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Let Us Lead: Overcoming the Challenges of Manufacturing in the U.S. -- Mary Andringa, Chair of NAM and CEO of Vermeer Corp.

April 24, 2012

Mary Andringa, president and CEO of Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa, and chair of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), describes how lean practices help her company overcome the many challenges facing manufacturers in America. She also talks about the need for policies -- such as the NAM's comprehensive policy agenda -- that will help make United States manufacturers more competitive.

Learn the best practices that have transformed Vermeer Corporation into a global powerhouse, including details about its focus on lean manufacturing, exporting and providing exceptional health and wellness opportunities to the Vermeer team.

Mary Andringa, president and CEO of Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa, and chair of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), describes how these practices help her company overcome the many challenges facing manufacturers in America. She also talks about the need for policies -- such as the NAM's comprehensive policy agenda -- that will help make United States manufacturers more competitive.

About the Speaker

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Mary Andringa, CEO - Vermeer Corporation and NAM Chair

Mary Vermeer Andringa is president and CEO of Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa. Vermeer is an international, family-owned agricultural, construction, environmental and industrial equipment manufacturing company with over 2,500 employees worldwide. Its products are used in more than 70 countries.

Andringa began her two-year term as chair of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the nation's largest manufacturing association, in January 2011. She is the first female to chair the NAM, and she leads the association's efforts to promote a stronger manufacturing sector and more prosperous America. Andringa is also one of 18 private sector members of President Obama's Export Council, where she represents the manufacturing sector on important trade matters.

Andringa grew up in Pella, Iowa and attended Pella Christian schools. She received an A.B. degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and taught in Iowa City, Iowa public schools from 1972 to 1975. She has been a member of the Vermeer Board of Directors since 1976. From 1976-1979, she directed and taught in a preschool in Omaha, Nebraska.

Andringa began working in market research at Vermeer in 1982. She was named president and chief operating officer in 1989, president and co-CEO in 2003, and president and sole CEO in 2009.

In addition to her leadership role at the NAM, Andringa serves on the following boards: director, Herman Miller Co.; trustee, Fuller Theological Seminary; past chair, Iowa Association of Business and Industry; and trustee emerita, Central College. She also has served on the Governor's Council on Fitness and Health; Iowa Safety Council; and as chair of the Governor's Task Force on Rural Health; director of Principal Mutual Life Insurance; and director of Northwest Bank.