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Blog Entries from February 2013

Q&A: Partnering to Accelerate Advanced Manufacturing in America


Mary Jo Waits, director of NGA's Economic, Human Services, and Workforce Division.

EDA Partners with National Governors Association to Accelerate Economic and Job Growth

In September 2011, eight states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania—were selected to participate in the National Governors Association (NGA) Policy Academy, “Making” Our Future: Encouraging Growth in Manufacturing through Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Investment.” The following month, representatives from these states began participating in a yearlong series of meetings and collaborative exercises designed to foster innovation, rejuvenate manufacturing, create jobs, and grow regional economies.

The NGA Policy Academy was funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Program (NIST MEP).

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Spotlight: U.S. Department of Commerce and National Governors Association Release Manufacturing Report


NGA Manufacturing Report Cover - 'Making' Our Future “The Obama administration is committed to supporting American businesses and workers in advanced manufacturing, which will help create jobs and strengthen our economy while boosting our global competitiveness,” said Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank. “The Commerce Department is proud to have partnered with the National Governors Association to produce a report that will undoubtedly prove valuable in helping our nation’s governors grow their local economies.”

Click here to read press release.
Click here to read full report. (PDF)

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Special Feature: Post–Hurricane Sandy, EDA Supports Communities in New Jersey and New York


Matt Erskine at Coney Island On January 30, EDA Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Erskine, along with Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries toured disaster sites in Coney Island, New York, and met with businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy. They were joined by Rep. Gregory Meeks, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, and other state and local officials in a tour of the Madelaine Chocolate Company in Far Rockaway, Queens. Madelaine’s, in business for more than 60 years, is a family business that employed 450 people before the Hurricane Sandy hit, and is seeking assistance to help reopen for business.

Erskine was in New Jersey the day before, meeting with state and federal officials and representatives from the business community regarding recovery efforts and EDA's involvement.

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Section: EDA Success Story

Providing Disaster Relief and Recovery: In KY, MO, and TN, EDA Makes a Critical Difference

EDA funding is often vital to ensuring the long-term economic health of communities affected by a disaster. In Joplin, Missouri, for example, EDA provided $341,000 after that community was devastated by tornadoes in 2011. Those funds allowed the state to hire economic recovery coordinators who were instrumental in building strong public-private partnerships that have been critical to restoring the economic vitality of that region.

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Q&A: Advancing the U.S. Manufacturing Sector—The Last Four Years


Jason Miller is the special assistant to the president for manufacturing policy, working within the National Economic Council in the White House. He leads the administration’s efforts to coordinate policy and federal activities supporting U.S. manufacturing. EDA has a strong, ongoing partnership with these efforts, and this past November Miller spoke at EDA’s senior leadership retreat in Washington, D.C. Mr. Miller joined the Obama administration in April 2010. Prior to joining the administration, he advised global companies as a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group and Marakon Associates.

Mr. Miller recently answered some questions about the administration’s manufacturing policy and the prospects for a revitalized American manufacturing sector and the benefits that will bring to the U.S. economy and the middle class.

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EDA Success Story: New Manufacturing Plant in Illinois Opens with EDA Help


New Manufacturing Plant in Illinois Opens with EDA Help EDA was a key player in efforts that led to the recent opening of a new plant in Rochelle, Illinois, for Nippon Sharyo, a Japanese manufacturer of passenger railcars. The company, already active in the U.S. market, will be able to expand its U.S. operations, lower its production costs, comply with the “Made in America” requirements of many of its buyers, and—most important to the local economy—create 250 new jobs.

This is happening thanks in part to an EDA grant of $2.4 million that was awarded to the city of Rochelle to make improvements to the Rochelle Dual Access Railroad, a short-line railroad that services the industrial park where Nippon Sharyo’s new plant is located. The rail line also serves other companies located there, including Coated Sand Solutions LLC, a resin-coating company affiliate of U.S. Silica Inc.

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Spotlight: State of the Union Address: President Obama Launches Plan for a Strong Middle Class and a Strong America


During the State of the Union address on February 12, President Obama outlined a plan that builds on the progress made during his first term and strengthens the middle class by making America a magnet for jobs and manufacturing, equipping every American with the skills they need to do those jobs, and ensuring that hard work leads to a decent living.

A thriving middle class has always been America’s engine of economic growth. Reigniting that engine is the defining challenge of our time.

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