Made in Maryland Rally
Baltimore, MD
August 5, 2011
As Prepared for Delivery
Let me hear you say “Make it in America!”
Let me hear you say “Make it in Maryland!”
Let me hear you say “Jobs, jobs, jobs!
And let’s hear it for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake!
It’s great to join so many friends. Congressmen Hoyer and Sarbanes, Congresswoman Bentley, County Executive Ken Ulman, Paul Reed Smith, Bill Tiger, Susan Ganz, Dale Williams.
And Drew Greenblatt of Marlin Steel. Drew told me a story about one of his employees, who was making $8 an hour, when Drew first bought Marlin Steel. Today he makes more than $60,000 a year, with a matched-401k and good health insurance. Exactly the kind of middle class job, Maryland needs to create and save to move forward in this changing new economy.
That’s the promise of Advanced Manufacturing. And in many ways, companies like Marlin Steel provide a metaphor and a road map for the things we can do together – and must do together – as a State, to move forward.
When Drew bought Marlin Steel they were making bagel baskets. Today they are a part of Maryland’s growing, Innovation Economy – making baskets for high-tech, high-potential life-science companies. They make things here in Baltimore and ship them to countries like China, Singapore and Ireland. They pay their employees well and provide good benefits. And they are investing in their own infrastructure like high-tech robotics.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Because for businesses – and for government – a modern economy requires modern investments.
We’re in a fight for our economic future. And you know that for Maryland to win this fight we have to create Advanced Manufacturing jobs. We have to save Advanced Manufacturing jobs. We have to recruit Advanced Manufacturing jobs to Maryland. And we have to create the conditions that allow Maryland businesses to create and save Advanced Manufacturing jobs.
To make it in the new economy, we have to make it in Maryland!
Why? Because manufacturing jobs pay an average of $75,000 per year, about ten thousand dollars more than the average non-manufacturing job.
Because for every dollar of manufacturing sales we make, we spur an additional dollar-and-a-half in spending in other sectors of the economy.
Because 125,000 Marylanders who currently work in manufacturing is a great start, but it’s only the beginning.
And because we need all of you in order to make our children winners in this changing new economy.
Conclusion
So let’s create more Maryland success stories like the 800 jobs we’re creating alongside GM – who we convinced to build their next generation electric motor in Maryland, not in Mexico.
To create these jobs, in your state government, we’re investing in skills training initiatives. We’ve created the Fast Track process to cut down on the red tape so that we can create more jobs, rather than more bureaucracy. And even as we’ve cut state spending by $6.8 billion, we’ve still come together to make record investments in our #1 ranked, best-in-America public schools.
Because in Maryland our #1 asset is all of you: you talents, your ingenuity, your creativity, your skills, your work ethic.
So let me hear it again,… jobs, jobs, jobs!
