Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society 2011/2012 Executive Committee


PRESIDENT Bryan Beck


Beck Aluminum


VICE PRESIDENT Bill Mehlenbeck Cast Technologies Inc.


TREASURER Bill Surman


I. Schumann & Co.


DIRECTOR R. J. Kuhn


Reliable Castings


DIRECTOR Steve Horvath Brost Foundry Co.


HEADQUARTERS 1480 Renaissance Drive, #310 Park Ridge IL 60068 (847) 299-0950 nffstaff@nffs.org


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/EDITOR James L. Mallory, CAE jlm@nffs.org


CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jerrod A. Weaver, CAE Quality/Safety jerrod@nffs.org


Ryan J. Moore, CAE Member Services ryanm@nffs.org


LAYOUT & DESIGN Michael Barron


Barron Layout & Design mike@barrondesign.com


NAM Board Chair Mary Andringa, president of Vermeer Corporation, introduced the historic event. Then, each of the five candidates answered questions from Branstad and Hudson, and some of the more than 550 audience members about the future of manufacturing in America. All of the candidates addressed lowering taxes, reducing government regulations and opening new markets for American goods. They also called for greater production of domestic energy and vowed to expand oil and gas drilling on federally protected land.


Candidate Perry vowed to take a “wrecking ball” to the corporate tax code and personal tax code. Candidate Bachmann reiterated the need for reform, saying that as president she would work to make the United States the best place in the world for manufacturing to do business. Candidate Paul suggested that taxes can’t really be lowered until the larger problem of spending is addressed, and Candidate Santorum echoed the same theme. Candidate Gingrich suggested that America will have to go through a period of fundamental change in our policies and in our institutions. Hmmm, “Hope & Change” … where have I heard THAT before??


Now, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s important to get the candidates to speak out publicly on the importance of manufacturing to the U.S. economy. In fact, I’ve been pushing the NAM to try to get them to do just that since the earliest days of the 2008 Presidential campaign. But as I told NAM President Jay Timmons immediately after the forum concluded, this can’t be a “One and Done” type of thing. Fortunately, Jay agreed. In fact, he and I agree on a lot of things, but we both also know that a good politician will try to tailor his message to his audience.


The messages I heard from these candidates were filled with Mom, apple pie, and patriotism - for the American way of life, for the importance of manufacturing to the economy and job creation, for the idea of getting the government off the backs and out of the way of those people who actually pay wages and create jobs. But what I didn’t hear was much in the way of how they would go about changing the mindset of people who prefer federal largesse to personal initiative and responsibility. And I heard nothing of how they would go about convincing those in Congress – in both Houses and on both sides of the aisle – to put aside partisan rhetoric in favor of actual progress in addressing the problems facing manufacturing and the economy.


As I see things, all of our country’s economic woes come as a direct result of our own government’s policies, decisions, and actions. Perhaps if the Tea Party members and the Occupy Wall Street protesters understood that, they would march hand-in hand on Washington instead. At least they’d be doing more than just hoping that things might change.


On November 1st


, NFFS attended the Republican Presidential Candidates’ Forum on


Manufacturing sponsored by the NAM in Pella, Iowa. The event was held in the Global Pavilion at Vermeer Corporation, and five presidential candidates attended the event, which was also broadcast live across the nation on many PBS stations by Iowa Public Television.


Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and PBS “Nightly Business Report” co-anchor Tom Hudson moderated the event, during which the five candidates for president talked to manufacturers about job creation and the economy. The five candidates were Representatives Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, current TX Governor Rick Perry and former PA Senator Rick Santorum. Businessman Herman Cain and former MA Governor Mitt Romney – on that date, both frontrunners among the GOP field of candidates – and former UT Governor Jim Huntsman were all missing from the program. That was disappointing - they should have been there as well.


The CRUCIBLE is published six times each year in February, April, June, August, October and December by the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society 1480 Renaissance Drive, Suite 310, Park Ridge, IL 60068 (847) 299-0950. Copyrighted 2011 by the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society. All rights reserved. Statements of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers or membership of the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society.


November/December 2011 The Crucible • 1


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