Jerry Jasinowski is a leader in the Eisenhower mold. He became president of the National Association of Manufacturers on January 2, 1990, at the outset of one of the nation’s most turbulent decades for manufacturers. During his almost 15 years as leader of the NAM, Jasinowski has demonstrated a remarkable facility for empowering people and inspiring consistently higher levels of performance, propelling the NAM into the front rank of Washington trade associations and earning it an unrivaled reputation for probity and effectiveness.

Fortune magazine has ranked the NAM 10th among the 25 most influential lobbying groups in Washington.

Serving as chief advocate for manufacturers was an appropriate assignment for a man who began his career as a factory worker in Indiana, making farm implements, air conditioners and Studebakers.

Jasinowski earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Indiana University, and a master’s from Columbia University and later participated in the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Prior to joining the NAM, he served as a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and an assistant professor of economics for the Air Force Academy. In Washington, he managed research and legislative activities for the Joint Economic Committee and later served as assistant secretary for policy of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

As head of the NAM, Jasinowski has shared the spotlight with three presidents and enjoyed the confidence of senators, members of Congress, governors, captains of industry, senior government officials, foreign dignitaries and prominent journalists.

His intricate knowledge of economics and business trends has made him a preferred speaker before diverse business audiences, a favorite source of information and opinions for major media outlets and a familiar face to millions of Americans as the voice of manufacturing. He has routinely brought to NAM Board meetings some of the most prominent names in government and business, including Presidents Bush, the elder and younger, key cabinet secretaries of each administration and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

As Jasinowski prepares to pass the reins of the NAM to former Michigan Gov. John Engler, he looks back over a record of successes. Despite a prolonged manufacturing recession, the NAM is at the top of its game – enjoying an unparalleled reputation for influence, an active membership and a solid set of financial returns.

Jasinowski’s proudest achievement is his influence on the U.S. debate about economic growth and manufacturing’s contribution to it. He helped persuade Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan that manufacturing productivity growth could raise overall economic growth by a full percentage point and that it could grow faster than 2 percent without igniting inflation. He popularized the four Ts as the key ingredients of economic growth: trade, technology, training and taxes.

* Trade — Jasinowski focused the debate on the critical need to let market forces set exchange rates and provided leadership to expand global trade.

* Technology — Jasinowski helped articulate that manufacturing leads technology development and innovation.

* Training — Jasinowski has always argued that human capital is central to our ability to compete and has launched a national campaign to upgrade education and training for a new generation of manufacturing workers.

* Taxes — Jasinowski has consistently argued for lower marginal tax rates and incentives to draw resources into productive investment.

In all these debates, Jasinowski stressed manufacturing’s critical role and thereby raised its visibility. He founded The Manufacturing Institute to pursue that public education effort and will become president of the institute when he leaves the NAM presidency.

Jasinowski also takes pride in the team culture he has fostered at the NAM. He encourages everyone to reach beyond their potential and work together to achieve organizational goals. The NAM workplace culture is based upon respect, support and empowerment. The stability and continuity of the NAM staff confirm its reputation as a great place to work.

Because policymakers are especially sensitive to the voices of their constituents in the “real world” outside the Beltway, Jasinowski stressed member involvement as key to the NAM’s effectiveness. Under his leadership, the NAM launched the small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMM) initiative to make certain smaller members have an active voice and are fully engaged in setting NAM policies and priorities. The result is an energized, broad-based organization that can speak to issues with diverse voices.

Among the organization’s more conspicuous victories on Jasinowski’s watch were passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); limits on federal agency regulatory abuses; extension of the R&D tax credit; defeat of job-crushing BTU tax and health care schemes; improvements in food and drug laws; repeal of the OSHA ergonomics rules; and a crackdown on unmerited securities lawsuits.

The NAM played a key role in helping the Bush Administration achieve three rounds of pro-growth tax relief in 2001, 2002 and 2003. More recently, the NAM launched The Campaign for Growth and Manufacturing Renewal to educate citizens and policymakers about the importance of manufacturing, call attention to the challenges manufacturers face and rally support for pro-manufacturing policies, programs and legislation.

Jasinowski also has focused on the critical need for visionary corporate leadership during these challenging times. He is the author of two books on manufacturing — Making It in America: Proven Paths to Success from 50 Top Companies (1995) and The Rising Tide (1998) — which focus on successful business and public policy strategies necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Jasinowski has greatly enhanced the NAM’s and manufacturing’s visibility through a combination of media outreach, member communications and demonstrated influence on legislation and public policies.

He has fostered a variety of member services that provide the NAM with a substantial stream of non-dues income, including the hugely popular annual National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, which has become one of the nation’s premier manufacturing trade shows. He conveys to his successor a set of financials solidly in the black.

It’s been a good run for Jerry Jasinowski and the NAM. Manufacturing has benefited from his leadership, as has the nation. He will continue to advocate manufacturing in his new role as president of The Manufacturing Institute.

Hank Cox is the NAM’s director of communications.