Last week at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, AEM unveiled its most ambitious member-driven advocacy initiative to date – the “2020 Manufacturing Express” bus tour.
The cross-country, campaign-style bus tour is part of a year-long nationwide campaign to make sure that elected officials and candidates understand and support the issues most critical to the continued growth and success of equipment manufacturers in America. Design concepts along with the preliminary tour schedule and website, www.manufacturingexpress.org, was unveiled last week at a special event during CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The three-month initiative will kick off in AEM’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the Democratic National Convention, travel across the Midwest and Southeast, take part in the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, tour the Mid-Atlantic, visit swing states around the Great Lakes, and host a culminating event in Michigan right before the election. AEM’s “2020 Manufacturing Express” will visit 70 equipment manufacturing communities across the country to highlight the industry’s economic impact, promote the policies that make the industry strong, and empower the men and women of the industry to make their voices heard in the 2020 election.
“With the future of manufacturing in America on the minds of most voters, 2020 is the ‘Manufacturing Election,’” said Kip Eideberg, AEM senior vice president of government and industry relations. “According to a recent poll, nine out of 10 voters believe manufacturing is critical to the U.S. economy, while three-quarters of voters want to know how presidential candidates plan to support and grow manufacturing in the United States. This is why equipment manufacturers are seizing this moment— in a big way. Instead of business as usual, we will rally the 2.8 million men and women who make America in support of the policies that matter, the values that are critical, and the industry that is the source of our nation’s strength.”
Equipment manufacturers support 1.6 million jobs and contribute $170 billion annually to the economies of the 20 states that the “2020 Manufacturing Express” will visit, according to the industry’s latest economic impact report. Overall, the industry supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes $288 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
“AEM’s ‘2020 Manufacturing Express’ is a bold and creative initiative that provides equipment manufacturers with the opportunity to engage employees in the political process, connect with elected officials and candidates, and keep our industry front and center in 2020,” said Ted Bojanowski, vice president of sales and marketing at Parker Hannifin Corporation and chair of the initiative. “This is an important election for our industry and our country, and equipment manufacturers have a responsibility to work together to keep our industry strong and America exceptional. No one is better equipped to lead this important initiative than the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and Parker Hannifin Corporation is proud to be a part of it.”
“I wanted to build equipment ever since I was in high school. I love what I do and I love the equipment manufacturing industry,” said Shawn “Rozy” Rozmarynowski, who works as a welder at Woods Equipment Company in Kronenwetter, Wisconsin, and who spoke during the unveil of the bus tour. “I am excited for the Manufacturing Express to visit the men and women who make America and the communities where we all live and work. We are all in this together.”
AEM’s “2020 Manufacturing Express” bus will be equipped with a state-of-the-art studio where employees, executives, elected officials and candidates, and supporters can share their thoughts on how to strengthen equipment manufacturing in America. Each stop will feature an educational and engaging experience for employees and the community. Supporters will be able to track the tour along the way on an interactive map on www.manufacturingexpress.org, which will feature highlights from each event, including remarks, photos, and videos.
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