MARIETTA, OH - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) convened a roundtable with southeastern Ohio manufacturers and toured the Thermo Fisher plant in Marietta today. Thermo Fisher recently announced plans to expand their workforce, adding more than 100 jobs over the next two years.

"Ohio companies are equipped to expand and create jobs, but we must help our state's industries transition to the clean energy economy," Brown said. "The next step is providing direct assistance to manufacturers to help them retool for the clean energy industry. One manufacturing job supports four others in our economy, and clean energy production will help define the future of the Ohio manufacturing."

Thermo Fisher is engaged in the "in-sourcing' of jobs, bringing Ohioans back to work, while expanding its export portfolio. Topics discussed at today's roundtable included: the challenges of the current recession and long-term opportunities; availability of credit and workforce training and development; competitiveness in a clean energy economy; and overseas trade issues.

Large and small manufacturers from Washington, Morgan, Athens, Monroe, and Noble counties attended today's event including representatives from: Eramet, Farrar Scientific, Skuttle Indoor Air Quality, and Solvay Advanced Polymers of Marietta; Kraton Polymers LLC of Belpre; Ormet Corporation of Sardis; and EZ Grout Corporation and ABC Manufacturing Inc of McConnelsville.

Brown is working to expand the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit (48C), a 30 percent credit for domestic companies that build domestic capacity to meet the growing demand for clean energy. Through "48C" in the Recovery Act, $2.3 billion in new federal funds for Ohio helped leverage more than $5.4 billion of private investment -- supporting the creation of manufacturing jobs. Brown is the author of the Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act of 2009, legislation incorporated in the House-passed clean energy bill that would create a $30 billion revolving loan program to help auto suppliers and other small and mid-sized manufacturers retool for the clean energy industry. Brown's bill would also expand the focus of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to include support for manufacturers transitioning to the clean energy economy. A report released in February estimates that Brown's IMPACT Act could create more than 52,000 jobs in Ohio

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