Politically Active General Otto Falk suggested that “the association become active along political lines in an endeavor to procure the election to the legislature of representatives who will be fair to manufacturing interests.” WMA Board of Directors meeting minutes November 21, 1911
12. The Wisconsin Manufacturers AssociationSupports the nation, Wisconsin, and its citizens…
13. WMA Members Support the Nation War Effort Headlines, various newspapers November 1917 “Manufacturers Pledge Loyalty” “Wisconsin Association in Convention Passes Resolution Promising Support to Nation” “Manufacturers of State Loyal”
14. WMA Members Support the Nation War Effort WMA Member and U.S. Army Air Corps 500# Aerial Bomb built by A.O. Smith 1941
15. WMA Members Support the Nation War Effort WMA Member and The Manhattan Project Allis Chalmers built pumps for uranium separation, electric motors for U.S. Navy submarines, and triple expansion marine steam engines for liberty ships. The Manhattan Project was a research and development program led by the United States that produced the first atomic bomb, beginning in 1939.
16. Female factory workers at International Harvester workingon torpedoes WMA Members Support the Nation War Effort WMA Member and the U.S. Department of the Navy
17. WMA Director served on fundraising committee to build the UW Madison Memorial Union, a $1.5 million project WMA Supports Veterans; Post WW I U.W. Memorial Union 1928
18. Built in honor of America’s fighting forces in WWI, the Union gave returning soldiers a place to “smoke, drink and play cards…” according to the fundraising brochure WMA Supports Veterans; Post-WW I U.W. Memorial Union 1928
19. WMA Empowers Women Creates WMA Women’s Bureau Women in Industry 1927 The Women’s Bureau was created to show the interrelationship between farm and factory; betterment of women’s workers; educating women on business problems facing the state; to help women make Wisconsin the state best for children of future generations. One of the first five created in the United States.
20. WMA Empowers Women Women’s Bureau 1927 Mrs. Katherine Garland Vilas was WMA’s Women’s Bureau Director in 1928. Mrs. Vilas was the voice of WMA to Wisconsin women. She spoke to civic clubs and chambers of commerce about women in industry. As part of her presentations, she played piano selections in connection with her speech topic.
21. WMA Gives Aid to Those In Need Post WW II Friendship Fleet 1948 In 1948, the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association sponsored a fleet of ships called the “Friendship Fleet” that carried donated goods to Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Baltic States.
22. WMA Gives Aid to Those in Need Post WW II Friendship Fleet 1948 The purpose of the Friendship Fleet was to relieve post-war shortages of consumer goods in Europe; to strengthen trade ties; to promote immigration to Wisconsin and other Midwestern states; and to honor the Wisconsin statehood centennial.
23. WMA Gives Aid to Those in Need Post WW II Friendship Fleet 1948 The first ship carried 600-700 tons of Wisconsin manufactured products, as well as over 1,000 gift packages for families.
24. 1# malted milk3# whole bean roasted coffee½# black tea2 washcloths1 large bar of soap15 oz. raisins1# cocoa1 ½ oz. black pepper1# dried prunes3# shortening5# rice WMA Gives Aid to Those in Need Post-war WW II Friendship Fleet 1948 Contributions for goods were collected through churches and stores. A donation of $7.25 bought a “Friendship Food Package” that included:
25. WMA Gives Aid to Those in Need Post WW II Friendship Fleet 1948 Governor Oscar Rennebohm, WMA President L.D. Harkrider, and others welcomed them to port in Milwaukee. Dr. and Mrs. Thorbjoern Moll were the first immigrants to come to Wisconsin from Norway under the pennant of the Wisconsin Friendship Fleet.
26. WMA Gives Aid to Those in Need “Project Hope” in Nicaragua 1965 As a member of the Partners of the Alliance, WMA facilitated a gift of a fire engine from the Village of Shorewood to the Corps of Firefighters of Matagalpa, Nicaragua in 1965.
27. WMA Members Generous to Those in Need September 11, 2001 Krones, Inc. started a collection and contributed $2 for every $1 employees donated. In 5 days, Krones delivered WTC Fund a check for $25,000. Weinbrenner Shoe Company and Famous Footwear donated hundreds of pairs of shoes to rescue workers. Kohler Company designed and produced the first mobile shower for rescue workers at Ground Zero.
28. WMA Members Generous Those in Need September 11, 2001 Manitowoc Crane sent cranes to Ground Zero to aid in clean-up Gordon Flesch donated $100,000 to help families affected by the attacks Kikkoman Companies established a tuition program for survivors’ children American Family Insurance donated more than $67,000 And many more….
