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Photo by Ricky Emmons - Photography Editor
President Obama interacts with the crowd after hisspeechatthe Linamar
Corporation piant. Audience members inciuded empioyees of the Linamar
plant and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy.
their kids are doing even better^ than
them, that’s the American dream”
Despite noting economic grotvth m
the automotive and housing industries
during his State of the Union address
on Feb. 12, Obama said the American
economy must make moves to bring
manufacturing back to the states a pri
ority in the coming years.
“I believe we attract new jobs to
America by investing in new sources
of energy and new infrastructure and
the next generation of high-wage,
high-tech American manufacturing.
1 believe in manufacturing. I think it
makes our country stronger,’ Obama
told Linamar employees.
The president praised both Linamai
and Asheville for an effort to renew
manufacturing processes that once
provided jobs for thousands in western
North Carolina.
Volvo, who previously manufactured
in the area, vacated their plant in 2008,
taking 228 jobs with thern.
“That was a big blow for this area,
Obama said.
The president praised local otticiais
for reaching out to companies \yit
incentives to rebuild the manufactur
ing industry in this part of the state, an
action he said needs to spread nation
wide. , „
In 2011, Linamar Coiporation, a
Canadian-based engine parts manufac
turer, announced a plan to invest $125
million in a new Asheville plant and
create 400 jobs by 2020.
“While they could have gone any
place in the world, they saw this incred
ible potential right here in Asheville,”
Obama said. “They saw the most prom
ise in this workforce, so they chose to
invest in Asheville, in North Carolina,
in the United States of America.”
According to the president, the Ashe
ville Linamar plant has already provid
ed 160 jobs to Asheville-area residents,
and has plans to increase that number
to 200 by the year’s end.
Some of those jobs were filled by
those laid off by Volvo and other man
ufacturers who left the area, including
Stratton Tatum, former Volvo em
ployee and current quality techni
cian for Linamar.
Tatum, who introduced the president
Wednesday, said the president’s visit
bodes well for the plant and Asheville
as a whole.
“It’s great,” Tatum said. “It’s not
only great for ,Linamar, but for this
area. Anytime a President of the United
States comes to this area, it’s a big deal.
Anytime he pushes manufacturing it’s
great.”
Tatum said he hopes the publicity the
president’s visit provided for Linamar
will strengthen the financial future of
manufacturing to this state.
The president said the expense of
leaving industry jobs overseas has be
come too great and the country must
focus on renewing business that is both
sustainable and rewarding.
“America is getting more competi
tive and more productive,” Obama
said. “(Manufacturers are) bringing
back jobs from Japan. Ford is bringing
I jobs back from Mexico. After placing
plants in other countries like China, In
tel is opening its most advanced plant
here in the United States. Apple is start
ing to make Macs in America again.”
The president cited 500,000 new jobs
created by American manufacturers in
the last 3 years, a success spawned by
government incentives and need for re- .
duced costs of goods transportation.
Ronnie Riddle, a machinist for
Linamar, said the creation of jobs in
Asheville means more opportunities
for families like his own.
“When the economy went bad a
couple of yeai's ago, a lot of people lost
their jobs,” Riddle said. “It’s nice to be
back in this business now.”
Riddle, who has a machinist back
ground, as well a two-year- degree in
business, lost his factory job a few
years ago and turned to construction
to make ends meet. His wife Tonya
Riddle said the opening of the Linamar
plant provided an excellent opportunity
for their family and families in similar
situations.
“It’s been a blessing because the con
struction industry tanked and those jobs
went away,” Tonya Riddle said. “Since
Linamar, we’ve been able to feed our
family and go on vacation.”
Sean Couglilin, senior new media
student at UNC Asheville, agreed and
said the president addressed powerful
concerns in the Asheville community.
“1 really liked what he had to say
about jobs,” Coughlin said. “My father
was laid off at Arvado Digital Services
in Weaverville.”
Ronnie Riddle said the need for man
ufacturing seems more prevalent in this
part of the.state, where a majority of
jobs used to be in manufacturing and
factory-related labor.
The president said he hopes stories of
success, like that of Linamar, encour
ages other businesses to areas previ
ously reliant on manufacturing, as well
as sustainable industry initiative in
parts of the country that need to experi
ence growth.
As of 2011, non-manufacturing com
panies in Buncombe County, such as
Ingles, the Biltmore Company and
Mission Health and Hospitals, provid
ed more jobs than industry manufactur
ers to this area.
Obama said new partnerships with
schools like Asheville-Buncombe
Technical Community College could
provide more properly skilled workers
to fill manufacturing jobs and mark in
dustry success for Buncombe and the
surrounding counties.
“No job in America should go un
filled because somebody doesn’t have
the right skills to get that job,” Obama
said.
Currently, the UNC system is evalu
ating a plan that could generalize edu
cational requirements at the collegiate
level across the state. The plan is re
ceiving heavy criticism at institutions
such as UNCA, which provide a core
curriculum based in the liberal arts and
critical thinking, rather than job-orient
ed, skill-based training.
However, Riddle agreed with the
president, saying partnerships with
technical institutions like A-B Tech
provide means to better .skilled laborers
and encourage insourcing and innova
tion in the states.
While the president reported growth
in American industry, he noted the pro
cess will take negotiation on the part of
both political parties.
“This is a job for everybody. This is
not a Democratic thing or a Republican
thing,” Obama said.
Additionally, increases to manufac
turing will take time and patience on
behalf of the middle class, according to
Obama.
“Now, I’m going to be honest with
you. We’re not going to bring back ev
ery job that has been lost to outsourcing
and automation over the last decade,”
the president said. “(Manufacturing)
has changed. That means you can just
produce a lot more with fewer people.”
However, economic growth and re
form of wage policies are top priority
for himself and Congress, the president
said.
“We don’t give up. We get up. We in
novate. We adapt. We learn new skills.
We keep going,” Obama said. “1 just
want everybody here to know at this
plant, everybody in Asheville, every
body in North Carolina and everybody
all across the country - I want you to
know as long as you’re out here fight
ing everyday to better your lives, better
the lives of your children, then I’ll be
back in Washington fighting for you."