

In our Skokie facility, we build "Made in America" products that are being sold to the world.

Although highly imperfect, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement got several things right: removing more than 18,000 tariffs on American goods, helping small businesses reduce export red tape, and standardizing the enforcement of intellectual property and labor practices in member nations (albeit, not raising them). The United States should be a world leader in negotiating trade agreements that reduce export barriers for American innovations while aggressively protecting their underlying intellectual property. I agree with Senator Jeff Flake’s view that "working hard is a skill." The people of the Rust Belt value hard work, as demonstrated through a long tradition and infrastructure of skilled manufacturing. There is also a place for lower-skilled workers who are willing to do the thankless, tough jobs that Americans won’t. Even Canada is getting in on the action, launching targeted programs to poach highly skilled workers who might otherwise have emigrated to the United States.

America’s tightening immigration policy and rhetorical retreat from the fight for global talent is music to the ears of our competitors. To sustain our competitive advantage, the United States must invest in its workforce while also tapping the world’s best minds to develop the innovations that create new industries, products and jobs. He’s now known as the "patriotic chemist" for his work protecting American soldiers and civilian populations from chemical weapon attacks. And my business partner is a Palestinian Muslim from the West Bank who came to America with nothing, yet rose to become one of its leading minds in nanotechnology. I myself come from a family of immigrants, Mexican-Japanese and Jews from Eastern Europe who came here to pursue the American dream.
#Stp rust belt software#
These workers – engineers, scientists, software programmers – are complements to, not substitutes for, American talent. Washington, D.C., should make it easier, not harder for American manufacturers and the technology providers who support them to hire global knowledge workers. My team’s experiences have led to a few insights that I believe are key to accelerating an economically vibrant manufacturing sector in the Rust Belt and beyond: I am the founder of a company based in Skokie, Illinois, that is working on this new Rust Belt economy. It will be about the people on hand to make that happen: Investing in technology is ultimately about investing in the people who make that technology. It won’t be just about what we assemble inside the plant, but the accompanying software, data and services that help deliver high-quality, on-demand products to the world. Tomorrow’s great American Rust Belt will be defined by how innovations in nanomaterials, 3-D printing, robotics and automation are integrated into the automotive, industrial machinery, electronics and biotechnology sectors.
