{"id":9588,"date":"2024-03-19T14:44:09","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T15:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=9588"},"modified":"2024-03-19T16:00:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T16:00:22","slug":"icymi-ron-wanek-defends-free-enterprise-promotes-community-stewardship-during-manufacturing-hall-of-fame-induction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=9588","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: Ron Wanek Defends Free Enterprise, Promotes Community Stewardship During Manufacturing Hall of Fame Induction"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/icymi-ron-wanek-defends-free-enterprise-promotes-community-stewardship-during-manufacturing-hall-of-fame-induction\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Ashley Furniture Industries Founder Becomes First Modern-Era Inductee, Joining 78 Other Wisconsin Titans of Industry<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

MADISON<\/strong> \u2013 Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) \u2013 the combined state chamber and manufacturers\u2019 association \u2013 reestablished the Manufacturing Hall of Fame last month by naming Ron Wanek as the first inductee since the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Wanek founded Arcadia Furniture in 1970 in the small western Wisconsin town of Arcadia. In 1982, Arcadia Furniture and Ashley Furniture Corp. merged into Ashley Furniture Industries. Today, Ashley has grown to become the world\u2019s largest manufacturer of home furnishings, with over 30,000,000 square feet of worldwide manufacturing and distribution capacity, and Ashley retail locations throughout the United States and in 67 countries. Ashley employs 16,000 people in the United States, including nearly 3,000 in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

The induction ceremony was held on Feb. 22 at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee as part of the annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards. WMC\u2019s predecessor organization, Wisconsin Manufacturers\u2019 Association, honored individuals who made significant contributions to the state\u2019s industrial history starting in the 1950s, but it suspended the program in 1970.<\/p>\n

WMC, in partnership with First Business Bank, made the decision to reconstitute it in order to showcase Wisconsin\u2019s continuing manufacturing legacy and future opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a pleasure to be here with you all tonight and to accept this award from such an exceptional organization,\u201d Wanek said at the top of his speech. \u201cI am deeply honored and humbled to be inducted into the Wisconsin Manufacturing Hall of Fame.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spoke at length about the importance of the free enterprise system and how it powered the growth of Ashley Furniture Industries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat fueled our success, above all else, is the power of free enterprise,\u201d Wanek added. \u201cFree enterprise provides the foundation for innovation, competition, and growth. It empowers individuals to take risks, follow their dreams, and create opportunities that benefit not only businesses but also the communities around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, he highlighted how he and his wife, Joyce, have given back to the local community of Arcadia, in addition to numerous other philanthropic projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith great wealth comes great responsibility. It is through the wealth created by free enterprise that we have the means to support philanthropic efforts and make a positive impact on society,\u201d Wanek remarked. \u201cAt Ashley Furniture, we have made it a priority to give back to our communities through charitable initiatives, supporting STEM education, advancing medical research, supporting our armed forces, and other essential causes. By sharing our success, we aim to create a ripple effect of positive change that reaches far beyond our company\u2019s walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recognition of the honor, Sen. Ron Johnson and Congressman Derrick Van Orden read statements into the Congressional Record.<\/p>\n

WMC also produced a video recognizing Wanek\u2019s lifetime of achievements and commitment to manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Please see the links below for more information about the Wisconsin Manufacturing Hall of Fame:<\/p>\n

Ron Wanek Hall of Fame Induction Video<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Ron Wanek Acceptance & Remarks Video<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

The post ICYMI: Ron Wanek Defends Free Enterprise, Promotes Community Stewardship During Manufacturing Hall of Fame Induction<\/a> appeared first on WMC Wisconsin’s Chamber <\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.wmc.org\/press-releases\/icymi-ron-wanek-defends-free-enterprise-promotes-community-stewardship-during-manufacturing-hall-of-fame-induction\/ Ashley Furniture Industries Founder Becomes First Modern-Era Inductee, Joining…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9589,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9588\/revisions\/9589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}