That's a wrap. Yesterday some 350 people from all across America's industrial heartland assembled in Chicago at Forbes Reinventing America Summit to talk shop, network, and above all else celebrate American ingenuity. On panel after panel, we met people tacking the challenges of everything from getting young people jobs to making your company a great place to work to additive manufacturing, factory modernization and new materials science. The whole day was inspiring, but, before we head on to our Summit on the American Workforce in Detroit in May, wanted to take a minute to share 5 of my favorite takeaways from Chicago:
1. The Great American Energy Boom is here to stay. So said Harold Hamm, Founder and CEO of Continental Resources and one of the energy pioneers who created the boom, speaking at lunch with Forbes' Southwest Bureau Chief Chris Helman. He called for an overturn of Richard Nixon's 1973 ban on US oil exports to help American drillers enter the world market. Someone should listen to him. For more on Hamm, read Helman's recent exclusive: Welcome To Cowboyistan: Fracking King Harold Hamm's Plan For U.S. Domination Of Global Oil
2. This country is full of mind-blowingly smart young people. Speakers from Ecovative's Eben Bayer, who's turning mushrooms in to building materials to re:3D's Samantha Snabes, who is looking for ways to make large-scale 3D printing affordable, to Caralynn Nowinski, who is leading the charge on making digital factories a reality, showcased inventiveness that would make Edison or Ford proud. A particularly spellbinding moment: There are just two copies of the flowing, gorgeous 3D-printed dress created by Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, Co-Founder, Nervous System. One hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The other was modeled yesterday at RA15, and it was a showstopping, technological marvel. Here's a look:
3. One passionate entrepreneur really can change it the world. Take Steve Case. In the closing interview of Reinventing, AOL founder Case talked about his 'Rise of The Rest' bus tour, where he travels the country trying to raise the profile of heartland entrepreneurs. It's a great cause, and a great organization, and his war stories from the absolute frontier of the Internet age were a reminder of the outsized, foundational role Case and a small band of true-believers played in getting us all connected during the very earliest days of helping get America online. Lots of people talk about changing the world, but he did it -- from Northern Virginia.
4. We can still make a seriously kick-ass motorcycle. Steve Menneto, vice president of motorcycles for Polaris Industries showed off Indian's beautiful new Scout model, designed and built in the American midwest. Coming soon: screens. They'll allow riders to see mileage counts, chart where they are going, check that their motorcycles don’t have any mechanical problems and control their music. “You’ve got to have loud music when you’re riding,” Menneto said with a smile. “But we don’t want you to have like 100 apps.” Founded in 1901, Indian is America's oldest motorcycle brand. Polaris is the latest, and so far most successful, company to try and resuscitate the brand, which went bankrupt after WWII. Worth watching: Indian's 'Wall of Death' video:
5. There is still reason and political courage in America--in both parties. Mired in billions in pension liabilities, high taxes and a political scene that makes Washington look well-run, it's easy to write off Illinois and Chicago. But there is reason for hope. In an RA interview with Steve Forbes, new Republican Governor Bruce Rauner was full of blunt talk, promising to break the longstanding hold of unions and career politicians on the state's fortunes. In Chicago, Democrat Rahm Emanuel has grabbed a double-digit lead in the polls as the runnoff election for mayor moves closer. While he's made enormous strides in some critical industries back to the city, his needed reforms of the schools and municipal government have angered a host of special interests. While it may not help him to get the win, Forbes endorsed his reelection in his opening remarks. "He's a tough man for tough times," said Forbes.
