Competing to Win Tour

Stop by stop

Ten days across manufacturing America

At every stop, the message matched the moment: permanent tax reform gave manufacturers the rocket fuel — now clear the skies with energy dominance, permitting reform, trade certainty, workforce investment and smart AI policy.

• New York CityJay Timmons opened the tour with a four-network media blitz — Fox Business, Bloomberg Radio, CBS Mornings and Yahoo Finance — previewing the address and making manufacturers’ case on tax certainty, zero-for-zero trade and the workforce. Read the recap
• Cleveland, OhioThe 13th annual NAM State of Manufacturing Address at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with a fireside chat featuring NAM Board Chair Blake Moret (Rockwell Automation) and Toby Z. Rice (EQT) on energy and AI — plus a student reception and stops at the EY-Nottingham Spirk Innovation Hub and Cleveland State University, spotlighting Ohio’s nearly 700,000 manufacturing workers. Read the recap
• Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAt historic Carpenters’ Hall, the NAM — an official America250 partner — unveiled the Manufacturers’ Accord for the Next 250 Years, then visited Rhoads Industries in the Navy Yard, a family-owned heavy manufacturer operating since 1896. Read the recap
• Charlotte & Concord, North Carolina“Competing for the Future”: Ketchie Inc. showed how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) and permanent full expensing power small-manufacturer investment — with Deputy Treasury Secretary Derek Theurer and Rep. Tim Moore on hand — followed by Siemens Energy’s $421 million, 500-job expansion and Electrolux’s North American headquarters. Read the recap
• Milwaukee, WisconsinThe tour teamed up with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce to spotlight the state’s manufacturing economy, with Timmons and WMC’s Kurt Bauer making the case in a joint op-ed.
• Dallas, TexasManufacturing Institute President Carolyn Lee delivered the annual State of the Manufacturing Workforce Address at NTT DATA’s North American headquarters, followed by an AI-and-workforce panel and a visit to the MI’s FAME chapter at Dallas College — employer-led pathways into high-skill manufacturing careers. Read the recap
• Houston, TexasEnergy and infrastructure front and center: Schneider Electric’s new 10,500-square-foot Innovation Center — one of the world’s largest energy innovation hubs — and Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal, where modern trade infrastructure moves American-made goods to the world. Read the recap
• Phoenix, ArizonaThe finale pressed Congress to make 2026 the year of permitting reform: a roundtable with business and community leaders, plus visits to semiconductor-industry partner EMD Electronics and Four Peaks Brewery, Arizona’s largest craft brewer. Read the recap