Over 30 Local Municipal Leaders and Manufacturing Executives Met to Discuss the Importance the Industry Has in Our Communities

SCHAUMBURG, IL - Over 30 local municipal leaders and manufacturing executives met at the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) for the Manufacturing Matters for Mayors Breakfast, a collaborative discussion on the manufacturing industry, job creation, and our local economies.

Manufacturing plays a vital role in Illinois' economy, especially in the suburban Chicago area. The Chicago metropolitan area contains five out of the ten biggest manufacturing zip codes in the United States. Manufacturing accounts for $103.75 billion of total output (12.6% of the Illinois' total gross state product) and over 572,000 jobs. Due to this, TMA wanted to host local municipal leaders to create an open line of communication between the two to foster a more impactful relationship between the manufacturing community and our local leaders.

"While manufacturing is important at the state and federal level, it is even more crucial at the local level," said TMA President Steve Rauschenberger. "It has major benefits to the growth and success of individual towns, especially when it comes to community identity, community involvement, environmental protection, an increased tax base, local jobs, and new business creation."

Mayors and/or representatives from the Illinois Municipal League, Addison, Barrington, Belvidere, Bensenville, Broadview, Carpentersville, Cary, Downers Grove, Elk Grove, Lake in the Hills, Maywood, Mount Prospect, North Barrington, Orland Park, Poplar Grove, Schaumburg, Streamwood, and Wheeling were in attendance. After the discussion, the mayors and representatives toured TMA's state-of-the-art manufacturing training facilities.

"Rarely can you get local leaders from Boone, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties to all come together and agree on the same thing," said Dennis LaComb, TMA Vice President of Government Affairs. "When it comes to improving our communities, strengthening our workforce, and enhancing our local economies, our manufacturing industry and local municipalities go hand-in-hand together."

About TMA: Founded in 1925, the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) represents and supports manufacturers in the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding counties in northern Illinois, northern Indiana, and southern Wisconsin. TMA has almost 1,000 members and represents over 32,000 employees and nearly 26M square feet of manufacturing in Illinois.