July 2007

Manufacturing Game Plan Calls for a Different Type of Winning

Commentary by Jim LeMaster, President and CEO, Kentucky Association of Manufacturers

There’s a picture in my new KAM office of Adolph Rupp joking around with the “Rupp’s Runts” UK basketball team. Coach Rupp was laughing, as were all of the players, including myself. One of my KAM coworkers walked in, looked at that photo, and asked me, “Was Coach Rupp like that? Did he joke around a lot?”

I chuckled and said, “No, not very much….he was a pretty serious guy when it came to basketball. It was all about winning. Nothing else much mattered.”

Thinking back through the years, that “winning” attitude instilled in me by “The Baron” has served me quite well. As a member of Rupp’s Runts, we went 27-2 and almost won the national championship despite not having a starter taller than 6’5”.

Whether arguing a law case, winning elections, leading one of Kentucky’s largest corporations or serving on various boards and leadership teams, I love to win and make things happen. I’m especially proud to have been part of Governor Martha Layne Collins’ and the General Assembly’s winning effort to bring Toyota to the Commonwealth. It taught me a lot about manufacturing and its value to Kentucky’s long-term prosperity.

So as I begin my tenure as president and CEO of KAM, I do so with one thought in mind: Winning. But this time around, it’s a different type of winning.

Manufacturing is a high-stakes “game” in which winning means much more than trophies and championship banners. People’s lives are at stake. Kentucky families depend on our good-paying jobs and benefits.

If Kentucky manufacturers leave our state, or if new ones don’t locate here, the economic impact will be severe. Churches won’t be built; charities won’t be funded; houses and commercial buildings won’t be constructed; fewer cars, pizzas, appliances and houseboats will be sold; and our state tax revenue will decline, impacting basic government services for all Kentuckians.

That’s why I’m committed to reaching out and working closely with anyone and everyone who’s willing to roll up their sleeves and attack the issues that are preventing Kentucky manufacturers from competing better in the global economy. We’re reaching out and forming alliances with chambers of commerce, economic development officers, political and education leaders and other groups who want to change Kentucky for the better.

I’m also committed to building on the great foundation that was laid before me here at KAM. Our vision, “By 2012, Kentucky will be one of the world’s most desired locations for manufacturing,” is rock-solid. To achieve the vision, we must act quickly and boldly to improve education and workforce development and do all we can to lower costs for Kentucky manufacturers.

Although we are Kentucky’s largest and most powerful industry, unlike some other industries, we must compete in the global marketplace. Our competitors are not around the block or even in the same city or state. They are in China, India, Mexico, Europe, and anywhere else in the world where labor and technology are available to make things.

But, as my involvement in sports, politics and business has taught me, I’m not afraid of a fight. And neither are Kentucky manufacturers. We have the smartest, most efficient, technologically advanced, creative and resourceful workers in the world. We just need to get our elected officials, policymakers and other leaders on the same page and working on the same agenda to promote and grow Kentucky manufacturing. Then the Commonwealth’s future will be secure for years to come.

It all comes down to what KAM and the industry stand for…Manufacturing. Prosperity in the Making. I urge all of you to join us in this challenging, exciting, and above all, winning mission.