AEM Stops By Calder Brothers Corp for Pancakes and Policy

May 31, 2019

Via AEM

AEM’s I Make America team spent last week in South Carolina visiting with the men and women of Dynapac North America (Fort Mill), Calder Brothers Corporation (Taylors), Vermeer MV Solutions (Greenville), and Komatsu America Corp. (Newberry).

The swing through the Palmetto State marked the launch of this summer’s Pancakes & Policy tour, which educates and engages with supporters on the industry’s policy priorities. In between second helpings of pancakes, the I Make America team talked about the need for infrastructure investment, the benefits of USMCA, how to encourage young people to pursue careers in manufacturing, and how South Carolina has become a hotbed for foreign investment.

“One out of every four jobs in South Carolina depend on trade, and the state’s long-term economic wellbeing relies on access to foreign markets and foreign direct investment,” AEM’s Alex Russ told workers at Calder Brothers Corporation.

Many of the questions from the hundreds of employees who turned out for the events touched on the current trade dispute with China and whether the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will be ratified this year.

“Free trade agreements give companies like ours access to more markets, and that directly benefits communities like Greenville,” one employee at Vermeer MV Solutions said on the topic of USMCA.

The state of our nation’s infrastructure was another topic that came up throughout the week. AEM’s Megan Evans told employees of Dynapac North America that “the type of investments that lawmakers in Washington are considering will not only go a long way toward rebuilding and modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, but will also create jobs in communities all across South Carolina.”

The week concluded with a visit to Komatsu America Corp., where Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) joined the I Make America team in providing an update on issues that matter to equipment manufacturers and the people of South Carolina’s 5th congressional district. More on Rep. Norman’s visit will be covered in the Monday, June 3 edition of the AEM Industry Advisor.

The Pancakes & Policy tour will continue throughout the summer, with more events planned for several states. If you are interested in hosting an event, please contact Katrina Bishop at kbishop@aem.org. We promise to bring plenty of maple syrup to go with the pancakes!

Subscribe to the AEM Industry Advisor for more coverage of I Make America.