| About Us |
The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC) is a partnership of the region's labor, business, government, education and community leaders working together to establish the Chicago area as a global leader in high-performance, high value-added manufacturing. Why manufacturing? |
| Support the CMRC |
Your support makes our success possible. We need your help to deliver the resources, networks, and programs to help develop a skilled workforce and keep us on the cutting edge of innovation.
Please make your check payable to the Center for Labor & Community Research and mail it to us at 3411 West Diversey, Suite 10, Chicago, Illinois 60647.
You can also contribute online securely through PayPal by clicking below:
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Become an Official Partner of the CMRC
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Help us make Chicago the global leader in advanced manufacturing! Add your organization to our growing list of official partners today.
Our new partnership structure allows companies, organizations, unions, individuals, agencies, and other stakeholders to publicly show their support for the Renaissance Council. The ability to demonstrate broad support for our mission and vision is critical to the success of our projects and fundraising initiatives.
You can register online or print and send in the PDF form. To learn more, please see our partnership details.
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| Contact Us |
Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council
3411 West Diversey, Suite 10
Chicago, Illinois 60647
P: 773-278-5418
F: 773-278-5918
chicagomanufacturing.org
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Executive Director's Message
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Who knew?
By Dan Swinney
Yes, we are in a recession -- and a serious one at that. The headlines scream about the declines in jobs, a reality that's affecting millions of people and all those who rely on their employment. The business sections of the newspaper and the commentary on national TV shows talk about the pressures faced by the large, publicly-traded companies and Wall Street.
If you were a young person -- or a parent, teacher, guidance counselor, or government official -- you might be publicly asking, "Why should I be looking at manufacturing? It's dead or close to dead, isn't it?" At the CMRC, we see a different reality; and you don't have to go too far to see it as well.
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CMRC Forum | Joan Fitzgerald
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 Join us for our upcoming forum with Joan Fitzgerald, author of Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development.
Thursday, April 8th
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location TBA
We will also hear from:
- Christine Raguso: Commissioner, Chicago Department of Community Development
- Jorge Ramirez: Secretary Treasurer, Chicago Federation of Labor and Co-Chair, Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council
- Jim Wurtz: Vice President, National Railway Equipment Company
Please save the date! More details forthcoming in our March issue. Questions? Contact Dan Bianchi at dbianchi@clcr.org.
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Mayor Speaks at APA Event
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 Now you can read the full text of Mayor Richard M. Daley's remarks at the January 14 dedication cermony for Austin Polytech's new Manufacturing Technology Center.
A transcript of Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman's speech is also available. If you missed it last month, check out our photo gallery and media coverage in The Austin Weekly.
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Policy | Briefing to US Senate Taskforce on Manufacturing
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 A report by RAY PRENDERGAST, who represented the Renaissance Council in Washington, DC, on January 12.
At the invitation of Chris Slevin from Senator Brown's office, I spoke on a panel briefing Congressional staff members on Sectoral Strategies for workforce development. The meeting was convened by the Senate Task Force on Manufacturing. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are on this Task Force and they are the initial sponsors of the SECTORS Act.
Continue reading
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Partner Spotlight | Symbol Job Training, Inc.
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 Symbol Job Training is no stranger to reinvention. The training provider grew out of a 25-year-old manufacturing company called Symbol Tool, in response to growing need for employees with CNC skills. Now, Skokie-based Symbol Job Training provides hands-on instruction in its full machine shop, and soon they'll be moving to a new location four times larger than their current facility.
With its new internship program, Symbol Job Training is also helping local businesses cut costs. Students who get into the program (there's a long waiting list for the 100 available spots) earn money working under faculty supervision to produce real parts ordered by manufacturers. This innovative program is a great way for businesses to save money while actively participating in workforce development.
Continue reading
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News from our Regional Chapters
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North Suburbs
In response to the success off November's Green Collar Jobs and Building a High-Tech Green Economy conference, Oakton Community College has developed a series of courses to teach students in-demand skills for emerging green jobs.
South Suburbs
A delegation from our South Suburban Chapter and the South Holland Economic Development Chamber visited Austin Polytech on February 16. The chapter currently has no plans to start its own school, focusing instead on incorporating more STEM education into existing programs in the region.
The South Suburban Chapter has recently approved its new bylaws, and is currently electing chapter officials. The chapter is considering ways to engage the growing interest in southern Chicagoland around wind energy and high-speed rail.
West Suburbs
After its successful Community Colleges and Manufacturing conference just over a year ago, our West Suburban Chapter is getting re-organized for a productive 2010.
Chapter Chair Sandy Westlund-Deenihan joined Bill Vogel and Joan Wrenn on a panel of manufacturers at our last Executive Committee meeting on February 17. Despite the recession's challenges for manfuacturers, Sandy was brimming with optimism. For more on the panel, see Dan's message.
Village of Wheeling
The Village of Wheeling held an open house for local manufacturers at Wheeling High School, where the group discussed starting a Wheeling chapter of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (read more in Trib Local). The high school's STEM education program is one of the best in the country. We hope the new chapter becomes official!
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