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Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
| Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Madison, Wis. |
| Type: | 501(c)(6) |
| Top official: | Kurt Bauer, President and CEO |
| Founder(s): | F.J. Sensenbrenner |
| Year founded: | 1911 |
| Website: | Official website |
| Budget | |
| 2013: | $2,986,192 |
| Board members | |
| Daniel T. Ariens (Chair), Robert D. Kamphuis (Vice Chair) | |
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization and the largest business association in Wisconsin, claiming to have more than 3,800 members. The organization provides a range of services to its members, such as group insurance products and access to databases, and it also funds lobbying, issue advocacy and public education programs supporting business interests. Kurt Bauer is the current president and CEO of WMC.[1]
Mission
WMC gives the following mission statement on its IRS Form 990:[2]
| “ |
To foster, protect, and advance the private enterprise, competitive system, as well as industrial, commercial, and educational interests of the state of Wisconsin, bring their natural advantages to the highest stage of development and utility, encourage the productive forces, promote accident prevention in public and private sectors, improve the material and social conditions of the farmer and laborer, encourage and improve the safety of the farmer, laborer, and general public, and prompt progressive thought and action in all that will make for an enlightened, contented, and prosperous commonwealth.[3] |
” |
History
F.J. Sensenbrenner founded the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association (WMA), a statewide business group, in 1911. The organization, located in Milwaukee, Wis., initially represented 200 member businesses. In 1973, WMA acquired the Wisconsin Council of Safety and established a political action committee the following year.
In 1976, WMA and the Wisconsin State Chamber of Commerce merged to form the Wisconsin Association of Manufacturers and Commerce. The organization moved from Milwaukee to Madison in 1986 and adopted its current name, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC). Kurt R. Bauer, a former chief executive of the Wisconsin Bankers Association, has been the fifth president of WMC since March 2011. The organization now claims to represent more than 3,800 businesses, trade associations and local chambers of commerce.[4]
Policy scope
According to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, WMC spent $348,732.57 lobbying the Wisconsin State Legislature in the first half of 2015. The organization's lobbyists worked on bills pertaining to a number of issues, including:[5]
- Prevailing wage repeal
- Income and franchise taxes
- Labor association membership
- Ability of employees to work 7 days/week
- Camping unit regulations
- Zoning
- Fracking
- Repeal of certain Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regulations
- Drug testing of unemployment insurance recipients
Work
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, provides products services to its members and lobbies for business interests, particularly in the Wisconsin State Legislature. WMC runs two affiliated nonprofits, including the WMC Issues Mobilization Council, a 501(c)(4) organization that funds issue advocacy in support of free enterprise, lower taxes and other policies. The WMC Foundation, a 501(c)(3), provides funding for economics and business education, workforce development, workplace safety programs and school improvement initiatives.[1][6]
Board members
As of August 2015, the following individuals were officers on the Board of Directors of WMC:[7]
- Daniel T. Ariens (Chair), Chairman & CEO, Ariens Company
- Robert D. Kamphuis (Vice Chair), Chairman, President & CEO, Mayville Engineering Company
- Kurt R. Bauer (President/CEO)
- James R. Morgan (President, WMC Foundation)
- Michael R. Shoys (Senior Vice President)
- Tod B. Linstroth (Secretary), Senior Partner, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
- Gina A. Peter (Treasurer), CEO, Central States Commercial Banking
A full list of WMC board members can be accessed here.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of WMC's revenue and expenses for the 2010-2013 tax years:
| Annual revenue and expenses for WMC, 2010-2013 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tax Year | Total Revenue | Total Expenses |
| 2013[2] | $2,986,192 | $3,014,486 |
| 2012[2] | $2,769,228 | $2,746,465 |
| 2011[8] | $2,559,200 | $2,391,741 |
| 2010[8] | $2,535,946 | $2,417,855 |
Noteworthy events
John Doe investigations
Two John Doe investigations, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2015, were launched by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm (D) into the activities of staff and associates of Gov. Scott Walker (R).[9] Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce was one of 29 conservative organizations that were targeted during the course of the second of two John Doe investigations in Wisconsin related to Gov. Scott Walker (R).[10][11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce WMC. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Official website
- WMC on GuideStar
- WMC Foundation on GuideStar
- WMC Issues Mobilization Council on GuideStar
- Social media:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WMC, "About Us," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 GuideStar, "WMC IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ WMC, "History," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Lobbying Principals: Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ WMC, "WMC Foundation," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ WMC, "Board of Directors," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 GuideStar, "WMC IRS Form 990 (2011)," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Milwaukee Division, "Eric O’Keefe, and Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc.," accessed February 23, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Watchdog, "Wall Street Journal: GAB targeted conservative justices in John Doe defense," September 17, 2015
- ↑ Eric O'Keefe v. Francis Schmitz, et al., "Complaint," accessed September 16, 2015
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