MADISON –Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce announced Thursday that Kurt R. Bauer has started as President and CEO of the 3,500 member business association.
“I am honored to represent such a strong and diverse business community,” Bauer said. “As employers come out of the recession, Wisconsin will need to continue to focus on advancing policies that will grow our economy and create jobs for our families.”
The WMC Board of Directors selected Bauer to lead WMC after a national search. Bauer succeeds James S. Haney, who has served as WMC president for the last 27 years. Bauer will be the fifth WMC president since the inception of the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association in 1911. The manufacturers merged with the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce in the 1970s to form WMC.
“Wisconsin faces great challenges,” Bauer said. “But if we can foster an environment that encourages job creation, we will see prosperity for years to come.” Bauer said WMC’s agenda of tax relief, regulatory reform, and lawsuit reform need to be the keys to improving the state’s business climate.
“We can be the most competitive state in the nation,” Bauer said. “We want to make Wisconsin a place where our existing companies want to expand here, and where businesses from around the world want to relocate.”
Bauer has worked for banking trade associations for 18 years, including the last seven as the President/CEO of the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA). Prior to that, Bauer headed the Phoenix-based Arizona Bankers Association, and also served as WBA’s chief lobbyist.
Bauer is originally from Beloit, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kurt Bauer, (608) 258-3400
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