The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
Rhett Crooks, owner of a precision tooling manufacturer in Vandergift, Pennsylvania, shares his story on his company's return to full hiring capacity.
Tomorrow, the President will speak at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the importance of American manufacturing to grow the economy and create new jobs.
As the President spoke about earlier this month in Toledo, manufacturing is picking up all across the country. For example, Rhett Crooks is the owner of a precision tooling manufacturer in Vandergift, Pennsylvania that recently turned around and is rehiring. The President explained how manufacturers both large and small like Rhett’s are putting more Americans back to work:
And what's most important, all three American automakers are now adding shifts and creating jobs at the strongest rate since the 1990s. So far the auto industry has added 113,000 jobs over the past two years. In Detroit, Chrysler added a second shift at its Jefferson North plant. GM is adding a third shift at its Hamtramck plant for the first time ever. In Indiana, Chrysler is investing more than $1.3 billion in its Kokomo facilities. And across the country, GM plans to hire back every single one of its laid-off workers by the end of the year -- every single one.
And that makes a difference for everyone who depends on this industry. Companies like a small precision tooling manufacturer in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, have brought back many of the employees they had laid off two years ago. Manufacturers from Michigan to Massachusetts are looking for new engineers to build advanced batteries for American-made electric cars.
So this industry is back on its feet, repaying its debts, gaining ground. Because of you, we can once again say that the best cars in the world are built right here in the U.S. of A., right here in Ohio, right here in the Midwest. And each day when you clock in, you’re doing more than earning your pay by churning out cars. You’re standing up for this company. You’re sticking up for this way of life. You’re scoring one for the home team and showing the world that American manufacturing and American industry is back.
As a piece to the bigger picture of the auto industry's turnaround, Rhett's company, Carbi-Tech, makes dies and stamps brass-plated parts used in throttle and brake controls for Ford, Chrysler, suppliers in Canada, and Delphi Automotive LLP. Rhett's company felt the effects of the downturn beginning in the second quarter of 2008 and had to lay off 40% off his workforce. However, since the past year, Carbi-Tech is now back to full capacity at 15-20 employees and is in the position to hire more. To continue the positive trend, Rhett recommends industries to stay competitive and believe in the quality of the American worker. Listen to Rhett share his story:
