Joseph Anderson

Mr. Joseph B. Anderson, Jr., born in Topeka, Kansas, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Engineering.  Subsequently, he received two Master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Mr. Anderson attended the Army’s Command and General Staff College and is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program.  Mr. Anderson received an Honorary Doctor of Management from Kettering University and an Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science from Central Michigan University.  In May 2016, Mr. Anderson received the Distinguished Graduate Award from The United States Military Academy at West Point honoring him for his lifetime of achievement. 

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 Commander, Mr. Anderson served as Aide-de-camp to two general officers and 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 awards to include the Oscar of the Academy Awards and an Emmy.  Mr. Anderson’s military awards include two silver stars, five bronze stars, three Army Commendation Medals, and eleven Air Medals.  While in the Army, Mr. Anderson was selected to be a White House Fellow and worked as Special Assistant to Secretary of Commerce, Juanita Kreps for one year.  After the assignment, Mr. Anderson continued to work for Secretary Kreps until he joined General Motors.   

Following his service with the U.S. Army, Mr. Anderson began his business career with General Motors and served as a Plant Manager and Business Unit Director.  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.  After 13 years of service, Mr. Anderson resigned to become President and CEO of a privately held company, Composite Energy Management Systems Incorporated.  He acquired a controlling interest in another privately held company, Chivas Products, Ltd, and held the position of Chairman of the Board and CEO.  Currently, Mr. Anderson is the majority owner, Chairman, and CEO of TAG Holdings, LLC which owns several manufacturing service and technology-based companies based in North America, serving a variety of industries including automotive, heavy equipment, aerospace, and defense.

Mr. Anderson currently serves on the Board of Directors of Business Leaders for Michigan, Michigan Aerospace Manufactures Association (MAMA), and Wynnchurch Capital Advisory Board and is on the Modular Assembly Innovations Board of Managers.  His community involvement includes Chairman of the Board of the National Recreation Foundation and Horizons Upward Bound Advisory Board; Mr. Anderson has served on the Boards of Directors of several New York Stock Exchange companies.  He is immediate Past Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago-Detroit Branch and is also a Past Chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council.