Congressman Visits Industrial Innovations
U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga visited the company to discuss how Congress can help boost U.S. manufacturing competitiveness through legislation.
Posted: September 1, 2014
Industrial Innovations (Grandville, MI) was visited by U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga, U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 2nd congressional district, at its Grandville facility on August 25 to discuss how Congress can help boost U.S. manufacturing competitiveness through legislation.
Huizenga and company owner Troy Turnbull originally met in Washington D.C. in March 2014 during a “One Voice” summit, a federal government advocacy program comprised of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA; Cleveland, OH) and Precision Metalforming Association (PMA; Independence, OH) designed to represent small and medium-sized manufacturers in America. Turnbull is a member of the PMA board of directors.
Issues advocated by this group include the recent reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Investment Act, a job training bill that covers dozens of job training programs. This act is part of the ongoing efforts to close the skills gap in the U.S. manufacturing sector and enable employers to find and hire workers with the skills needed for competitiveness in modern manufacturing
Additionally, One Voice is lobbying for tax reform. Small companies such as Industrial Innovations create the majority of new jobs in America and the tax burden on these businesses has grown over the past few years. This growing burden for small companies increases the challenges of compliance and reduces the capital needed to grow a business, be it for training or other investment . . . affecting the rate of economic growth.
Through an acquisition in early 2014, Industrial Innovations expanded its capabilities with the addition of the Advance Automation product line. To accommodate the growth created by the acquisition, Industrial Innovations relocated in March 2014 from Wyoming, MI to Grandville, where it occupies 20,000 sq ft, nearly tripling the size of the former space. Turnbull invested in refurbishing and updating the facility with new paint, electrical, and lighting. Additionally, the company infrastructure was enhanced by new computer, phone system and ERP software investments.
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