SMU Community Chat: Bilstein's Wilson talks tariffs and pretzels

Wilson sat down with SMU Editor-in-Chief Michael Cowden on Wednesday for an SMU Community Chat. The wide-ranging conversation touched on cultural differences between the US and Germany, the relationship between parent and subsidiary, and even Wilson’s time playing professional basketball in Germany. (He also played college ball in the States.) It would be impossible to summarize everything, so I highly recommend checking out a replay of the whole talk here.

Background

Raised in Germany in Cologne, Wilson has a very interesting story.

“My mother’s family came over to Germany and they participated in mission relief work. So after World War II, they built up churches; they built up communities. And that’s how my mom ended up in Germany,” he said. “She wasn’t born there, but was raised there.”

Wilson’s father is American, the couple met in the US and in college, but went back to live in Germany.

“So I’ve got an American name … and then raised in downtown Cologne in German school. So I have a very European mindset from the get-go, but definitely, induced by my father, the American side.”

And from playing basketball in both the US and Europe, he was introduced to a whole range of cultures.

Tariffs

Such a diverse upbringing, as well as working for the US arm of a German firm, makes Wilson particularly well-suited to talk about tariffs.

Trust me, that’s a subject that’s taken up a lot of ink for us here at SMU in recent times. We mostly do it from the perspective of how it will affect the US market. But Wilson has some keen insights on how it’s viewed from a European perspective.

Wilson has been CEO at the Bowling Green, Ky., company for five years, starting as COO the year before. The company produces cold-rolled steel strip for a range of applications – from automotive and construction products to tools. It’s a subsidiary of Hagen, Germany-based Bilstein Group, a family company established in 1911.

Wilson started out cautiously.

“Let me say this without getting too political or anything, and perhaps introducing a little bit how Europe thinks about these tariffs at the same time,” he said. “So, you know, Europe doesn’t believe that these tariffs are positive, right?”

He went on to say that “Europe believes that the US is really hurting themselves with these tariffs … and there’s definitely some truth to that, right?”

This is echoed in our recent surveys, where Trump’s tariffs have faced declining support.

But Wilson pointed out it shouldn’t be surprising that we’re now seeing some friction.

“We voted him into office. We all knew that he was tariff oriented. And now we’re in the midst of it… You have to let it play out a little bit.”

He added that the economy isn’t a “speed boat,” and it’s natural that there is some confusion now with such a big change in trade policy.

With a background in engineering, Wilson said, “I want to see the plan. I want to see the timeline. I want to see the steps.”

Even in this current “uncomfortable” situation, Wilson looked to the positives.

“I’ve done multiple greenfields; I’ve done multiple brownfields in my life in the metals industry. In this short window of 20 years, I’ve never seen anything good happen without friction.”

He continued:

“If iron sharpens iron, you gotta have sparks. But at the end, you have a product, a sharp blade, that you can then use. So I think it’s a little too soon to call a judgment upon it (the tariffs). The history books will tell us the tale.”

Rocking the boat

Wilson said that if you look at the European side of things, “What they’ll argue is, you we were making investments into the US before you brought tariffs. Now suddenly there’s this big change.”

His response is more philosophical, noting “there’s always been something that has created friction between Europe and the US. This is nothing new. And just blaming Trump is an easy exit.”

However, one valid point he gave to the European point of view is that “investments take time.”

“So if you’re trying to pull investments into the US … is it the best way to do that through taxation and tariffs, or would a better way be to say, let’s create stimulus, or incentives for those companies to come? So, again, time will tell,” Wilson said.

A twisted question

Even in matters culinary, Wilson gave a nod to his cultural mix. When asked if the pretzels were better in Bavaria or at the ballpark, he split the difference, though ultimately gave Bavaria the edge.

He quipped: “I’m not from Bavaria, so I’d have to go with … I think they make the best pretzels, but I think that there’s a lot better quality in pretzels nowadays in the ballpark than there was 20 years ago.”