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Tuesday, 23 June 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
Six Wapakoneta-based companies employing approximately 630 people could benefit from a bill proposed by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, officials with a research organization reports.
Brown, D-Ohio, is pushing a bill he introduced last week to create a $30 billion revolving loan program to help auto suppliers and other small to mid-size manufacturers retool for the clean energy industry.
The bill would provide the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) with $1.5 billion in federal funds during the next five years to help manufacturers transition to clean energy markets and adopt energy-efficient manufacturing technologies. At present, the nation’s 59 MEP centers receive approximately $100 million in federal funds, with states matching federal funds two-to-one.
“We can revive Ohio manufacturing through investments in clean energy,” Brown said during a teleconference. “Ohio has the manufacturing base and the skilled workers to become the Silicon Valley of clean energy manufacturing. This bill will help our manufacturers retool, put our auto suppliers back to work and place our state at the forefront of
clean energy production.”
Policy Matters Ohio officials identified six Wapakoneta-based companies of 12 companies in Auglaize County that could benefit from the bill. Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit policy research organization.
Wapakoneta Mayor Rodney Metz supports Brown’s efforts and the proposed legislation.
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” Metz said. “It shows our leaders at the state and federal level are interested in Ohio businesses and want to help the auto manufacturers and their suppliers in the state become more diversified.”
Those companies identified in Wapakoneta are General Aluminum Manufacturing with 170 employees, Koneta Rubber LLC with 155 employees and Ametek Westchester Plastics with 110 employees. The other firms are Emerson Climate Technologies with 97 employees, Midwest Elastomers Inc. with 75 employees and Brady Ruck Co. (Apex Bag) with 25 employees. They employ 632 people.
The mayor noted any help to these companies and others in Wapakoneta and Auglaize County would be a boost to the local and state economy.
“I think it is fantastic to have these companies identified as being eligible to be helped under this bill,” Metz said. “We want to be able to retain these jobs and also help these companies grow, and I believe this bill should help.
“I really think this is a positive step in the right direction,” he said. “It is amazing how diversified the companies in Wapakoneta are and this would keep that trend going.”
The six firms outside of Wapakoneta are Albert Freytag Inc. and Egypt Structural Steel, of Minster, Safeway Packaging Inc., of New Bremen, and Conag Inc., Mercer Tool Corp. and St. Marys Foundry, of St. Marys. They employ a total of 313 people.
Policy Matters of Ohio officials analyzed each county and believe more than 3,000 Ohio manufacturers employing 250,000 workers could benefit from this proposal. A Pew Charitable Trust report shows Ohio has 2,513 clean energy companies today, employing 35,267 workers.
“This legislation is precisely what Ohio manufacturers need to capture new markets and reinvest in Ohio firms,” Policy Matters Ohio Senior Associate Wendy Patton said during the teleconference and in a Brown news release. “We see robust growth of green jobs in Ohio, which demonstrates this is a growing market.
“We need to ensure this growth is available to strengthen existing jobs within existing firms,” she said. “Sen. Brown’s bill does that, by providing access to capital and technical assistance for retooling and energy efficiency.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 June 2009 )
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