Advocacy Day: Community Leaders Standing For Inclusive Manufacturing in Springfield

Photo: Representatives of the CMRC and Ministers for Manufacturing Committee in front of the State of Illinois Capitol Building in Springfield, IL, 11/16/22. A strong message about the need for increased investment in the manufacturing ecosystem was brought directly to Springfield on November 16 at Advocacy Day, which was hosted by the Ministers for Manufacturing, […]
Ministers for Manufacturing Leads Advocacy Day Trip to Springfield, IL on 11/16

Manufacturing Renaissance and the Ministers for Manufacturing committee co-chairs of the Chicagoland Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC) will host a day trip in an executive coach bus to the Springfield Capitol on November 16, 2022. Our legislative host and guide when we arrive will be Rep. Kam Buckner and his staff. Rep. Buckner, a legislative leader and former chair […]
Pastor Donald Meeks, 1st Choice Outreach Ministries, Matteson, IL 1952-2022

The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC) shares profound condolences with the family, friends, and community of Pastor Donald Meeks of 1st Choice Outreach Ministries and Trustee of the Village of Matteson, IL. Pastor Meeks passed away on July 4. Pastor Meeks was a Co-chair of the Ministers for Manufacturing committee of the CMRC representing the […]
Looking Forward: Latest Ministers for Manufacturing Meeting Update

The faith community in the region continues to support manufacturing as a tool for social inclusion and sustainable community development through the Ministers for Manufacturing committee of the Chicagoland Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC). On June 21, the committee and stakeholders met at the state-of-the-art Manufacturing Technology & Engineering Center (MTEC) at Daley College. The meeting […]
Ministers for Manufacturing Quarterly Meeting Updates

The Chicagoland Manufacturing Renaissance Council‘s Ministers for Manufacturing (M4M) committee convenes quarterly to share the latest program and policy updates with faith leaders in our communities. This quarter’s meeting on February 18, 2022 featured Craig Freedman, CEO of Freedman Seating, Andrew Stettner and Michelle Burris of The Century Foundation, DeeDee Jones of Manufacturing Renaissance, and […]
CMRC’s Ministers for Manufacturing: The Faith Community Plays a Key Role in Development

Photo caption left to right: Rev. Anthony Haynes, David Robinson, Erica Staley, Tanesha House, Jim Piper, Rev. Timothy Wright III Ministers in the region who are working with Manufacturing Renaissance came together in September to build the faith community’s support for manufacturing as a tool for social inclusion and sustainable community development. The gathering of […]
Success Story: Mandrell Davis “…wants to do this.”

Participant, Young Manufacturers Association Mandrell Davis heard about the Young Manufacturers Association (YMA) from a pastor in a local church near where he lives in south suburban Robbins. YMA is Manufacturing Renaissance’s network and program for young adults aged 18-29 who are pursuing careers in manufacturing, are in-between jobs, in training, or are interested in starting a career […]
Profile: Rev. Anthony Haynes, Chairman, Ministers for Manufacturing

As a teenager on Chicago’s South Side in the 1970s, Rev. Anthony Haynes trained to be a minister at the African Methodist Episcopalian Church. Now, more than four decades later, he is serving as associate minister for the River Jordan Ministries on the city’s South Side. Meanwhile, Rev. Haynes has had a wide variety of […]
New Report: Faith-based Organizations, Manufacturing’s Emerging Partners

Faith leaders and manufacturers are partnering in ways that create economic opportunities and have great potential to benefit communities in the future, according to a recently released report by the Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA). Last month, the UMA released Manufacturing’s Emerging Partners: Faith-Informed Organizations Supporting Employment and Entrepreneurship. Manufacturing Renaissance is featured in the report, […]