VNC, praises local manufacturing Tate icial lum imic en- iter- ork- get r an iuse 'tbe the ig a than »the 3sed »asis k to ts or ama in kers I for trity ition eco- its 'Our /hen of s bit sure 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."

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