Peter Beitzel
Vice president
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC)
Peter Beitzel has worked with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce for more than 30 years, helping its members navigate the increasingly complex world of international business. During his career, he has seen many changes in the local business community. Here, he shares some thoughts on Milwaukee’s international businesses.
“As I look back over my 32-year career with the MMAC, I have witnessed many changes in metro Milwaukee. Some companies that were the stalwart foundation of our business community when I began – including Allis Chalmers, Aqua Chem, Fiat Allis, Globe Union, The Heil Co., Kearney & Trecker, Milprint, Schlitz, American Motors and many more – have either been acquired or gone out of business. Those that remain – Harley-Davidson Inc., Rockwell Automation Inc. and Johnson Controls Inc. to name a few – have flourished because of innovation and their willingness to adapt.
“The days when a person could graduate from high school and enter the job market on the factory floor with a good wage are all but gone. But manufacturing is still here, and Milwaukee is second among large metros for a percentage of its workforce in manufacturing. Today, there is more technology, improved processes and a focus on quality than ever before.
“Global competition has been one of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest, to face our local manufacturers. Milwaukee had been insulated from the world, making products for our local or regional market. We in the United States are only 5 percent of the world’s population, and manufacturers that are not already competing in the other 95 percent of the world should be actively thinking about it. Large or small, you simply must have a global strategy.
“The MMAC has been helping businesses develop those strategies for many years, starting with trade missions to every corner of the planet, and by continuing to staff the Milwaukee World Trade Association as an international education/networking arm to help business compete. More recently, we formed a China Business Council, focused specifically on the challenges and opportunities entailed in importing/exporting with this massive market. MMAC established an Immigrant Investor Visa Program to create jobs, and we are beginning to see some results and investments. We hope it will attract also some manufacturing operations.
“As we consider the future, we cannot anticipate every trend. What we can do is foster a faster, better, cheaper, smarter, competitive attitude.”
