As former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill once said, “All Politics is Local.” With a tip of the hat to Tip, have you ever considered hosting your elected representative at your plant? Hosting members of Congress at your facility is a great way to educate them about the real-world challenges your company and other manufacturers face every day. And it generates great news coverage for your company!
Case in point: Just last week, PMA member Trans-Matic Manufacturing Co. hosted Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) at its plant in Holland, MI. Trans-Matic president P.J. Thompson served as master of ceremonies at an event that featured the Senator unveiling her Battery Innovation Act, a bill that would help boost advanced-battery production in the United States. The bill would make grants available to entities who work on advanced batteries for various vehicle types–the type of revenue-neutral economic initiative we advocated for during our legislative conference in Washington D.C. three months ago.
P.J., who has made significant investments in new equipment and labor to produce components for the advanced-battery market, gave Senator 
Stabenow a tour of the facilities and shared with her some of the issues that concern him and other PMA members.
Trans-Matic received great local coverage (here’s another article on the event). Check out the video too.
Hosting a plant tour is a great way to educate your elected representatives, establish important relationships, help PMA’s advocacy team and market your company. If you are interested in hosting your Senator or member of Congress but don’t know how to get started, contact PMA and we’ll connect you with our One Voice team in Washington, D.C. who can assist you.
Bill Gaskin, president of Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), represents the $113-billion metalforming industry of North America—the industry that uses stamping, fabricating, spinning, slide forming, roll forming technologies and other value-added processes. PMA’s Educational Foundation, MetalForming magazine and FABTECH’s METALFORM technology area are affiliates.Share: 
