This book recounts the founding and evolution of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association, while also examining the economic, social, political, and institutional forces that both supported and challenged its development. By tracing the Association’s ups and downs, the narrative sheds light on a broader chapter of Puerto Rican and U.S. history throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. More than a corporate chronicle, it is a social history interwoven with themes of commerce, industry, economy, and politics—contributing to the often-overlooked “public history” of Puerto Rico.