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State Policy News
Congressman Perlmutter Attends CACI-Arranged Meeting at Primus Metals
Left to right: Leah, Ken Kotalik – Primus Director of North America -Asia Pacific Sales, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Hannah Mullen – Constituent Services Representative for Congressman Perlmutter, Randy Brodsky – Primus CEO & President, Hank Scott – CEO of Molon Lab Designs, Patrick Pratt.
Congressman Ed Perlmutter is staying active and meeting with businesses during the August recess. On Monday, he and his staff toured CACI member Primus Metals, a manufacturer headquartered in Lakewood.
Leah Curtsinger, CACI Federal and State Government Affairs Representative, and Patrick Pratt, Manager of CACI’s Manufacturing Initiative, arranged and participated in the meeting.
Primus Metals is one of the state’s leading precision machine-and-fabrication shops with customers in the aerospace, aviation, defense, and medical industries. Randall Brodsky, CEO of Primus Metals, says that, “If you’ve flown on a commercial airline, you’ve seen one of our products.”
Primus also manufactures and sells small-scale wind turbines for off-grid applications including oil-and-gas, aquatics, disaster relief, research and rural homes.
Randall and Ken Kotalik, Director of North American Sales for Primus Wind Power, started the meeting with Congr5essman Perlmutter and his staff with a briefing about the company.
Congressman Perlmutter learned how Primus grew from just a few workers in 1989 to about 100 employees today. In order to keep up with demand, Primus is running five shifts around the clock. The company has grown from roughly $1 million in annual revenue to more than $20 million.
Primus Metals faces such challenges as workforce development, control over intellectual property, accelerated depreciation, and extension of the residential, renewable-energy investment tax credit.
The visit continued with a tour of the soon-to-be-expanded 42,000 square-foot facility. Congressman Perlmutter used this opportunity to better understand the issues the company faces while also meeting with employees.
Congressman Perlmutter’s Office signed a letter of support, facilitated by CACI, for Primus Metals earlier this year as the company submitted a funding application through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for testing to internationally certify wind-power products. Although the NREL agreement is in the final stages of finalization, the outcome is expected to be positive for Primus Metals.
After the tour of Primus, the group was introduced to Hank Scott, CEO of Molon Lab Designs. Primus is the exclusive manufacturer of Molon’s new product, a redesigned commercial airline seat that will make the boarding process more efficient, thus increasing passenger satisfaction and reducing airlines’ costs. Expect to hear more about this innovative new product in the coming weeks.
“We’re so glad to produce a win-win by connecting one of Colorado’s Congressmen with one of our state’s premier manufacturers,” said Leah, “This connection will surely benefit our state, our state’s companies, and those companies’ employees.”
Celebrate Constitution Day with a PSA from Colorado U.S. Senators Gardner and Bennet
September 17th is Constitution Day, which is the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the famous document in Philadelphia.
Colorado Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet, in partnership with the Liberty Day Institute, recorded a public service announcement (PSA) urging adults to help educate children about the U.S. constitution.
The Liberty Day Institute is seeking volunteers to bring free Liberty Day Institute pocket Constitution books along with a Resource Packet for teachers to local 5th graders in their local community.
This initiative has been made possible through a grant to the Liberty Day Institute from the Daniels Fund in Denver. Volunteers should email [email protected] or call 866.718.3434.
Federal Policy News
CACI Hits Back Against Ozone Rules
In a conference call on Wednesday, CACI President Chuck Berry painted a somber picture to local and national news media about what the business community and the Colorado economy will face if the EPA insists on pushing forward with stricter ozone standards.
Just six months ago, Colorado was barely two weeks into implementing the previous 75 parts per billion (ppb) standard when the EPA renewed a push to lower ozone standards to around 70 ppb or 65 ppb.
In a news media release, Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) said:
“Coloradans consider their local air quality as excellent or good, oppose stricter federal environmental regulations on businesses in their area and believe that new regulations would have adverse effects on local economies,” said. “It is astounding that in a time when people recognize the tremendous improvements in their community’s air quality, yet are still worried about the economy and job creation, the Obama Administration would charge forward with this costly ozone regulation. Manufacturers and elected leaders in Colorado are leading the way to promote and improve air quality. However, tightening the federal ozone standard now will only threaten economic growth and job creation in Colorado and across the country.”
During Wednesday’s conference call with reporters, Chuck stressed that oversight of Colorado’s air quality should remain under Colorado Government control. “Colorado businesses are good corporate citizens and responsible stewards of our environment, and they work with our communities and State Government to preserve what is special about Colorado,” he said.
Multiple groups have come together to educate the news media about this issue. The groups unveiled a survey of Coloradan citizen attitude toward air quality, as well as an economic report (Slamming the Brakes: How Washington’s Ozone Plan Will Hurt the Colorado Economy and Make Traffic Worse). The economic analysis outlines what will happen when Colorado loses Federal funding for being out of attainment. This call came on the heels of the NAM’s television spot to educate citizens about the harmful effects of the EPA’s ozone proposal.
Key Findings of the Survey
- By a nearly two-to-one margin, Coloradans think that a bigger problem for their local area is “less economic growth and job opportunities caused by regulations” (57 percent) rather than “lower air quality caused by pollution” (30 percent).
- More than three-quarters (76 percent) rate their local air quality as “excellent” or “good,” about one-in-four (21 percent) rate it as “fair,” and only 3 percent say their local air quality is “poor.”
- Less than one-in-five (18 percent) think the federal government should have more of a say over air quality regulations in their local area. Most prefer that these decisions be handled by local and state officials (77 percent).
Media Coverage From the Survey/Study Release:
- The Denver Business Journal coverage with Chuck Berry quoted
- TV ad in Colorado takes aim at EPA clean power rules. The Denver Post
- Truth Test: Clearing up the ozone fight (VIDEO), NBC Denver
- Ad campaign targets EPA rules that could affect Colorado Springs. The Gazette.
- Politico Pro Morning Energy. Rocky Mountain High (Ozone Levels)
- Business group: Traffic jams in the cards for Vegas under EPA’s new smog rule. Washington Examiner
- Chamber ramping up attacks on ozone rule, The Hill.
CACI’s Curtsinger Participates in Northern Colorado Economic Development Panel
About 100 people made the early morning trip Wednesday to the idyllic Colorado Youth Outdoors lake area in Ft. Collins for a panel discussion on northern Colorado economic development.
The event was sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, which is a CACI member.
Leah closed out the five-person panel session with a presentation about how Federal Government changes to “Waters of the U.S.” definitions will directly affect economic development across Colorado.
Specifically, Curtsinger presented examples of why the construction and home-building industries, companies servicing oil-and-gas exploration, as well as our farmers, ranchers and the food supply chain should care about WoTUS changes. The new Obama Administration/EPA changes will go into effect two weeks from today: August 28th.
Curtsinger closed out her briefing with a primer on how to get involved in educating elected officials about businesses and the benefit they bring to local communities, as well as a lighthearted approach on “How to Lobby Your Members of Congress.”
The remainder of the panel spoke to current and future construction projects and how they have affected, or will impact, business in Northern Colorado.