29. WMA Promotes Higher Education WMA sent 25 educators yearly to the Congress of American Industry in New York City to learn of the problems and achievements of free enterprise. WMA worked with the Wisconsin Industrial Arts Association on advancing apprenticeship training courses in the UW School of Agriculture; UW and Marquette Schools of Medicine; and others. WMA helped establish the Management Institutes at the University of Wisconsin.
30. WMA Promotes ExcellenceWisconsin House Publications Awards ProgramA joint program with WMA,UW School of Journalism and the Wisconsin Industrial Editors Association1948 WMA sponsored a program designed to evaluate and upgrade the content and appearance of company publications. Its goal was to raise the general level of Wisconsin publications to among the highest in the nation.
31. WMA Promotes JobsIndustry Stages Giant Exposition 1949 “Wisconsin Show of the Century” State Fair Jobs Fair “Displaying the dramatic past of Wisconsin and the wonders of tomorrow through priceless educational exhibits.” Operating through the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association, more than 150 companies filled the 80,000 square foot Wisconsin-At-Work Building with exhibits of their products or the story of their operations. The Expo cost over $5.5 million. Sponsored by WMA, the dairy industry, the State Historical Society, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, the State Conservation Department and countless individuals.
32. WMA Promotes Economics Education “You Be the Boss Contest”Helping People Understand the Challenges of Running a Business “THIS IS YOUR CHANCE OF A LIFETIME! All you have to do is “be the boss” and solve some of the problems that arise from time to time regarding business, a product, and a production line.” Contest Brochure
33. Prizes ranged from a new 2-bedroom Harnischfeger home, a 1953 Ford Victoria, water heater, paint, women’s hosiery, and a Parker Pen set WMA Promotes Economics Education “You Be the Boss Contest”1953
34. “If the Association had not stood watch in the last 40 years, it is extremely doubtful that Wisconsin would today be the industrial power that it is…Forty years from now, a much larger WMA and its members must look back on the years again and be able to say as we can tonight, “We have been true to the trust.” WMA DeliversFrom the Dinner Program at the 40th Anniversary Meeting by President F.J. Sensenbrenner1951
35. Wisconsin Manufacturers Association Featured Headlines, then and now…
36. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Milwaukee Journal – 12/10/1913 Apprentice School Wins High Praise Wisconsin Manufacturers Association Votes to Cooperate With Organized Labor
37. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Wausau Record-Herald – 12/19/1924 Wisconsin Loses Heavily in Taxes Withdrawal of One Firm From State Means Loss of At Least $50,000
38. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Wausau Record-Herald – 3/2/1929 Working Conditions Greatly Improved in Past Few Years Representative of Manufacturers Association Describes Modern Management
39. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines The Kenosha Labor – 2/6/1947 Everything You Need For Full Life Produced By Wisconsin Industry
40. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Tomahawk Leader – 12/18/1924 Interest Public by Truthful Ads Wisconsin Manufacturer’s Association Exposing State Government in True Reports
41. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Madison Capital Times – 2/12/1925 Big Protest is Expected at Hearing Wisconsin Manufacturer’s Association Sends Out Publicity Against Measure
42. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Wausau Record-Herald –7/12/1927 Wisconsin Makes Steady Progress in Manufacturers Remarkable Story of Gains in Industry During Past Sixty-Five Years
43. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines The Lakeland Times – 4/26/2011 State’s Tax Burden Remains One of Nation’s Highest
44. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Beloit Daily News – 5/12/2011 Wisconsin’s Stock Rising Business Leaders Around U.S. Noting Improvements
45. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines The Evansville Review – 6/22/2011 State Budget Positions Wisconsin to Grow Jobs WMC Thanks Legislature, Urges Governor Walker to Sign Budget
46. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines Kenosha News – 8/3/2011 Wisconsin’s Job Polices Are Producing Results
47. WMA in the NewsFeatured Headlines West Bend Daily News – 8/3/2011 Wisconsin is Working Again 39,300 New Private Sector Jobs and Counting Created in State
48. Wisconsin Manufacturers AssociationFounding Member Companies
49. The Falk Company Milwaukee Nekoosa Paper Mill Nekoosa
50. The Gisholt Machine Co.Madison La Crosse Plow Works La Crosse
51. J. I. CaseRacine Kimberly Clark Company Neenah
52. Fairbanks, Morse& CompanyMilwaukee
53. Beaver Dam Malleable Iron Works Beaver Dam
54. WMA merges with the State Chamber of Commerce in 1976 and becomes Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce …. “One of the most powerful lobbying forces in the state.” Forbes.com “Lobbying powerhouse, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce…” Wisconsin State Journal “… the state’s most influential business lobbying group.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
55. As it was 100 years ago, WMC’s vision remains a vision of growth, hope and opportunity.

56. For a century, WMC efforts have been and continue to be directed to one goal – a better life for the citizens of Wisconsin.

    Wisconsin Manufacturers’ Association 1911-2011