Mark Denzler is president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and Secretary/Treasurer of the IMA Education Foundation. Founded in 1893, the IMA is the oldest and one of the largest state manufacturing trade associations in the United States. Mark is the leading advocate for the state’s manufacturing companies and the 650,000 women and men who make things in Illinois. He is an effective and bipartisan advocate with a strong record of success. Under Mark’s leadership, the IMA was named as “One of 100 Associations Saving the World” by the American Society of Association Executives in 2021 and received the inaugural ad prestigious “Manufacturing Leadership Award” in 2022 from the Coalition of State Manufacturing Association as the best state manufacturing association in the United States.

Manufacturing matters in Illinois! For more than two hundred years, innovative and ingenious Illinois manufacturers have made the world a better place to live by creating life-saving products, building our infrastructure, transporting people and products around the globe and into space, feeding the world, powering our homes and businesses, developing pioneering technology and communication, and providing for our nation’s defense.

Today’s modern manufacturing sector is high-tech, diverse, innovative, sustainable, and moving at the speed of light. Our members employ 592,000 women and men on shop floors, producing $304 billion in economic output – the single largest share of the Illinois economy. Manufacturers are the innovators and entrepreneurs, dreamers and leaders of America.

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is marching forward, side-by-side with industry to address challenges and shape the future. A powerful and respected leader from the White House to the Governor’s Office, Congress to the General Assembly, and City Halls across the state, the IMA is the unifying voice and champion of manufacturing in Illinois.

We are solving problems and getting results by using cutting-edge tools and technology. In 2019 the IMA saved manufacturers more than $300 million by extending the Research & Development credit, eliminating the franchise tax, and enacting a new Manufacturers Purchase Credit. Our Education Foundation is a world-renowned organization working to implement best-in-class solutions to develop the next generation manufacturing workforce. The IMA is delivering a real dollar return for manufacturers who invest in our mission.