Congratulations to Mary Andringa, who will serve as chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers in 2011-12, on her being chosen for induction in the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. From the Knoxville-Pella radio stations, KNIA and KRLS, “Local CEO Elected to Iowa Business Hall of Fame“:

A President and CEO of a local company will be inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in December. Mary Vermeer Andringa of Vermeer Corporation will be inducted at the Greater Des Moines Commitee’s annual Black Tie dinner on December 9th. Andringa was selected for her outstanding leadership and business and community development in Iowa. Andringa became part of the Board of Directors of Vermeer Manufacturing in 1976 and was named CEO in 2009. During her time with Vermeer Corporation she helped create Vermeer University which is devoted to employee and equipment dealer development. Earlier this year, Andringa was named to the President’s Export Council by Barrack Obama.

Previously inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame are two other former chairmen of the NAM: Daniel Krumm of Maytag Corp. in 1980 and Richard Kautz of Grain Processing Corp. of Muscatine in 1976.

James Cleminson, the former president of the Confederation of British Industry — analogous to the National Association of Industry — died last month at the age of 86. From the Telegraph (U.K.) obituary:

As chief executive of Reckitt & Colman, the household and food products manufacturer, and as both president of the Confederation of British Industry and chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board, James Cleminson was one of the most respected corporate leaders of his generation. But he was invariably modest about his soldierly exploits, which had taken him to North Africa, Italy and Norway as well as the Rhine, and included two bouts of captivity as a prisoner-of-war. If pressed, he simply described himself as “lucky”.

His experience — partially re-created in Richard Attenborough’s 1977 epic film, A Bridge Too Far — was in fact as fierce as that of any young officer in the ill-fated Operation Market Garden. Captain “Jimmy” Cleminson’s platoon led the advance of the 3rd Parachute Battalion from the drop zone towards Arnhem on September 17 1944, until progress was briefly impeded by a German staff car which the platoon enthusiastically shot up, discovering later that they had killed Major-General Kussin, the Arnhem garrison commander.

As we learn from the fascinating biography, Cleminson was a staunch supporter of the principles of free-market competition and individual responsibility promoted by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

And since skills are in the news this week, we note this from his hometown Norfolk newspaper, “Norfolk war hero Sir James Cleminson dies“:

A huge champion of British business and industry, he was keen to see schools teach the skills pupils would need in the workplace. He was president of Endeavour Training and his charity work included serving as a trustee of the Army Benevolent Fund, the Airborne Forces Security Fund and Norwich Cathedral.

He was knighted in 1982.

The National Association of Manufacturers has compiled its “Key Vote” summary for the 111th Congress, determining how each member of Congress voted in 2009 and 2010 on issues identified as priorities for manufacturing.

Voting records for all members of Congress are available at www.nam.org/votingrecord along with further details about the individual bills that were rated. Congratulations to all those who have been chosen for the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence, awarded to those who support the manufacturing position at least 70 percent of the time.

The National Journal report highlights the partisan breakdown in the voting summary, and fair enough: More Republicans do vote for NAM-supported positions than do Democrats. And the publication’s short description of the issues is OK.

Their key positions in the 111th Congress were against health care and climate change legislation, and against raising taxes on multinationals’ overseas profits. NAM was in favor of the economic stimulus package, however, as well as a number of measures on the House Democrats’ “Make It in America” agenda. The group did not take a position on legislation to stem Chinese currency manipulation.

But just to make it clear: Party affiliation does not enter into the votes selected as “Key Votes.” The votes to be ranked are determined BEFORE the votes are taken. The selections are made by the NAM’s Key Vote Advisory Committee, which has a membership composed of six representatives from small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies, six from large companies, and one representing state manufacturing associations.

The NAM is nonpartisan, does not have a political action committee and does not endorse candidates.

P.S. First member of Congress to tweet his award? Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL). Thanks, Congressman!

So, which is it, adjective or adverb?

The jobs pay well, but “well-paying jobs” sounds odd.

Both are used widely.

“Good-paying jobs,” 194,000 results on Bing news.
“Well-paying jobs,” 214,000 results on Bing news.

The Senate returns at 10 a.m. to pass H.R. 6080, the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for border security. The Los Angeles Times reports:

Reporting from Washington — A $600-million bill to beef up border security should have been on its way to President Obama for signature after the House approved it Tuesday, but instead it has been derailed by a procedural glitch that requires a do-over by the Senate — which has adjourned until September.

The technical misstep embarrassed congressional leaders and put the brakes on quick approval of funding for Obama’s plan to deploy another 1,500 Border Patrol and other law enforcement personnel along the border with Mexico…[snip]

Unanimous approval by the House on Tuesday seemed to be the last step for the bill — until it was discovered that the Senate, which approved the measure last week, had unwittingly violated a constitutional requirement that all spending bills originate in the House.

