FREMONT, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Reta Jo Lewis, the president of the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank at the Crown Battery factory in Fremont to tour the facility and discuss how the bank can help more Ohio companies export goods to other countries.

“For decades Ohio has lived with the consequences of bad trade and tax policy that encouraged corporations to send production overseas, in search of ever-lower wages,” said Brown. “EXIM is critical to bringing those supply chains back home, and supporting Ohio manufacturers like Crown Battery that want to expand production and exports. EXIM’s job is to support American businesses in the face of competition – often unfair competition – from countries like China.”

"I'm happy to be here with Senator Brown visiting Ohio businesses, talking about the Make More in America Initiative that will help support American jobs," said EXIM President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis. "The Make More in America Initiative will help spur manufacturing in critical sectors to strengthen the resiliency of our supply chains. One of our goals at EXIM is to extend our outreach to local exporters and small businesses to facilitate American exports, support American jobs and enhance global competitiveness.”

Brown and Lewis are visiting Ohio companies with the goal of helping businesses of all sizes reach new international markets for the first time. They were joined on the tour today by local leaders and Crown Battery employees and discuss how the bank can help more Ohio companies export goods to other countries.

“Crown Battery builds the world’s most sustainable batteries in Fremont, Ohio – and we wouldn’t be where we are today without help,” said John Connell, Vice President - SLI Products Group, Crown Battery Manufacturing. “We’re grateful for Senator Brown’s initiatives to support Ohio manufacturers like Crown Battery and promote economic growth. And our relationship with the Export/Import Bank has allowed us to export our safe, 99% recyclable energy storage products to more than 65 countries. Our export success helped us return manufacturing jobs to the USA from China and Mexico – and make capital improvements to reduce our carbon footprint and hire more employees. We’re excited to continue working with Senator Brown and President Lewis to create good jobs, protect our environment, and build durable products right here in America.”

The EXIM Bank is our nation’s official export credit agency, and is one of the most important federal agencies for Ohio businesses, like Crown Battery, that sell products around the world. There are more than 100 export credit agencies and credit programs around the world that support foreign manufacturers. China’s export finance activity is larger than all of the export credit provided by the G7 countries combined.

Crown Battery designs, manufactures and distributes batteries, chargers, and accessories for various industries. Crown Battery has worked with the EXIM Bank for more than a decade and with its help has exported more than $31 million in products to foreign countries since 2014.   

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