July 20, 2011
The Portland Development Commission (PDC) and the Pacific Northwest Defense Council (PNDC) will co-host a U.S. Manufacturing Council Listening Session on Friday, July 22, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Benson Hotel, 309 S.W. Broadway in Portland. Mayor Sam Adams will welcome the council and deliver opening remarks at approximately 8:10 a.m.
The council, re-chartered by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in 2010, includes executives representing a variety of industries, including steel, textile, superconductor and solar, whose products support a diverse range of industries such as the auto, aerospace, apparel and energy efficiency sectors. Chandra Brown, president of United Streetcar in Clackamas, Oregon, is vice chair of the council.
The listening session will feature representatives of small, medium and large manufacturers in the region. Brice Barrett, executive director of PNDC, will moderate a discussion of issues that impede manufacturing operations and growth, and recommendations on how to improve the national and international manufacturing business climate.
The council is in Portland for its quarterly meeting, which will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at United Streetcar’s facility at 9889 SE Mather Road, Clackamas.
Also accompanying the delegation will be Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce, International Trade; Nicole Lamb Hale, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Manufacturing and Services; and Greg Nelson, Deputy Director, White House Office of Public Engagement.
