AEM’s advocacy efforts took center stage at this year’s spring board meetings on March 9-10, highlighted by a Government and Public Affairs Committee (GPAC) luncheon and an exclusive dinner for AEM members at the German Ambassador’s residence.
As the election season hits full stride, AEM members heard from speakers at a GPAC luncheon headlined by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), who spoke about the importance of forging bipartisan consensus in Congress on issues important to equipment manufacturers, including many in her state.
Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) President Jim Gerlach shared his perspective as a former member of Congress on the importance of AEM members’ involvement in this year’s election, through both the I Make America campaign and AEMPAC. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) President Joe Bhatia also spoke on the importance of participating in standards development for manufacturers’ competitiveness.
The board meetings were capped by a dinner at the German Embassy in Washington, where Ambassador Peter Witting addressed AEM members in attendance. Witting shared his hopes for successful completion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) and the close economic ties between the United States and Germany. AEM Chair Leif Magnusson echoed those sentiments as well, noting AEM’s robust support for free and fair trade including T-TIP and the TPP.
Recognizing the advances in AEM’s advocacy efforts as a whole, AEM President Dennis Slater also used the GPAC luncheon to recognize Pat Weiler of Weiler for hosting Sen. Marco Rubio at his facility in Knoxville, Iowa last December. The event, Slater said, represented a fantastic opportunity for AEM and its members to help raise the profile of manufacturing issues this election season.
