This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Search form

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

President Obama Holds Discussion on Jobs and the Economy

Obama Administration Officials Hold Events Across the Country

Background on the President’s event in Charlotte, North Carolina

TOUR & REMARKS AT CELGARD
Today, the President traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will tour Celgard, LLC - A Polypore Company (a lithium battery separator producer and stimulus grant recipient), deliver remarks on the economy, and take questions from an audience of approximately 300 Celgard employees. 

The President was joined on Air Force One by Rep. John Spratt, Jr.

The President was greeted on arrival by:
Governor: Bev Perdue
First Gentlemen Bob Eaves
Lt. Governor Walter Dalton
Mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx
U.S. Representative Mel Watt
State Senator Charlie Dannelly
State Representative Kelly Alexander Jr.

Bryan Moorehead, Celgard Vice President of Operations, will lead the tour.
Bryan Moorhead joined Celgard, LLC in November 2006, having held previous plant management and supply chain management roles at Trex Company and Newell Rubbermaid.  Prior to joining Newell Rubbermaid, Bryan progressed through a number of manufacturing and supply chain management positions over the course of his 10-year employment with Corning Incorporated.

Bob Toth, Polypore CEO, will introduce the President.
Bob Toth became President and CEO of Polypore International, and a member of the Board of Directors, in July 2005, after having served in the same role for four years at CP Kelco ApS, a leading global manufacturer of hydrocolloids.  Prior to joining CP Kelco, he progressed through a number of sales, marketing and executive management positions over a 19-year career at Monsanto and its chemical company spinoff, Solutia Inc.  Bob earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Management and Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

ELECTED OFFICIALS EXPECTED TO ATTEND

Governor Bev Perdue
First Gentlemen Bob Eaves
Lt. Governor Walter Dalton
Mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt
U.S. Rep. John Spratt
U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell
State Senator Charlie Dannelly
State Representative Kelly Alexander Jr.
State Representative Tricia Cotham

CELGARD BACKGROUND

Celgard has won $49.2 million in Recovery Act grants to expand its capacity to produce separators for lithium-ion batteries. Celgard is a global leader in production of lithium-ion separators – a key component in advanced lithium-ion batteries. Celgard controls 25 percent of the market and will supply several of the new battery factories supported by the Recovery Act.  Celgard reports that its expansion will create between 200-300 North Carolina jobs within Celgard and provide more than 1,000 jobs among Celgard’s contractors and suppliers. Work at the Charlotte campus has already started – the Charlotte campus already employs 390 workers and the expansion will add 80 workers there.   To-date, Celgard has already added 60 new jobs as a result of the expansion project and approximately 100 additional jobs have already been created among Celgard’s contractors and suppliers.  Work at Concord (northeast of Charlotte) will start after the project completes its environmental review.

CABINET SECRETARIES AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS HOSTING EVENTS ON JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar:
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is holding a media availability in front of the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in downtown Richmond to discuss the impact of Interior Department and other Recovery Act investments on the Virginia economy and tourism industry.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack:
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is touring RMH Foods Distribution Center in Morton, Illinois, a recipient of a USDA rural Business and Industry loan through the Recovery Act, and discussing the Obama Administration’s job creation efforts.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan:
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan is visiting Northeast Building Products, an energy efficient window manufacturer in Philadelphia that hired 100 new employees as a result of the Recovery Act since March 2009.  Following the tour, the Secretary will hold a town hall meeting with employees at the factory and deliver remarks on the economy.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood:
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is touring the Amtrak Beech Grove Maintenance Facility near Indianapolis.  With the help of $32 million from the Recovery Act, the Amtrak facility has created 108 jobs and provided a boost to the local economy.

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu:
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is in Jacksonville, Florida to tour Alternative Energy Technology (AET), a leading manufacturer of solar thermal equipment.  The Secretary will hear from workers at AET and other area small businesses about the increased demand for their products and the new jobs that have resulted from the Recovery Act.

Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari:
SBA Administrator Karen Mills and Transportation Deputy Secretary Porcari are visiting Phoenix Steel, a Cleveland small business creating jobs thanks to their SBA Recovery loan.

Executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, Dr. Ed Montgomery:
Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, is convening a community round table in Elkhart, Indiana with local elected officials, business leaders, and community members to discuss how Recovery Act investments have impacted Elkhart and the surrounding community.