Made for This, Built to Last

2020: Made For This

When 2020 began, we did not expect that a global pandemic would invade our nation and transform our way of life. But thanks to a history of active planning and exceptional partnerships, we did not have to expect it in order to be prepared for it.

At the National Association of Manufacturers, we have spent years constructing an organization that is strong, credible, responsive and influential and that has the relationships necessary to take on unforeseeable challenges as well as our members’ long-term goals. We have created an association that fights for your interests, protects your rights, serves your business, supports your team and tells your story no matter what obstacles our industry faces. And with your help, we have built an agile, multifaceted and highly effective infrastructure designed not only to meet the moment, but to create it.

That’s how, over the past year, we were able to make extraordinary strides, accomplishing long-held priorities and responding to emerging issues. And we did so all the while providing critical support and leadership amid the most challenging global crisis of our lifetime—serving as a relief organization and often as a lifeline for our members.

This durable, responsive and can-do spirit is what drove and fortified the NAM’s work in 2020. It’s what has drawn policymakers and executives to seek our advice and value our counsel. It’s also what will fuel our continued efforts to support the men and women who make things in America and to help our members succeed in the United States and around the world.

The past year has made clear, once again, that the only constant is change. There’s no doubt that the outlook at the beginning of 2020 was different from the landscape we ultimately faced. But it is also clear that the power of our community and the strength of our movement have allowed us to be more effective than ever, not just in responding to changing circumstances, but in ensuring a new and better future.

At the NAM, we were made to meet this moment—and to create the next.

Jay Timmons
President and CEO
National Association of Manufacturers