10/06/2014

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Board Leaders Determined to Break Washington Gridlock

More than 125 manufacturing leaders from companies of all sizes across all industrial sectors met in Washington, D.C., last week for the NAM Fall 2014 Board of Directors Meeting. Board members focused on how manufacturers can set the course for the future and be a catalyst for positive change in Washington.

“With the NAM’s help, we have got to get the parties to work together and find practical solutions. It’s incredible that something so important and so necessary can be so hard to get done,” said NAM Board Chair and Caterpillar Inc. Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman as he looked ahead to the chairmanship of Tenneco Inc. Chairman and CEO Gregg Sherrill, who will serve as NAM Board chair for the next two years, beginning in January.

In discussing the public policy challenges facing manufacturers in the United States, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said in his report, “The problem today is that America lacks leadership.” He urged manufacturers to fill the vacuum of leadership—to “lead” and “unite the nation” around a set of unifying principles that will promote innovation, economic growth and success: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.

“The gridlock will end—and we must be the catalyst for the change that is so imperative,” Timmons said. He emphasized the importance of getting out the manufacturing vote and election engagement at every level, including both primary and general elections, in support of pro-business candidates, regardless of political party.

Approximately 40 Small and Medium Manufacturers on the NAM Board discussed the business outlook and key regulatory, tax and health care policy challenges to competitiveness.

“We must continue to fight for and to resolve these issues, and the NAM is key to our success,” said Small and Medium Manufacturers Group Chair and Materion Technical Materials President Al Lubrano.  

Most small manufacturers were very positive about the economic outlook, with about one-third reporting record years. Those tied to exports, energy and autos were optimistic, with sectors linked to sequestration, agriculture and housing reporting weaknesses.

Featured speakers included U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, retired U.S. Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus, Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling author Peggy Noonan, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), former Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R-UT) and nationally recognized political analyst Charlie Cook.