Acuity Brands’ Barry Goldman Named to Manufacturers Association Board of Directors
Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers announced that Barry Goldman, senior vice president and general counsel of Acuity Brands, has been named to the NAM Board of Directors. Goldman will join the NAM Board to bolster the association’s leadership in policy advocacy, workforce solutions, legal action, operational excellence and news and insights. He will help the industry advance an agenda that promotes opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.
Founded in 1895, the NAM, guided by its Board of Directors, is the largest industrial trade association in the United States, with more than 14,000 members. The NAM is the nation’s most influential manufacturing advocate, and its membership includes some of the world’s most iconic brands and many of the small manufacturers that power the U.S. economy. Nearly 90% of the NAM’s members are small and medium-sized businesses.
The NAM is a one-stop shop for manufacturers, telling the stories of manufacturers and equipping manufacturers with invaluable resources through our news and insights channels and partnerships with the Manufacturing Leadership Council and The Manufacturing Institute.
The NAM and its members are at the forefront of every important policy debate for manufacturers and have led the nation’s response to COVID-19. Manufacturers are also leading by example with campaigns encouraging Americans to get vaccinated. Executives on the NAM Board, which comprises leaders representing companies of all sizes in every industrial sector, are the driving force behind the NAM’s efforts.
“Manufacturers and their associates have always played a critical role in the economy,” said Goldman. “I want to make sure their voices are represented as lawmakers institute policies that directly impact more than 12 million men and women in manufacturing.”
Board members play a key role in the NAM’s “Creators Wanted” campaign, a member-driven initiative to inspire, educate and empower more Americans to pursue careers in modern manufacturing—and to shift perceptions about careers in the industry. The campaign, which supports MI programs for students, women, veterans and other underrepresented communities and features a first-of-its-kind mobile experience and tour, seeks to cut the skills gap by 600,000 workers by 2025 and increase the number of students enrolling in technical schools, vocational schools and apprenticeships by 25%, as well as the number of parents who would encourage their children to pursue a career in modern manufacturing to 50% from 27%.
“Barry is a recognized leader in our industry, and the NAM will be stronger thanks to his service on our Board of Directors,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers and their associates are the driving force behind our economic recovery and our fight to defeat COVID-19—with a commitment to getting Americans vaccinated. We are working with lawmakers to ensure they deliver the long-term policy work on issues like infrastructure investment, immigration reform, trade expansion and workforce development. We will also defend the progress we’ve made on tax reform and regulatory certainty to ensure we can keep our promises to invest in our people and communities and build the strongest economy possible. The NAM’s mission is to ensure we always keep moving forward, and Barry will bring invaluable insights as we advocate for the men and women of our industry and advance the values that have made America exceptional and our industry strong—free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.”
-About Acuity Brands-
Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company. Through its two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL) and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG), the company designs, manufactures and brings to market products and services that make the world more brilliant, productive and connected. Acuity Brands achieves growth through the development of innovative new products and services, including building management systems, lighting, lighting controls and location-aware applications.
Acuity Brands achieves customer-focused efficiencies that allow the company to increase market share and deliver superior returns. The company looks to aggressively deploy capital to grow the business and to enter attractive new verticals. Acuity Brands is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe and Asia. The company is powered by approximately 12,000 dedicated and talented associates. Visit us at www.acuitybrands.com.
-NAM-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.4 million men and women, contributes $2.52 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.