Procedural glitch? Technical misstep? We call it Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution:

Article 1 – The Legislative Branch
Section 7 – Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto

All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Now if we could just get Congress to stop abdicating its policymaking role to the Executive Branch.

In any case, here’s a good project, reading the U.S. Constitution with other folks on September 18, this year’s commemoration of Constitution Day. From WeReadtheConstitution.com:

 WeReadTheConstitution.com was formed in order to promote the reading of the Constitution in its entirety by as many Americans as possible. The Tea Party movement has stimulated a widespread interest in our founding documents, principles and ideals. We’re organizing a nationwide series of local events celebrating the United States Constitution on September 18, 2010. Across the United States ordinary citizens will be hosting or attending local gatherings at public places and backyard barbecues where they will read aloud the entire text of the United States Constitution. It is a profoundly moving exercise that will take less than one hour.

The Commerce Department announced Thursday, “Hightower to Step Down as Deputy Commerce Secretary“:

Deputy Commerce Secretary Dennis F. Hightower announced today that he plans to step down effective August 27. He’ll be returning to the private sector to resume his work on corporate governance and training and developing the next generation of global business leaders. At Commerce, Hightower brought skills he learned at the top levels of the business world to help shepherd some of Commerce’s most complicated initiatives, including satellite acquisition, cybersecurity and the Recovery Act’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

“We deeply appreciate Dennis’ service, especially the mentoring he provided to senior Commerce managers,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “He took on some of the Commerce Department’s most difficult management challenges, and in every case, those programs are on a better footing today because of his diligent work.”

Before coming to Commerce, Hightower was chief executive officer of Europe Online Networks S.A., a privately held broadband interactive entertainment company based in Luxembourg. From 1987 to 1996, he was a senior executive of The Walt Disney Company, where he led multi-billion dollar enterprises as president of Television & Telecommunications and president of Consumer Products, Europe/Middle East and Africa.

Hightower was, if not the highest, then one of the highest-ranked members of the Obama Administration with business experience. He and NAM President John Engler had served on the board of Northwest Airlines together.

President Obama issued a statement praising Hightower’s service. We wished Hightower good luck upon his joining Commerce, and good luck again on challenges ahead.

We previously noted the arrival to Commerce of a great, experienced manufacturer, Peter Perez, who will serve as  Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, emphasizing exports and trade. Here’s the Crain’s Detroit Business story, with a comment from NAM President Engler: “Peter will be a strong and effective representative for the manufacturing community within the Administration. His experience as a business and community leader will serve him well … and we very much look forward to working with him in his new capacity.”

Watching the House floor debate today, heard a familiar phrase, a member claiming we need a “level playing field” for some reason having to do with financial regulation.

Very familiar. Could it be the most popular cliche?

We find 300 separate usages in this session’s Congressional Record, for everything from formaldehyde to the First Amendment. The 10 most recent:

1 . SMALL BUSINESS LENDING FUND ACT OF 2010–MOTION TO PROCEED–Resumed — (Senate – June 29, 2010)
2 . REAFFIRMING FRIENDSHIP AND ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA — (Extensions of Remarks – June 24, 2010)
3 . FORMALDEHYDE STANDARDS FOR COMPOSITE WOOD PRODUCTS ACT — (Extensions of Remarks – June 24, 2010)
4 . HONORING RON GETTELFINGER FOR HIS LEADERSHIP OF THE UAW — (Extensions of Remarks – June 24, 2010)
5 . PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5175, DEMOCRACY IS STRENGTHENED BY CASTING LIGHT ON SPENDING IN ELECTIONS ACT — (House of Representatives – June 24, 2010)
6 . DEMOCRACY IS STRENGTHENED BY CASTING LIGHT ON SPENDING IN ELECTIONS ACT — (House of Representatives – June 24, 2010)
7 . TAX EXTENDERS — (Senate – June 24, 2010)
8 . AMERICAN JOBS AND CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES ACT OF 2010 — (Senate – June 24, 2010)
9 . SUPPORT THE DURBIN AMENDMENT — (House of Representatives – June 23, 2010)
10 . FORMALDEHYDE STANDARDS FOR COMPOSITE WOOD PRODUCTS ACT — (House of Representatives – June 23, 2010)

Here’s the full list.

The House on Thursday passed H.R.5013, the Implementing Management for Performance and Related Reforms to Obtain Value in Every Acquisition Act of 2010, entitled to achieve the acronym, IMPROVE Acquisition Act.

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) explained the legislation’s goal in the floor debate:

This act will overhaul the defense acquisition system in many respects. Basically, however, requiring the department to set clear objectives for the defense acquisition system and manage performance in achieving those objectives; requiring the department to introduce real accountability into the requirements process, and create a requirements process for the acquisition of services; strengthening and revitalizing the acquisition workforce; requiring the department to develop meaningful consequences for success or failure in financial management; and strengthening the industrial base to enhance competition and gain access to more innovative technology.

