Michigan Business Beat | Bob Jacquart, Jacquart Fabric Products

Chris Holman welcomes back Bob Jacquart, Chairman of Ironwood’s Jacquart Fabric Products (JFP), and Stormy Kromer who is receiving statewide recognition as a recipient of the MFG Lifetime Achievement Award with a 2022 MFG Excellence Award, presented by the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA), this evening, Thursday, November 10th.

Watch Bob share with Chris about Jacquart Fabric Products, Stormy Kromer, life after the succession plan and his honor at the 2022 MFG Excellence Awards for Lifetime Achievement:

Bob Jacquart, Chairman of Ironwood’s Jacquart Fabric Products (JFP), and Stormy Kromer is receiving statewide recognition as a recipient of the MFG Lifetime Achievement Award with a 2022 MFG Excellence Award, presented by the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA).

MMA Lifetime Achievement Award, congratulations and tell us a bit about that?
Remind us about Jacquart Fabric Products' history?
It's always good to go over the Story Kromer story, please share?
Can you speak to your other community involvement?

• The MFG Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a manufacturer who has excelled in the industry and inspires their peers, emerging leaders, lawmakers, and educators to strive to make significant contributions to their company, industry, and community.• Jacquart Fabric Products was started by Bob’s father in 1958. Bob joined the organization in 1971 and later purchased it in 1983. From there, he grew the family business from a two-person storefront to 80,000 square feet of manufacturing space to ship products nationally and internationally.• In 2001, the Stormy Kromer brand was a single product that sold just 3,900 units a year, but Bob believed in the brand and saw its potential. He grew Stormy Kromer from 18 dealers to 900, with the company now making 3,900 caps per week.• Bob Jacquart is also a community steward who has shown up for his community through charitable giving and participation on the boards of organizations such as the U.S. Nordic Sport Board of Directors, Gogebic Community College Board of Trustees (Board Chairman), Michigan Technological University Board of Control, Northland College Board of Trustees, Aspirus Inc. Board of Directors, and the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank Ninth District Advisory Board.

• He is also a longtime board member of Copper Peak and the Chair of the Organizing Committee for future meets. He has dedicated countless hours, energy, and financial investment into leading the effort to revitalize the largest ski jump in North America.

About Stormy Kromer: Since 1903, the Stormy Kromer brand has come to embody the independence, wit, and grit of the upper Midwest. It all started with a cap. George “Stormy” Kromer, a semi-pro baseball player and railroad engineer, kept losing his hat on the train. He asked his wife, Ida, to sew an ear band on his favorite ball cap to keep his ears warm and the hat snug. It worked. Over the past century, many brands have come and gone, yet Stormy Kromer has survived and thrived— thanks to the adventurers, the workers, the dreamers, and all the excellent people who value style, durability, and a sense of fun. Located in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, today Stormy Kromer proudly continues its tradition of hand-crafting American-made products and supporting American-made jobs. For more information, visit www.stormykromer.com. About Jacquart Fabric Company In 1958, Robert R. Jacquart began making bank deposit bags in his basement. Today, Jacquart Fabric Products occupies over 90,000 square feet, employs over 120 Midwestern workers and is proudly owned and managed by the second and third generations of the Jacquart family. Located at the western edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we are proud, passionate, creative makers who deliver world-class service with small-town values. We strive to treat everyone like family. We value, nurture and develop employees. And most importantly, we do whatever it takes to get the job done with integrity.

The 2022 MFG Excellence Award winners are:

· MFG Emerging Leader: Kristen Opperman, Hemlock Semiconductor Operations LLC (Hemlock)

· MFG Lifetime Achievement: Bob Jacquart, Jacquart Fabric Productions, Home of Stormy Kromer (Ironwood)

· John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year, Small Tier: Dave Yancho and Robin McConnell, Armor Protective Packaging (Howell)

· MFG Talent Champion: Steve Heethuis, NN Mobile Solutions (Kentwood)

· MFG Woman of the Year: Terri Datz-Siegel, Hemlock Semiconductor Operations LLC (Hemlock)

The 2022 MFG Excellence Finalists had been:

· MFG Community Impact: Armor Protective Packaging (Howell), Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University (Southfield), and Peckham, Inc. (Lansing)

· MFG Innovation Excellence: Armor Protective Packaging (Howell), Interactive Training Systems (Fenton), and SOBRsafe (Shelby Township)

· John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year, Large Tier: Armstrong International (Three Rivers), Brose North America (Auburn Hills), and DUO Form (Edwardsburg)

MMA’s McKinley was joined at the press conference today by Peckham VP of Manufacturing Brett Linton, NN Mobile Solutions Training Director Steve Heethuis, Armor Protective Packaging President Dave Yancho, Armstrong International President of The Americas Patricia Provot, Interactive Training Systems Director of Operations Amy Seymour, Brose Director of Industrial Engineering Joe LaRussa, SOBRsafe Chief Revenue Officer Mike Watson, Cobra MOTO President H. Sean Hilbert, Raybend Product Manager Jeremy Ryan and Planewave Instruments CEO Rick Hedrick.

Celebrating 120 years since its founding, the Michigan Manufacturers Association serves as a unifying champion of an industry that is in constant evolution and growth. MMA represents the most diverse manufacturing center in perhaps the entire world.

Learn more about MMA and the MFG Excellence Awards at mimfg.org/mfgexcellence. For more information on the MFG Excellence Awards, the “Coolest Thing”, contact MMA’s Delaney McKinley at 517-487-8530 or mckinley@mimfg.org.

About MMAFor 120 years, the MMA has been serving Michigan manufacturers and related industries by providing effective representation at Michigan’s Capitol, timely educational seminars, quality and competitive-rate insurance programs, informational e-newsletters, and a monthly magazine. Visit mimfg.org for more information.

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