Former governor and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will be the featured speaker during the annual Industry Breakfast at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. The breakfast begins at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 10 in the South Building, Level 1, Room S100/Grand Ballroom.
Romney recently announced that he would not run for president in 2016. Widely praised for his leadership as a public servant and businessman, Romney was the Republican nominee for president in 2012, running on a platform of creating jobs, reducing the debt, reforming tax law and healthcare reform. One of Massachusetts’ most successful governors, he established a healthcare law that was the first of its kind in the nation and ensured coverage for all citizens of the state. In 2012, TIME included Romney in its list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” praising his “work ethic, analytical mind, and devotion to family and country.”
As the governor of Massachusetts from 2002–2007, Romney led a dramatic reversal of state fortunes and a period of sustained economic expansion. Without raising taxes or increasing debt, he balanced the budget every year of his administration, closing the $3 billion budget gap he had inherited. Prior to his time as governor, Romney was president and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where he first gained national recognition. He succeeded in erasing a $379 million operating deficit, organizing 23,000 volunteers, galvanizing community spirit and overseeing an unprecedented security mobilization just months after the September 11th attacks, leading to one of the country’s most successful Olympics. Today, Romney is a director of Marriott International and an advisor at private equity firm. He is also the author of Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games (2004) and No Apology: The Case for American Greatness (2011).
In addition to Romney’s presentation, International Housewares Association Chairman David Elliott, general manager KitchenAid Small Appliances, will briefly outline the Association’s accomplishments in the past year and its objectives for the future. Tickets for the Industry Breakfast are $25 per person or $300 for a table of 10 with priority seating. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.housewares.org/show/breakfast.aspx or during the Show at the Show Store, Grand Concourse, Level 2.5.