In other words, the legislation before us today would require the Department of Defense to adopt the basic management practices that are necessary for anything as complex as the acquisitions system to function properly. These changes will make sure that the men and women who are risking their lives to protect our country are getting the proper equipment they need to do their jobs and to protect themselves, and that they get it sooner. Additionally, we expect this bill to prevent the waste of billions of taxpayer dollars over the next 5 years.

The bill passed 417-3, which suggests a bill that changes things on the margins. In his floor statement in support, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer used the bill to hammer Republicans for fiscal recklessness and praise Democrats for fiscal responsibility.

With two Congressional hearings scheduled this week on the subject of Toyota recalls, we think it’s important that not just Congress, but the public too, give the company a fair hearing, allowing it to explain the circumstances and the steps it has taken to correct the problems.

A good place to start is an op-ed from Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, in today’s Wall Street Journal, “Back to Basics for Toyota“:

The past several months have been humbling for all of us at Toyota. We are taking this experience to heart, making fundamental changes in the way our company does business. I can assure you that our response will be comprehensive.

The first step is taking care of vehicles on the road today. But it also means making even safer vehicles in the future—and being more open and transparent about any safety issues that arise.

Since last June, when I took over as president of the company, I have personally placed the highest priority on improving quality, not quantity. All Toyota vehicles bear my name. When cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I love cars, and I take the utmost pleasure in offering vehicles that our customers love. I, more than anyone, want Toyota’s cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they drive our vehicles.

Toyoda’s column summarizes the concrete steps the company has taken to respond to customers’ concerns, and he pledges that Toyota “will set a new standard for transparency and speed of response on safety issues.”

Earlier, in Feb. 9 Washington Post op-ed, Toyoda explained “Toyota’s plan to repair its public image.”

The company’s website, www.toyota.com, has more detail with lots of information for Toyota owners and drivers.

Congressional hearings start today at 11 a.m. with a meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, “Response by Toyota and NHTSA to Incidents of Sudden Unintended Acceleration.” On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold its own hearing, “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?”

We’ve posted previously on the companies that have made contributions to Haiti relief efforts in the wake of the terrible Jan. 12 earthquake. The outpouring of aid continues.

• ConAgra: “ConAgra Foods, whose corporate headquarters is in Omaha, Nebraska, is joining in to help the cause and has just donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross for its International Relief Fund, to assist the Red Cross response in Haiti.”
• Cargill: “MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Cargill is responding to the devastating earthquake in Haiti with an initial corporate donation of $50,000 that will be directed to long-time Cargill partners CARE and the World Food Programme, which have significant operations in the country.  In the Twin Cities, Cargill volunteers at its headquarters facility will be packaging 20,000 meals on January 18 for the nonprofit Kids Against Hunger, which will be sent directly to people in Haiti; Cargill volunteers will be packaging an additional 30,000 meals over the next month.”
• General Mills Foundation: “The General Mills Foundation today announced a commitment of $250,000 to support disaster relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti. The $250,000 commitment includes a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund and a $150,000 donation to CARE International for long-term rebuilding efforts.”
• United HealthGroup: “MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 15, 2010) UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which helps victims of countless crises around the world, including the recent earthquake in Haiti. In addition, the company will match employee contributions to charitable partner Global Impact, dollar for dollar up to $50,000.”
• Medtronic: “MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 15, 2010 – Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today that it has pledged $150,000 through the Medtronic Foundation to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The Foundation will match employee donations up to $50,000, with matching funds directed to Partners in Health. An additional $100,000 grant will be directed to the rebuilding of community health clinics in Haiti.”
• Ecolab: “Ecolab said it will contribute $500,000 of cleaning and sanitation products to help meet needs in Haiti, including hand sanitizers and surface sanitizers. In addition to the product donation, the Ecolab Foundation has offered a global matching gift program, through which it will match all Ecolab associate contributions to the Red Cross up to $1,000 per associate up to a total of $25,000.”
• Pentair: “MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 15, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Pentair, Inc., a global water solutions provider, in coordination with its Foundation, is immediately donating $200,000 to fund portable water treatment systems and related supplies to Haiti. Working with the company’s charitable partner, Water Missions International (WMI), Pentair is able to provide 10 Living Water Treatment Systems (LWTS) and five chlorinators. These water systems can provide potable drinking water to approximately 100,000 total people daily.”
• Mosaic Corp. (potash and phosphate): “Mosaic announced it is contributing $500,000 for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.  Mosaic’s $500,000 contribution will provide both immediate and long-term assistance, supporting emergency medical services, triage and mobile communications.”
  Our accounting of these charitable efforts favors larger companies, which have the means and materiel to make large-scale contributions. We know there are also thousands of smaller manufacturers and their employees who are also concerned and caring in their donations.

  Earlier posts:

  •  Manufacturers and the Outpouring of Aid for Haiti
  •  Manufacturers Donate to Haiti Earthquake Relief

  Also, thanks to MinnPost.com for spotting several of these announcements from Twin Cities-based companies.