Leadership

ICYMI: Ohio’s Manufacturers, Ag Producers Need USMCA

When Congress returns to work next month, one of Capitol Hill’s priorities must be ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). That’s the message from OMA President Eric Burkland and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Executive Vice President Adam Sharp in their joint editorial submitted to dozens of newspapers across the state. “If tariff-free trade in North America is not upheld by the new deal, Ohio’s manufactured NAFTA exports could face more than $3 billion in extra taxes,” the op-ed cautions. 8/26/2019

A Labor Day Salute to Ohio’s Beer Brewers

In a guest editorial published this week in Crain’s Cleveland Business, OMA President Eric Burkland salutes Ohio’s beer brewing industry. He writes that “food and beverage production plays a major role in Ohio’s manufacturing portfolio, providing about 62,000 jobs in the Buckeye State. And a key player within Ohio’s food and beverage industry is beer.”

Ohio’s beer brewing industry dates back to the arrival of German immigrants in the 1800s. Today, the state produces a wide variety of beers — from hundreds of craft brews to traditional favorites such as Miller Lite, Budweiser, Coors, and Samuel Adams. 8/26/2019

Is Your Company Tracking Social Media Trends?

Many manufacturers are utilizing social media to promote products, recruit talent, and interact with customers. The Pew Research Center, which started tracking social media adoption in 2005, reports that 72% of the public now uses social media. Pew also found that:

• YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms, with 69% of U.S. adults using Facebook — including 79% of those ages 18-29 and 30-49.
• College graduates are the most frequent users of LinkedIn at 51%.
• The 18-29 age group is the most likely to have an account with Instagram (67%) or Snapchat (62%).

Read more from Pew’s social media report. And be sure to follow the OMA on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 8/28/2019

Manufacturers Led Ohio’s Job Creation in July

Ohio added 4,500 non-agricultural jobs in July, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4%. According to a state report, 3,200 of Ohio’s net new jobs last month were in the manufacturing sector, with 2,800 in durable manufacturing and another 400 in non-durable goods production. Meanwhile, the state’s construction sector experienced a loss of 1,900 jobs, the most of any industry.

As of last month, roughly 707,600 Ohioans were working in manufacturing — about 6,100 more than in July 2018. 8/19/2019

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Hosts OMA Government Affairs Committee

Chaired by Anheuser-Busch’s Region Vice President Scott Corbitt, the OMA’s Government Affairs Committee on Thursday, Aug. 22, held its quarterly meeting at the beer maker’s Columbus brewery. The event provided OMA member companies with updates on numerous issues, including key provisions in Ohio’s state budget, such as tax code improvements and funding for workforce development.

OMA General Counsel Chris Slagle, partner at Bricker & Eckler LLP, briefed members on potential statewide ballot initiatives, as well as tort reform legislation pending in the General Assembly. OMA Energy Counsel Kim Bojko, partner at Carpenter Lipps & Leland, along with OMA Energy Engineer John Seryak of RunnerStone, provided post-enactment analysis of House Bill 6, the nuclear bailout legislation.

The meeting featured guest speaker Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Judi French, as well as a tour of the brewery. The next meeting of OMA’s Government Affairs Committee is set for Nov. 13. 8/22/2019

More than 50 members took part in Thursday’s OMA Government Affairs Committee meeting, hosted by Anheuser-Busch and sponsored by Nationwide.

Who’s Who in the World’s $86T Economy?

A new infographic by HowMuch.net visualizes the key players on the world’s economic stage. Last year, despite the expansion of tariffs and retaliatory measures, global GDP grew 6.9% to $85.8 trillion. Nearly half this growth came from the world’s two largest economies: the U.S. at $20.5 trillion (up 5.4% from 2017), and China at $13.6 trillion (up 10%). Combined, the two nations comprise about 40% of the global GDP. However, in the second quarter of this year, China posted its weakest GDP growth since 1992, while its industrial output ground to its slowest pace since 2002. 8/19/2019

OSU & The Shoe Get Their Due

The return of college football is almost here. With pigskins on the mind, Sports Illustrated has ranked Ohio Stadium as one of the five greatest stadiums in college football history. Currently the third-largest college stadium in the sport, “The Shoe” offers one of America’s best game day environments, the magazine says. This ranking comes just a week after SI named Ohio State the No. 2 college football program of all time, one spot above Michigan. O-H! I-O! 8/22/2019

Ex-Im Bank Faces Sept. 30 Reauthorization Deadline

The OMA urges members to contact their federal lawmakers in support of re-authorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im). Or sign onto the NAM’s letter by Sept. 6.

Ex-Im operations are being threatened by a deadline of Sept. 30, the date by which Congress must re-authorize the bank’s charter. As the official export credit agency of the United States, Ex-Im has served 200 exporters in Ohio since 2014, with a combined $1 billion in exports. It’s estimated that when Ex-Im activities were recently hobbled due to the lack of a board quorum, U.S. manufacturers lost $119 billion in output, which translated into 80,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in 2016 and 2017 alone. 8/15/2019

3D Manufacturing Conference in Cleveland, August 20

On Thursday, Aug. 20, Northeast Ohio’s MAGNET will host its Additive Manufacturing Cluster of Ohio Conference in Cleveland, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to the organizers, conference attendees will walk away with a better understanding of how to use 3D printing to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. For insight before you attend, check out this blog post on how additive manufacturing can benefit your operations. 8/13/2019

Reminder: OMA Government Affairs Meeting, Aug. 22

On Thursday, Aug. 22, the quarterly meeting of the OMA’s Government Affairs Committee will be hosted by Anheuser-Busch at its Columbus brewery. An optional tour and beer tasting will take place afterwards. Get up to date on recent state legislative activity by registering online or calling (800) 662-4463. 8/13/2019