The La Crosse Industrial Association was founded in 1910 by La Crosse businessmen to encourage, assist, and develop manufacturing in La Crosse. Following a meeting of interested citizens in the fall of 1909, the Association filed articles of incorporation on January 10, 1910. Organized as a corporation authorized to issue 1,250 shares of stock worth 125,000 dollars, the Association used its funds to bring new business ventures to La Crosse and help existing companies improve or expand by borrowing and lending money to them. The first meeting of the Association was held January 18, 1910, and one of its first investments was in the National Gauge and Register Company, later the La Crosse branch of the Auto-Lite Company. To maintain sufficient funds for investment, stockholders were expected to pay periodic assessments to the Association. Over the years, the Association brought to La Crosse or invested in numerous companies, including the La Crosse Breweries, La Crosse Refrigerator Company, La Crosse Garment Company, Machine Products Company (later part of G. Heileman Brewery), Segelke-Kohlhaus, and The Trane Company. In 1945, the corporation dissolved and the Association became non-profit.
