Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) will kick off the NAM State of Manufacturing Tour 2019 on Tuesday, February 19, traveling to eight states to shine a spotlight on the “next frontier” of manufacturing. The 2019 tour follows the best year in more than two decades for manufacturing job creation. Manufacturers, empowered by tax reform and regulatory certainty, are reporting record levels of optimism, with an average of 92.4 percent having a positive outlook for their company’s future in 2018, according to the latest NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey.

From February 19 to 28, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons will join local manufacturing employees, students, media, community leaders and elected officials to discuss the rewarding and diverse opportunities in manufacturing and to underscore the urgent need to inspire more Americans to join the manufacturing workforce. Timmons will be joined on the tour by Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the NAM.

Manufacturing has always been the source of America’s strength—and today, we’re building the future. We’re rising to the occasion to solve real-world problems. We’re leading in technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and augmented reality, that, contrary to the naysayers, will be a net positive for job creation, will boost wages and will help us lift everyone up and leave no one behind. This tour will show us exactly how that’s happening and share this message with more Americans. We’re at the next frontier of manufacturing in the United States, and we should not fear the future, said Timmons.

Marking its fifth year, the annual NAM State of Manufacturing Tour has traveled the country highlighting the industry that is essential to a strong American economy. This year’s tour will spotlight the next frontier in modern manufacturing—how cutting-edge technologies and our traditional strong work ethic are helping manufacturers solve tomorrow’s challenges today. In addition, the tour will highlight the diverse manufacturing job opportunities and how the industry is working to fill more than 4.6 million jobs over the next decade.

Tour events will take place in Colorado, Texas, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, California, Ohio and Arizona. To learn more about the NAM State of Manufacturing Tour 2019, click here. Details are as follows:

WEEK ONE:

Tuesday, February 19 // Colorado

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. MST

Ball Aerospace

9675 W. 108th Circle

Westminster, CO 80021

(press: closed)

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. MST

Anheuser-Busch

3823 Mountain Vista Drive

Fort Collins, CO 80524

(press: open)

Wednesday, February 20 // Texas

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST

Lone Star College, North Harris Campus – State of Manufacturing Address

Student Services Building, Conference Center

2700 W.W. Thorne Drive

Houston, TX 77073

Use Parking Lot K

(press: open)

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CST

BP

201 Helios Way

Houston TX 77079

(press: closed)

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST

Bimbo Bakeries

6650 N Houston Rosslyn Road

Houston, TX 77091

(press: closed) 

Wednesday, February 20 // Ohio

1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST

Staub Manufacturing – Tax Reform/Workforce Development Roundtable with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)

2501 Thunderhawk Court

Dayton, OH 45414

(Press: Open)

Thursday, February 21 // Iowa

9:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. CST

Sukup Manufacturing Co.

1555 255th Street

Sheffield, IA 50475

(press: open)

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. CST

Kirkwood Community College

Jones Hall

6301 Kirkwood Boulevard SW

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404

(press: open)

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST

SwineTech, Inc.

230 2nd Street SE, Suite 302
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(press: open)

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST

The Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa

2301 Oakdale Boulevard

Coralville, IA 52241

(press: open)

Friday, February 22 // North Carolina

2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST

North Carolina Chamber of Commerce – Roundtable with Area Business Leaders

701 Corporate Center Drive

Raleigh, NC 27607

(press: open)

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST

Protolabs

3700 Pleasant Grove Church Road

Morrisville, NC 27560

(press: open)

WEEK TWO:

Monday, February 25 // Minnesota

10:25 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. CST

Protolabs – Brooklyn Park

8500 Wyoming Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN 55445

(press: open)

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST

Polaris

7290 E Viking Boulevard

Wyoming, MN 55340

(press: closed)

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST

Metal Trade Solutions

311 1st Street North

Winsted, Minnesota 55395

(press: open)

Tuesday, February 26 // California

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST

Jelly Belly

1 Jelly Belly Lane

Fairfield, CA 94533

(press: open)

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PST

Bishop-Wisecarver

2104 Martin Street

Pittsburg, CA 94565

(press: open)

Wednesday, February 27 // California

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST

SFMade Manufacturing Foundry

150 Hooper Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

(press: open)

Thursday, February 28 // Arizona

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. MST

Karsten Manufacturing

2201 W. Desert Cove Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85029

(press: open)

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. MST

Four Peaks Brewery

1340 E. 8th Street #104

Tempe, AZ 85281

(press: closed)

More information regarding tour stops, events and locations will be released soon.

MEDIA RSVP: Members of the media interested in covering the tour or attending an event should contact [email protected]. To learn more about the NAM State of Manufacturing Tour 2019, click here.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.