Leadership

Senate: Finish the Job on Ex-Im Bank

The U.S. Senate needs to fill a vacancy on the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank board of directors, so that the bank can fully function to support American export jobs.

In a guest column published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, OMA’s Ryan Augsburger wrote:  “… in order for Ex-Im to approve larger transactions that create the most American jobs, it needs a full quorum of members on its Board of Directors. Since the bank is currently one member short, refusing to confirm the nominee for that slot could effectively hamstring Ex-Im’s ability to create jobs.”

The U.S. Senate should confirm Mark McWatter.  Both of our Ohio Senators are on board.

House Shuffles Leadership, Chairmen

This week the House Republicans made changes in their leadership and in a number of committees important to Ohio manufacturers.

Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) was elected the majority floor leader, Rep. Dorothy Pelanda (R-Marysville) is the new majority whip, and Rep. Sarah LaTourette (R-Bainbridge) becomes assistant majority whip.  Reps. Barbara Sears (R-Sylvania) and Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) resigned from their leadership positions; both are leaving the chamber at the end of the year.

Most notable is OMA member Mark Romanchuk (R-Mansfield) becoming chairman of the Economic & Workforce Development Committee.  Congratulations, Mark!

Other new chairs of interest to manufacturing are:  Rep. Barbara Sears (R-Maumee) takes over the Insurance Committee, Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) will lead the Public Utilities Committee, and Rep. Tim Schaffer becomes Ways & Means leader.  Each of the new chairs is a good supporter of Ohio manufacturing.

Women in Manufacturing Honored

The Manufacturing Institute has announced its 2016 STEP Ahead Award Honorees and Emerging Leaders. These women have accomplished success within their companies and have proven to be leaders in the industry as a whole.

This year, the Institute has also recognized a select few for the Emerging Leaders category – representing young women who are the future of the industry and have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments at just the beginning of their careers.

The 130 women were honored at the 2016 STEP Ahead Awards on April 21 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Take a look at the stories of the honorees.

OMA Files Supreme Court Amicus on Contract Breach

The OMA this week filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in a case that could have bearing on breach of contract cases and cases in which punitive damages are sought in a breach of contract case.  The brief supports Nationwide Insurance in an appeal from a decision by the Court of Appeals, Seventh Appellate District.

The brief argues:  “The Seventh District’s unprecedented decision that punitive damages are available for breach of contract disrupts what had been well-settled law in Ohio. Punitive damages have long been recoverable only for actions based on, and for, tort. That is how it has always been and how it should continue to be.”

The OMA was joined on the amicus by the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Register Now for June 14 Food Manufacturers & Suppliers Meeting

The OMA’s annual Food Manufacturers & Suppliers Meeting brings you the legislative, regulatory and economic development issues that directly impact food manufacturers.

On June 14, the officials whom you need to know and hear from will be on hand, including Ohio Agriculture Department Director, David Daniels, EPA Deputy Director for Business Relations, Laurie Stevenson, and JobsOhio Managing Director, Aaron Pitts.

Our meeting chairman is Derek L. Crawford, Director, U.S. Government Affairs, The Kraft Heinz Company.

Reserve your spot now for the June 14 event at My OMA, or email Denise Locke or call us at (800) 662-4463.  A networking dinner will follow the business meeting.  Click here for a downloadable flier with the details.

MFGDAY 2016 is October 7 – Plan Ahead!

Manufacturing Day is changing perceptions about manufacturing!  Every first Friday in October is Manufacturing Day in the U.S.  The fifth annual MFG DAY is October 7, 2016.

MFGDAY posts tons of great resources to help you plan your own MFGDAY event to showcase to the public, students, and policymakers in your community the amazing things you do in your facility.  It’s not too early to get your team together and hatch a plan.

$2.6B Capital Budget Unveiled

House and Senate leaders unveiled a $2.6 billion capital budget this week.  The bill’s expenditures would be:  $650 million for school construction, renovation, and maintenance; $428 million for higher education capital needs; $500 million for roads, bridges, water supply, and wastewater systems; $275 million for dams, parks, waterways, and wildlife projects; $160 million for community quality of life projects, and $100 million for critical health and human services.

You can find how your community and county fared here.

Kasich Delivers Sixth State of the State

Taking a brief break from campaigning for the presidency, Governor John Kasich delivered the State of the State address in Marietta this week.

In an upbeat speech (which he read from notes, parting, mostly, from his usual ad hoc style) the governor reflected on his achievements in the past five years, and looked ahead.  He said he will seek additional tax reforms (lowering the income tax), stronger regulations of pharmacies to combat opiate abuse, congressional district map-drawing reforms, and changes to the Medicaid program.

After his day in Marietta, the governor headed back to New York for campaigning for the April 19 primary.

Marietta: Ohio’s First Settlement

Governor Kasich choose Marietta for his sixth state of the state, delivered this week.  Marietta is the first permanent U.S. settlement in the Northwest Territory in what would become Ohio, established in 1788 with 137 original settlers.  Marietta is named for Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, ally in the Revolutionary War.

The governor’s speech took place in the historic, recently renovated People’s Bank Theater. The theater opened in 1919, and, until the renovation, sat unused since 1985.

Marietta is home to Ohio’s first female governor, Nancy Putman Hollister, wife of OMA director and former chairman Jeff Hollister, Ohio’s first first-guy.

Data USA: Visualization of U.S. Public Data

MIT and Deloitte have built a powerful new data visualization engine for U.S. public data.  It is available for use at the “Data USA” website.

Through advanced data analytics and visualization, the engine helps users “understand and visualize the critical issues facing the United States in areas like jobs, skills and education across industry and geography. And, to use this knowledge to inform decision making among executives, policymakers and citizens.”

This open platform provides an opportunity for easy, but deep dives into data about locations, industries, occupations, health care, and many other issues.  Anybody who has ever used U.S. government data to inform decision-making will find this platform a massive improvement.

Check out how it looks at U.S. manufacturing, and Ohio.