CRMA’s History

CRMA was founded in 1902 as the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association with Captain C.D. Mitchell, a Civil War veteran from Dunlap, Iowa, serving as the first President. Mitchell returned to Chattanooga after the war, and was operating the Chattanooga Plow Company when he and other leaders recognized the need for concerted action by manufacturers to obtain favorable freight rates on manufactured products shipped by rail to mid-western markets. The Chattanooga Manufacturers Association was the first local manufacturers association in the United States.