This story was written by Wade Balkonis, AEM Grassroots Advocacy Manager.
It’s been a busy year for AEM’s national grassroots campaign. Throughout the year, we’ve hosted more dozens of policymakers, added more than 6,900 new supporters, and sent more than 750,000 messages about issues that impact the equipment manufacturing industry.
In 2019, I Make America gained new momentum advocating for the 1.3 million men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry by hosting elected representatives and federal officials across the country. AEM member companies like AGCO, Graepel, Manitowoc, and Stanley Infrastructure, to name a few, opened their facilities to federal legislators and key government officials to remind lawmakers of the importance of the industry to communities across the country. By telling our industry’s story firsthand to Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), U.S. Representatives Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), and other key elected officials, we helped prioritize polices that impact the equipment that builds, feeds, and powers America.
I Make America is only as strong as those who support it. And today, we are stronger than ever. This year we added nearly 7,000 new supporters. We’re proud of that record. It’s not just about the number of new friends to help advocate for pro-manufacturing policies. It’s about the meaningful conversations we had about the industry and what matters most to them.
We met many of these new advocates during facility visits with elected officials, our engagement efforts at ICUEE, and throughout Manufacturing Month this October. We also had the opportunity to engage with new supporters during our three Pancakes and Policy tours that crisscrossed the U.S., traveling through Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. These tours gave us the opportunity discuss important policy initiatives with more than 3,000 member-company employees.
2019 also allowed us to better engage our advocates with communications that were relevant, timely, and provided value to our more than 40,000 grassroots supporters. We asked our supporters to make their voices heard on issues like E15, the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA), infrastructure spending and the Export-Import Bank.
As we gear up for the 2020 election, I Make America is ready to continue our work, ensuring that candidates up and down the ballot, from the White House to local state representatives, understand the importance of pro-manufacturing policies and feel the impact of our industry’s 1.3 million men and women. Come be a part of a historical election and join I Make America.
