TMA hosts third annual Manufacturing Matters for Mayors Breakfast
Nearly 25 local municipal leaders and manufacturing executives met at the Technology & Manufacturing Association for the third annual Manufacturing Matters for Mayors Breakfast, a collaborative discussion to explore how our local leaders and manufacturers can work together to improve our communities and strengthen our workforce.
"This discussion between the manufacturers and local leaders here today is so important because when you boil it down, we all want the same thing: lower taxes for our local businesses, more high-paying jobs for our communities, a career path for students that includes high-tech manufacturing training, and a chance to produce goods and create an economic hub right here in the true manufacturing heartland of America," said TMA President Steve Rauschenberger. "But state lawmakers are making it even more difficult for our manufacturers to be competitive and succeed. Local mayors know as well as we do what the higher taxes and anti-business legislation from Springfield means for our communities, but if we can work together with our municipal leaders, we can influence real, positive change."
Manufacturing plays a vital role in our local economies. In fact, the Chicagoland area contains 5 of the 10 largest manufacturing zip codes in the United States. Because of this, TMA brought our manufacturing community and our local leaders together so they could foster a more impactful relationship and pursue solutions for their shared local interests and issues.
Especially now, it's important that our local leaders and manufacturers collaborate as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, when many manufacturers are trying to get back on their feet and put their employees - and local residents - back to work. TMA's event was also an opportunity for local leaders to meet newly elected mayors from April.
Mayors and/or representatives from Addison, Alsip, Broadview, Cary, Elgin, Franklin Park, Hampshire, Hoffman Estates, Maywood, Orland Park, Park Forest, Roselle, Schaumburg, and Schiller Park were in attendance.
After the discussion, the mayors and representatives toured TMA's state-of-the-art manufacturing training facilities.
"As a mayor and a small business owner, I understand the challenges TMA members face daily as they try to conduct business and help their employees grow in this difficult climate," said Cary Mayor Mark Kownick, who also serves on the executive board of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. "Municipal government and manufacturers have similar interests - to grow jobs and create great places to live and work in their communities. I look forward to continue building relationships with TMA members as we pursue this mission on behalf of our residents."
About TMA: Founded in 1925, the Technology & Manufacturing Association in Schaumburg represents and supports manufacturers in the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding counties in northern Illinois, northern Indiana, and southern Wisconsin. It has almost 1,000 members and represents over 32,000 employees and nearly 26 million square feet of manufacturing in Illinois.