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MW Advantage > About Us > Advisory Team > Joseph B. Anderson Jr.

ADVISORY BOARD

Joseph B. Anderson Jr.

Chair, Detroit Board of Directors, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Majority Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
TAG Holdings LLC

Joseph B. Anderson, Jr., is  he majority owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TAG Holdings, LLC which owns several manufacturing, service and technology-based entities based in North America. These entities serve a variety of industries including automotive, heavy equipment, aerospace, defense and recreational vehicles.

During his military career, Mr. Anderson commanded troops as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and served two tours of duty with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. In addition to troop command, Mr. Anderson served as aide-de-camp to two general officers, and he also was an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. Mr. Anderson and the infantry platoon he commanded in Vietnam were subjects of the highly acclaimed documentary film “The Anderson Platoon.” The documentary has been shown in more than 20 countries and has won several prizes to include the Oscar of the Academy Awards and an Emmy for the “Best Documentary Film of 1967.” Mr. Anderson’s military awards include two silver stars, five bronze stars, three Army Commendation Medals and eleven Air Medals. Mr. Anderson resigned his commission in 1978, after 13 years of service and early selection for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.

In 1977, Mr. Anderson was selected to be a White House Fellow and worked as Special Assistant to Secretary of Commerce, Juanita Kreps. Following his White House Fellow Year, Mr. Anderson continued to work for Secretary Kreps until he joined General Motors in 1979.

Mr. Anderson began his business career with General Motors in 1979 at Pontiac Motor Division. In 1981, after several manufacturing assignments, Mr. Anderson was named Plant Manager of the Pressed Metal and Plating Operations, Pontiac Motor Division. After three years as a plant manager, Mr. Anderson held several staff assignments until 1989 when he was appointed Director of the Exterior Systems Business Unit, Inland Fisher Guide Division of General Motors Corporation. In 1990 he was appointed General Director, Body Hardware Business Unit, Inland Fisher Guide Division, General Motors Corporation, a business unit with 7,000 employees and revenue of $1 billion. In late 1992, after 13 years of service, Mr. Anderson resigned from General Motors to become President and Chief Executive Officer of a privately held company, Composite Energy Management Systems, Incorporated (CEMSI). In October 1994, Mr. Anderson acquired a controlling interest in another privately held entity, Chivas Products Limited, which manufactured interior trim products and lighting assemblies principally for the automotive industry. In 1997, the company was restructured as Chivas Industries, LLC where Mr. Anderson maintained controlling ownership and held the position of Chairman of the Board and CEO before divesting his interest in 2002.

Mr. Anderson currently serves on the company Boards of Directors of Quaker Chemical Corporation, Meritor, Inc., and Rite Aid Corporation. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association and the board of the National Recreation Foundation. Mr. Anderson served as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council for the term 2013-2015. Mr. Anderson’s community involvement includes Horizons-Upward Bound Advisory Board.

Mr. Anderson was born in Topeka, Kansas, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1965, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Math and Engineering. He subsequently received two Masters Degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1972 and 1973. Mr. Anderson attended the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1977. He also is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program, 1984. In June 2007, Mr. Anderson received an Honorary Doctor of Management Degree from Kettering University and in December 2013 he received an Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science Degree from Central Michigan University.