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Read the entire motto letter
"Marketing Manufacturing in America"
At the recent MFG Conference in Chandler, Arizona, NTMA 2011 Chairman Grady Cope of Reata Engineering Machine Works in Englewood, CO gave what I feel was a passionate case for the critical importance of rebuilding a manufacturing base in America. He called it appropriately, Marketing Manufacturing in America. It was about the fact that actually making things is what builds wealth. It was about bucking the public's perception that becoming a nation of service providers is a perfectly swell end game. At its core, it spoke to the issue of once again making manufacturing relevant to an American public and, by extension, their representatives in public office at all levels.
Speaking of the word "public", Grady's message was also an "ask". That is, he was asking all of us who share his passion for manufacturing in this country to create individual public relations efforts to explain, by every means possible, why we do what we do - and why it is essential to America's economy. Without such an endeavor, media will never understand, never mind translate our story to those who need to know.
This "blog" of mine is but one attempt to get that message out. There have been others and will be more. I hope that you'll take the time to read Grady's remarks (and imagine hearing them with the passion with which Grady made them). I've included a link to Grady's speech that can be downloaded and distributed.
My own "ask" is that you also do what you can to make the case for manufacturing in your own way(s). Here are a few suggestions:
- Talk to other parents and school counselors about manufacturing-related careers
- Attend a local high school- or city-sponsored career day
- Write your congressmen and senators (NTMA's One Voice makes it easy)
- Give plant tours to people and groups who are not related to manufacturing
- Invite a Boy or Girl Scout troop over
- Use social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook
- Contact your local newspapers to attempt to get visibility
I'm sure that you can think of many, many more.
Until next month...
-John Belzer
Read Grady Cope's Speech
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