Chamber of Commerce
Best Practices
Manufacturing Relationships
Congressman,
Manufacturers & Chamber – A Winning Combination
By Mike Monahan
During the Congressional summer recess, Congressman Gus
M. Bilirakis (Florida’s 9th Congressional District)
spent a day visiting with the Upper Tampa Bay
Manufacturer’s Council and touring manufacturers’
facilities.
The purpose of this council is to provide an
industry-oriented networking forum for manufacturers, as
well as an opportunity for manufacturers to hear topics
of interest presented by resident experts. One of the
council’s major goals is to provide services that will
ultimately translate into increased local business to
business opportunities between local manufacturers.
Topics presented at the forum include: OSHA safety,
economic incentives, job fair opportunities, human
resource issues, and tax concerns. Also included are
meetings and briefings with government agency
representatives and elected officials at the local,
county, state and federal levels.
Some successes are tax credits and rebates for some
manufacturers, safety information updates, recruitment
of employees, and business networking opportunities.
Furthermore, the chamber’s coordination of such a
manufacturer’s council ultimately enhances the economic
development of our communities by contributing to the
manufacturers within our communities, with resulting
benefits for the entire Tampa Bay Area.
When Congressman Gus Bilirakis became aware of the
council, he asked to visit. Thus, the chamber planned a
day for him to address the council meeting, spending the
rest of the day visiting manufacturers throughout the
Tampa Bay area, escorted by Chamber officials. Genesis
Electronics Manufacturing President and CEO, Scott
Mauldin, hosted and arranged for this particular
meeting, accommodating the large number of manufacturers
and visitors who attended.
Congressman Bilirakis, who had just been appointed to
the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee
on Europe and Subcommittee on the Middle East and South
Asia, had just returned from a visit to Iraq and related
the importance of America’s high quality manufactured
products and the effect these products have had in
assisting the military’s efforts in Iraq.
Afterwards, Scott Mauldin provided Congressman Bilirakis
with a tour of Genesis, during which he pointed out
examples of local business to business success stories.
Genesis is a key supplier to Nielsen Media and Goodrich
Lighting Systems. Genesis’ work in the area of defense
includes circuit boards for ‘an advanced ground
penetrating radar’ that is effectively used in combating
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s).
Another manufacturing firm visited was Haller Industries
in Hillsborough County. The owner and president is Leigh
Ann Haller, president of the Bay Area Manufacturer’s
Association (BAMA). Haller Industries is working on
projects that will assist the NASA space program for
future decades. As the Congressman toured, he was made
aware of local manufacturing business concerns, one
pertaining to education and the quality of the
workforce; the other was affordable housing needs.
Crossing the bay to Pinellas County, the first stop was
QTM, Inc.
Dick Peck, president and CEO (and a previous BAMA
president) met the Congressman and had arranged for a
conference call to discuss the Manufacturers Extension
Partnership (MEP) with a representative from the
northeastern United States. This program is designed to
help small and mid-sized manufacturers survive and grow
by leveraging a vast array of public and private
resources available to every manufacturing enterprise
within the state. One of the ultimate goals of MEP’s
throughout the U.S. is to strengthen the global
competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.
Peck pointed out that Florida was one of the only states
not using federal dollars offered through the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Congressman Bilirakis also learned that manufacturers in
Florida contributed over $33 Billion to Florida’s
overall economy in 2005 and paid an average wage of
$42,423.
The next stop was BryCoat. Headed by president Mike
Smith, BryCoat is a family-owned company on the high end
of the technology scale, providing precision thin film
coating. Some of the products produced there are
components used in the F-22 Raptor aircraft and the
Advanced Joint Strike Aircraft. (Before leaving office,
Governor JEB Bush visited and paid special tribute to
Mike Smith and his BryCoat family for their high
technology manufacturing.)
At the following visit, to On-Demand Printing, Jim
Ronecker, owner and president who is also mayor of
Oldsmar, pointed out that there is federal legislation
under development for a Do Not Mail provision within the
Postal Reform Bill. Ronecker expressed concern that such
legislation could have an adverse impact on the printing
industry, which happened to have the largest number of
manufacturers within the state.
Prior to departing On Demand Printing, a golden statue
of Benjamin Franklin caught the congressman’s eye. In
2005, competing with over 5,500 projects, On Demand
Printing won the award, which recognizes the single best
printing project internationally.
At the final stop, the Lockheed Martin plant in Oldsmar,
General Manager Steven Hill provided briefings and
tours. Congressman Bilirakis addressed a group of
several hundred workers, praising the work of the
manufacturing community, thanking them for their
tremendous economic and community support.
Congressman Bilirakis commented on how valuable and
informative the day had been and how much he appreciated
the professionalism and skill level of our manufacturing
community. He also stated he was impressed with the
efforts of the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce in
putting together the highly successful manufacturer’s
council.
_________________________________________________
Editor’s Note: There is no cost to manufacturers to
attend The Upper Tampa Bay Manufacturing Council
meetings. The monthly, one hour morning meetings are the
third Thursday of each month and are open to all
manufacturers in the Tampa Bay Area. For more details
contact them at
mmonahan@utbchamber.com or call
813-855-4233.
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