Batesville Tool & Die President Will Chair Manufacturer's Assoc. Board

By Mike Perleberg Jody Fledderman. Photo provided. (Batesville, Ind.) - The president of Batesville Tool & Die is taking a leadership position with the Indiana Manufacturer’s Association. Jody Fledderman has been elected chairman of the IMA Executive Committee for 2017. Fledderman began working at Batesville Tool & Die in 1978 at the age of 16. He worked in nearly every department – tooling, sales, quality, engineering and administration – before being named the company’s president at the tender age of 27 in 1989. Jody graduated from Milan High School and attended night school at the University of Cincinnati. He is active as a board member of the Precision Metalforming Association, and served as chair of PMA in 2014. He also serves on the boards of New Horizons Rehabilitation and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and is past chairman of The Quarterly Club. Jody has been married to his wife, Kimberly, since 1984 and they have three children and three grandchildren. Fledderman was quoted in an article by The Wall Street Journal regarding NAFTA that his company's success has been in part due to the addition of a plant in Mexico 16 years ago. Fledderman said Batesville Tool & Die wouldn’t have three or four clients back in Indiana if not for the plant in Mexico. He has also testified to members of Congress about the effect of taxes on small businesses. Two other southeastern Indiana manufacturing leaders have been named to the IMA’s Board of Directors for 2017. Rick Weber is the president of Batesville Products Inc. in Lawrenceburg. John Linville is the vice president of supply chain at Batesville Casket. RELATED STORIES: Batesville Factory Could Be Impacted By President-Elect Trump’s NAFTA Plan