FACT of the MATTER:
One simple way to create jobs in America

Every once in a while I hear of a story that truly makes my day…this is definitely one of them. Recently, ABC News ran a couple news stories regarding a home builder in Bozeman

Montana that decided to build a house made entirely of American-made goods, from every plank of wood to every roof nail. In the end, the home included products made in 33 states across the country and offers a roadmap of sorts for how to create nearly a quarter of a million jobs.

In that newscast, the builder made a simple challenge: If EVERY builder used just 5 percent more American materials to build homes, we could create 220,000 jobs right now!

Just 5 percent!

Hard to believe, but true. The story gets even better. ABC News the contractor’s list of Made in America building, products and found they  were not only often better made than, say, similar items made in China, the increase in cost was less than one percent.

ABC News has expanded the original idea, promoting a “Made in America Christmas." According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts items this year – totaling $465 billion. ABC News estimates that if money were spent entirely on US made products, it would create 4.6 million jobs.

If you’re inspired to consider Made in American gift ideas – or want to learn more about the Made in America products and story, you can get the story and view some of the thousands of responses here. 

My hope is that each of us will carry the spirit of that Montana builder’s message forward. When your holiday tree (and maybe that holiday fruitcake) are in the local landfill, you’ll think about how you can continue the Made in America theme into a new and prosperous year for us all.

FACT of the MATTER:
Associated Industries Bright Promise Program enters 4th year

As you may know, Associated Industries celebrated our “Grand Opening – Grand Beginning” Thursday, November 13, 2008. It was quite an event with good company and good times. In addition to enjoying time with many friends, we took the event as an opportunity to introduce a new scholarship program that clearly demonstrates our commitment to our region and our communities. That program -- now entering its fourth year -- is the Associated Industries Bright Promise Program. Through this important program we seek out the Northwest’s best and brightest, and invest in their future and the future of our community.

The Associated Industries Bright Promise Program scholarships are exceptional in that they highlight the value of community colleges as a great start for a college career. In addition, they encourage study in four key areas that are vital to the health and growth of our region: business, technology, health services and manufacturing technology.

It has long been our mission to deliver workforce solutions designed to enhance the success of our member organizations and the greater business community. This program continues that tradition, but this is only the beginning. We have worked to secure partners including Wells Fargo Insurance Services and ODS Health, who are matching our level of commitment to help us in our goal of securing this region’s continued success, and we thank you.We also want to thank the Liberty Lake Rotary Club, who, in the fall of 2011, established a new family-oriented activity -- the Rotary In Motion (RIM) Family Bike Ride, naming the AI Bright Promise Program as one of the now annual event as a beneficiary. We want to thank you as well!

We look forward to building more partnerships in the future with whom we will continue to build our community’s future and give our region the promise of a bright tomorrow.

Jim DeWalt
President and CEO
Associated Industries

FACT of the MATTER:
A.I. Bright Promise Program awards 2011-2012 school year scholarships

Even though we are currently in a recession, polls say that Washington State employers continue to face a gap between the number of graduates with the right skills and the number their companies need to thrive – with nursing, technology and business operations the hardest hit fields.

I believe that impacting this situation is the prohibitive cost of a diploma, and with the state cut in funding for colleges, that gap is expected to grow. In fact, Georgetown University's recent study on education and the workplace found that by the year 2018, two-thirds of the jobs in our state will require postsecondary education and training.

That’s one reason why Associated Industries took on the task three years ago to provide funding for one-half tuition scholarships for students, through our Associated Industries Bright Promise Program. The need – quite obviously – is great.

See the stack of papers to the right? That stack represents the 340-some applications Associated Industries received this year alone from qualified students hoping to be awarded an A.I. Bright Promise Program scholarship.

With so many qualified, deserving and needing applicants, you can imagine how difficult our task was, to pick “the best of the best.”

Though the task was daunting, it is with a great deal of pride that I can announce our selection for the AI Bright Promise Program scholarship for 20011-2012. Please click the link below for a full list of our 2011-2012 recipients.

FACT of the MATTER:
If it ain't broke...
Association healthcare plans are working

If it ain’t broke…Association healthcare plans are working

In 1995, the Legislature passed a law to open up a more competitive market for small employers seeking to provide affordable, comprehensive health benefits to their employees and their families. This law allows greater access to health insurance coverage through association healthcare plans. Few anticipated the tremendous success that would flow from this forward-thinking policy to broaden healthcare access for Washington’s employees.

Today, it is estimated that over a half million employees have healthcare coverage through their employer under association healthcare plans. It has opened doors that were essentially closed to many small businesses. In fact, some associations report that more than 40 percent of the employers participating did not previously offer health benefits. While there is much room for improvement in our health care system, association healthcare plans are working.

To our Members: I want you to know, throughout this current session, we will be keeping Associated Industries’ business owner-members informed if legislative proposals adversely impact your ability to provide healthcare for your employees through our association plans.

To our State Legislators: As our policy leaders in Washington State, we encourage you to preserve and protect our critically important association plans that make healthcare available and affordable for hundreds of thousands of Washington families.Our best wishes for a productive legislative session,

– Jim DeWalt, President/CEO