http://www.americanseating.com/index.php en kelly.bagnall@amseco.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-03T17:37:00+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/joe-biden-speaks-at-american-seating-company/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/joe-biden-speaks-at-american-seating-company/#When:17:37:00Z Vice President Joe Biden spoke in Grand Rapids on Wednesday of the resurgence of American manufacturing. On Wednesday morning, January 31, Vice President Joe Biden visited Grand Rapids for the second time in less than six months. He gave a roughly 45-minute talk at the American Seating Company on the city’s northwest side. Biden praised the manufacturing company, which he said, “did not budge on outsourcing.” For full article and to watch video click here. On Wednesday morning, January 31, Vice President Joe Biden visited Grand Rapids for the second time in less than six months. He gave a roughly 45-minute talk at the American Seating Company on the city’s northwest side. Biden praised the manufacturing company, which he said, “did not budge on outsourcing.” Indeed, the company still has 125 union employees who work in the local plant, according to plant manager John Burns. Much of their current manufacturing goes to make seats being used for mass transit such as buses and trains. The bulk of Biden’s speech was devoted to sharing positive statistics and touting the success of the Obama administration’s work in bringing jobs back here. “Your kids will hear just as much about insourcing as our generation heard about outsourcing,” Biden said. “By 2015 there will be no advantage [for companies] to be in China,” he promised. Currently Biden said that the Obama administration is focused on “leveling the playing field.” The Vice President said that they are launching initiatives to couple community colleges with manufacturing companies to provide training for the next generation of workers. “62% of jobs in the next ten years will need something beyond a high school education,” Biden said. Video provided by Scott Warren. [For those interested in seeing more, a longer portion of Biden’s speech can be seen here.]   2012-02-03T17:37:00+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-biden-visits-west-michigan/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-biden-visits-west-michigan/#When:14:01:41Z WWMT3 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Vice President Joe Biden is in Grand Rapids this morning to talk about manufacturing. The vice president spoke at American Seating. The company makes seats for places like buses, trains, stadiums and arenas. For full article and video click here.  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Vice President Joe Biden is in Grand Rapids this morning to talk about manufacturing. The vice president spoke at American Seating. The company makes seats for places like buses, trains, stadiums and arenas. He discussed the Obama administration’s plan to boost the country’s manufacturing sector. In his State of the Union speech the president talked about eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering taxes for in-sourcing, which is as you might guess, the opposite of outsourcing. This is the vice president’s second trip to West Michigan in four months. He visited Grand Rapids Central High School in October. Biden was also in West Michigan back in 2009 for the groundbreaking of the I-94 widening project in Kalamazoo. 2012-02-03T14:01:41+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vp-biden-visits-grand-rapids-manufacturer/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vp-biden-visits-grand-rapids-manufacturer/#When:13:51:53Z WZZM13 By Sarah Sell GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)—Vice President Biden was in Grand Rapids Wednesday to show how a local company is succeeding while keeping manufacturing jobs here at home. American Seating has been in Grand Rapids for 125 years. It makes seats for schools, courtrooms, buses, and ballparks.  Vice President Biden thought the company would be the perfect back drop for his speech on bringing manufacturing jobs back to America. For full article and video click here. GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)—Vice President Biden was in Grand Rapids Wednesday to show how a local company is succeeding while keeping manufacturing jobs here at home. American Seating has been in Grand Rapids for 125 years. It makes seats for schools, courtrooms, buses, and ballparks.  Vice President Biden thought the company would be the perfect back drop for his speech on bringing manufacturing jobs back to America. Before the Vice President took to the podium, he took a tour of the factory and got to see the seats being made. At American Seating, all the products are manufactured in the USA. American Seating president Tom Bush said, “We really stress innovation and intellectual properties and engineered to order. It’s something you don’t want to do overseas.” Vice President Biden said, “For example, all of the high tech firms like Sysco, Oracle, and Google—they’re all an important lynchpin in us maintaining a competitive edge in this world. But the sum total they employ is fewer than the jobs lost in the automobile factories in 2008.” The Vice President talked about how the Obama administration was going to bring manufacturing jobs back to America by eliminating incentives to send jobs overseas and by offering tax credits for what Biden calls “insourcing.” “You’re going to hear, I promise you, your kids are going to hear about ‘insourcing’ as much as we did about ‘outsourcing’,” he said. American Seating makes 75% of the seats for public transportation in North America. They also make seats at venues like Radio City Music Hall, Fenway Park, Comerica Park and stadiums like the Big House at University of Michigan. For the workers, the speech wasn’t so much political as it was about being recognized for what they do. “It’s not every day a Vice President comes to American Seating, Grand Rapids, or Michigan. It was a great day for everybody,” says Bush. American Seating got its start in 1886 by inventing the first school desk-seat combination.  It employs 500 people in the Grand Rapids area. From the Associated Press 2012-02-03T13:51:53+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-co.