Gutierrez wrote NKBA’s Economic Indicators column for many years.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
Manuel D. Gutierrez, a longtime NKBA contributor and economist for Kohler Co., died peacefully at his home in Kohler, WI, on Sept. 2, after a battle with cancer. He was 79.
An astute observer of the kitchen and bath industry as well as the overall economy, Gutierrez spent more than 25 years at Kohler Co. in market research, and wrote the Economic Indicators column for NKBA’s newsfeed for more than a decade.
“Manuel was instrumental in helping me envision and shape the future of NKBA’s research strategy,” said Bill Darcy, Global President and CEO of NKBA, “including confirming what would become our economic focus with the Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook and KBMI. I am so proud of the industry authority NKBA has become, and it all started with Manuel.”
“As NKBA’s Consulting Economist for many years, Manuel helped me brainstorm research topics that would be of interest to all NKBA member segments,” said Tricia Zach, Head of Research. “He also introduced me to individuals and organizations who have since become trusted research partners of the NKBA. For years, Manuel authored the Association’s Economic Indicators column, making crucial economic data relevant to our industry and educating our members. He was a pleasure to work with, a joyful, charming man who always had a warm greeting for the many people he knew at KBIS or at economics conferences. He always spoke lovingly about his family — but was quick to ask about your family, too. Manuel was a friend to NKBA, to the industry, and to me.”
Gutierrez was a true Renaissance man with many interests. He was a college instructor, teaching at universities in New Jersey (Stockton State College) and in Barquisimeto, Venezuela; a serious woodworker, crafting Barbie houses with penthouses for his daughters and miniature historic shipping vessels, and a student of world languages, of which Chinese stands out as receiving the most time for writing and speaking in the later decades of his life.
He was a passionate traveler, always with his suitcase at the ready. He blogged about his travels to Morocco, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, numerous trips to China and India, and other parts of the globe.
Manuel was a bicycle racer, a hobby he maintained until just this past April. It was during his long bike rides of upwards of 10 to 20 miles that he would memorize and repeat various works of poetry, such as Dante’s Inferno from “La Divina Commedia.” He would recite an entire canto each day on the trail.
Manuel de Jesus Gutierrez Martinez was born in San Cristobal de Totonicapan, Guatemala, on June 8, 1945. He was the fourth of six children of the late Manuel and Maria Consuelo (Martinez) Gutierrez.
An avid reader, by the time he finished high school, Manuel had read every single book in the library of his youth in Quetzaltenango city, with his handwritten name on each book’s frontispiece as proof. Following high school in Guatemala, Manuel came to the U.S. for undergraduate studies at Saint Louis University and prepared a PhD (ABD) in Economics and Mathematics at Saint Louis University, reaching candidacy in April 1975.
He married E. Michele Armon in St. Louis in 1971. They were married for nearly 53 years, until her death in March. Manuel settled with his wife and children in Sheboygan, WI, and then moved to Kohler WI, for long-term work with the Kohler Co. Early on, he was Senior Mathematician for Kohler, and later directed the company’s Market Research area of the Kitchen and Bath Group’s International Division, becoming part of Kohler’s Quarter Century Club.
While at Kohler, Manuel was integral to large global change in the business. He created and actively wrote for a newsletter his department prepared for Kohler Co. worldwide on kitchen and bath trends and housing starts. He was always busy making predictions and preparing graphs of data for better visualization and understanding.
Gutiérrez was very active with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, a research center dedicated to advance policy and practice concerning housing, from which he was awarded a special recognition of achievement upon his retirement. Manuel was an active leading member of The Economic Club of Sheboygan, where he was given an emeritus award. He also had a stint in local politics, serving as village elder in the Village of Kohler for a number of years.
After retiring, he continued to consult for various firms and kept up a blog, EconLives, on economic and market trends.
Manuel is survived by his two daughters, Maya Consuelo (Claude Bauschinger) Gutierrez of Brooklyn, NY, and Andrea Lorene (Jayant Sirohi) Gutierrez of Austin, TX; grandchildren, Siri Ratna Gutierrez Sirohi and Asha Sundari Gutierrez Sirohi; siblings Maria Consuelo (Paco) de Perez de Anton, Remigio (Olga) Gutierrez, Roberto (Maggie) Gutierrez, and Carmen, la Chiqui, Gutierrez, all of Guatemala.
Along with his wife and his parents, Manuel was predeceased by his sister, Gloria (Jorge) de Prado and his sister-in-law Mary Armon. For more information, including details of a celebration of his life on Nov. 16 at Ballhorn Chapels in Sheboygan, WI, click here. Memorial donations may be made in Manuel’s name to a charitable fund for Arts Education Scholarships.
