Alberto Bombassei made at least two major moves as chief of Brembo SpA that helped land him in the U.S. Automotive Hall of Fame last week. He made an eyebrow-raising bet in sticking with brakes for thirsty performance vehicles for the U.S. market even in the face of $4-a-gallon gasoline and the Great Recession.  And the long-time chairman of the Italian brake giant invested in significant production capabilities in the United States long before "made in America" would become the huge political and economic issue it is today.

Sales for Brembo's red performance-brake calipers and other components and systems in North America grew by 6 percent last year, and the NAFTA countries now are the company's top market at 28 percent of sales. So Bombassei and his company have a big stake in the potential shakeup of the North America Free Trade Agreement that the Trump administration has kept on the table.