Even for a toddlin town famous for making “no small plans” — such as, for example, reversing in 1900 the Chicago River to secure clean drinking water, or rebuilding itself seemingly overnight after the devastating “Great Chicago Fire” (1871) — to physically — and successfully — elevate itself as much as 14 feet above its original ground level defies not only description but credulity.

At SKF, we believe in the longterm development of the U.S. industrial economy. The reindustrialization is supported by a strong university-based research network, a competitive workforce and energy supply from domestic energy resources. However, there are still challenges, particularly regarding the availability of skilled labor. Business, education and governments have a responsibility to work together to ensure this is not the bottleneck in U.S. industrial development. I am particularly pleased with and support the work the National Association of Manufacturers is doing in this area.