Founded by Dan Swinney in 1982, Manufacturing Renaissance’s original purpose was to provide reliable information and technical assistance to the Harold Washington Administration of the City of Chicago, labor and community groups who were fighting manufacturing plant closures that devastated the west and south sides of Chicago in the 1980s. For the past 38 years MR has been recognized as a leading expert, advocate and practitioner of policies and programs that support the manufacturing sector as a primary strategy for reducing poverty, expanding inclusion, and sustaining middle-class communities.  Today, MR works to advance sustainable development through manufacturing. Our programs represent tangible, direct solutions that if scaled as part of a comprehensive, systemic development approach have the potential for dramatically improving economic outcomes for low-income, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other person of color (BIPOC) communities.