www.strathambusiness.org

Solaicx is a manufacturer of silicon ingots and wafers for photovoltaics, and the company recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Portland, OR. The plant will start out producing about 32 megawatts per year, and at full capacity it expects to employ 180 skilled workers and churn out 180 megawatts per year. Solaicx says its proprietary manufacturing technology yields low-cost, high quality cells that are optimized for solar energy applications. Why locate in Oregon, and not Asia? What is it about the Solaicx process that could make solar “affordable?” Denis Du Bois interviews the company’s CEO, Bob Ford. (podcast) (photos) (transcript)

New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College

Dear Subscribers: Be sure to check out the new America’s Business vodcast at www.americasbusiness.org…This Week on America’s Business…New trade deals with Peru, Columbia and Panama are a win-win for America, the National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler says on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick.” American markets are already open to these Latin American nations. The agreements would simply make trade with them a two-way street, favoring American industries and jobs, Gov. Engler says. The House passed the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 3688) in November by a vote of 285-132 and the Senate is expected to take the bill up soon. Engler tells Mike he can’t understand why a lawmaker would vote against the Peru deal, or a Panama or Columbia trade agreement for that matter. “We ought to be doing everything we can to open up wide the opportunities for our companies and our jobs right here in the United States,” he says. Engler, who recently returned from a trade and manufacturing trip to Asia, will also talk about why Japan’s growing economy offers great opportunities for American manufacturers. And Phil Poel, senior vice president of global operations at the Wolverine World Wide shoe company, will join Mike to discuss how his company gained a foothold in China. With the holiday travel season upon us, gasoline prices are on the minds of many Americans. Daniel Yergin, president of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, will discuss a report that paints a sobering picture of America’s energy future. Joseph Minarik of the Committee for Economic Development will talk about another problem facing Americans — higher healthcare costs. Minarik’s group recently unveiled a proposal to provide quality, affordable healthcare by moving beyond employer-based healthcare systems. And if you think American kids aren’t interested in manufacturing, think again. Ron Wilson at the Livonia Career Technical Center in Michigan is moving the old-fashioned high school shop class into the 21st century. Ron offers more details on the center. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of the America Justice Partnership gives us the heroes and villains of the tort reform battles and the NAM’s Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.”

America’s Business Radio Show and Podcasts

GREENBUILD– Hear from 7 exhibitors in 12 minutes in this whirlwind audio tour of the expo hall. Denis Du Bois hand-picks energy-related vendors and brings you an audio summary of what they have to say. Denis does the walking, interviews the top people in each booth and edits their message down to its essence; you just sit back and enjoy. (podcast)

New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College

Dear Subscribers: Be sure to check out the new America’s Business vodcast at www.americasbusiness.org…This Week on America’s Business…issues affecting U.S. manufacturers, including a controversial hardrock mining bill, America’s ailing bridges and roads, taxes and water regulations.Rep. Don Young (R-AK) tells Mike why he voted against the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, which could impose taxes on mining companies and hike raw material costs for manufacturers.Young, former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will also say what Congress must do to fix the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. Eugene Sukup, who runs an Iowa grain bin and silo business, will join Mike to talk about the devastating human cost of the estate tax. Sukup recently told the Senate Finance Committee that if he died today his sons must sell the company to pay the so-called “death tax.” Hundreds of jobs would be the lost, striking a serious blow against the economy of tiny Sheffield, Iowa. Tim Carlson, president of the Coalition for Tax Fairness, will also join Mike for a discussion on another tax that hurts working Americans – the alternative minimum tax. The American Farm Bureau’s Don Parrish and Missouri hog farmer Chris Chinn will offer the nuts and bolts on how businesses could be affected by legislation to give EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers control over wet areas.On a lighter note Dan McGregor, chief executive officer of Rose City Manufacturing in Springfield, Ohio, will spread the word about his multimedia presentation that celebrates manufacturing. McGregor is taking the exhibit around the country. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of the America Justice Partnership gives us the heroes and villains of the tort reform battles and the NAM’s Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And Gov. John Engler gives us the last word, a message on the importance of export controls.

America’s Business Radio Show and Podcasts

The renewable energy industry’s leading podcast series ran a segment I recorded at Greenbuild. It’s an excerpt of an audio package I produced when I visited the exhibits of the major energy-related exhibitors there. (podcast)

New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College