Manufacturing Renaissance

Founded by Dan Swinney in 1982, Manufacturing Renaissance’s original purpose was to provide reliable information and technical assistance to the Harold Washington Administration of the City of Chicago, labor and community groups who were fighting manufacturing plant closures that devastated the west and south sides of Chicago in the 1980s. For the past 38 years MR has been recognized as a leading expert, advocate and practitioner of policies and programs that support the manufacturing sector as a primary strategy for reducing poverty, expanding inclusion, and sustaining middle-class communities. Today, MR works to advance sustainable development through manufacturing. Our programs represent tangible, direct solutions that if scaled as part of a comprehensive, systemic development approach have the potential for dramatically improving economic outcomes for low-income, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other person of color (BIPOC) communities. MR develops and operates programmatic prototypes and services across three program areas: 1) Career Pathway Services: area of work done through interconnected programs the Manufacturing Connect (serving in-school youth), the Young Manufacturers Association (serving young adults) and Instructors for Advanced Manufacturing (serving teachers) programs to expose, train, prepare and support low-income youth and young adults to pursue and persist in career track employment and apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing; 2) Policy and Advocacy: area of work done primarily through the Chicagoland Manufacturing Renaissance Council which convenes diverse stakeholders to support policies and programs that support manufacturing as a vehicle for community development, and; 3) Economic Development: area of work which include projects to provide technical assistance to small-medium manufacturers including assisting facilitation of ownership succession for companies in need, prioritizing local, BIPOC and women entrepreneurs.