-employees-gather-to-see-vice-president-joe-biden/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-co.-employees-gather-to-see-vice-president-joe-biden/#When:13:48:25Z MLive By Matt Vande Bunte GRAND RAPIDS – About 200 American Seating Co. employees, many joined by family members, are waiting inside a company plant on Seward Avenue NW to see and hear Vice President Joe Biden later this morning. Biden is scheduled to speak about helping to “bring manufacturing back to America by eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing,” according to the company. For full article click here. GRAND RAPIDS – About 200 American Seating Co. employees, many joined by family members, are waiting inside a company plant on Seward Avenue NW to see and hear Vice President Joe Biden later this morning. Biden is scheduled to speak about helping to “bring manufacturing back to America by eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing,” according to the company. “It’s rather exciting to bring a 10-year-old boy to see a vice president,” said Kristin Kemppainen, a Forest Hills teacher who skipped school with her son while her husband, an American Seating engineering director, is out of town for work. “He said ‘Take the boy and go.’ It’s one of those teachable moments. It’s a great opportunity not only for American Seating, but for Grand Raids and American manufacturing.” The White House reached out to the company and asked to visit, said Deb McDermott, vice president of marketing. “We’re a logical choice,” she said. “The ‘Made in America’ message is so critical to us. We’ve made a commitment to not ship jobs overseas.” American Seating started in 1886 by making a student seat-desk combination, and now has about 500 workers who make seating for buses, trains, schools, stadiums, theaters, churches and other uses. In its portfolio: seating at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Comerica Park in Detroit, Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston and the new Miami Marlins stadium in Florida. Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Crystal Cathedral in California are among other facilities with American Seating products. The company’s union workforce makes products using mostly domestic content. About 75 percent of raw materials are sourced from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, according to the company. 2012-02-03T13:48:25+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-joe-biden-promises-a-comeback-for-american-manufacturing-sec/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-joe-biden-promises-a-comeback-for-american-manufacturing-sec/#When:13:43:57Z MLive By Jim Harger GRAND RAPIDS – Vice President Joe Biden promised about 300 American Seating Co. workers and local dignitaries that manufacturing will lead the United States back into the forefront of world economies. For full article and photo gallery click here. GRAND RAPIDS – Vice President Joe Biden promised about 300 American Seating Co. workers and local dignitaries that manufacturing will lead the United States back into the forefront of world economies. In an upbeat 40-minute speech, Biden said President Barack Obama’s Administration is dedicated to leveling the playing field for American companies by ending tax breaks that rewarded companies that shipped jobs overseas. “What we understand is that the core of what it means to be an American is fairness,” Biden said. “The one things that Americans dislike more than anything else is being played for a sucker.” Vice President Joe Biden talks about American Manufacturing Vice President Joe Biden talks about American manufacturing at American Seating Co. in Grand Rapids Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Watch video Speaking to a company that makes all of its seating products in the U.S., Biden said he wants to reward companies who bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. RELATED: Joe Biden's 'common sense' embraced by American Seating Co. workers “Your kids are going to hear as much about in-sourcing as our generation heard about out-sourcing,” Biden told the audience gathered on the factory floor. Biden, who toured the factory which makes bus seats before his speech, also pledged to make education and worker re-training a key part the White House economic recovery strategy. Building on Obama’s “Built to Last” theme from last week’s State of the Union Address, Biden labeled as “myth” the notion of Chinese world dominance in manufacturing. “The cost gap between out-sourcing in China and manufacturing in the U.S. is minimal and by 2015 will be nonexistent,” Biden said. “Let’s shed this notion that we’re starting from a 10-foot hole,” Biden said. “Because of the work you are doing on the floor, I am convinced that America is coming back and will lead the world in manufacturing in the 21st Century.”   2012-02-03T13:43:57+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-co.-prepares-for-visit-from-vice-president-joe-biden/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-co.-prepares-for-visit-from-vice-president-joe-biden/#When:22:27:28Z GRAND RAPIDS – American Seating Co. executive David McLaughlin had a premonition about Vice President Joe Biden’s plans to visit this Wednesday as he listened to President Barack Obama’s ringing endorsement of American manufacturing in last week’s State of the Union address. “Once I heard the State of the Union speech, I said to my wife, ‘Uh oh. I think we’re going to get visitors,’” said the company’s vice president and sales manager with a chuckle. For Full Article Click Here. GRAND RAPIDS – American Seating Co. executive David McLaughlin had a premonition about Vice President Joe Biden’s plans to visit this Wednesday as he listened to President Barack Obama’s ringing endorsement of American manufacturing in last week’s State of the Union address. “Once I heard the State of the Union speech, I said to my wife, ‘Uh oh. I think we’re going to get visitors,’” said the company’s vice president and sales manager with a chuckle. American Seating is a textbook example of a manufacturer whose seating for buses, trains, stadiums and concert arenas is made entirely in the United States, McLaughlin said. Employing nearly 500 workers, most of the 125-year-old company’s manufacturing takes place in two factories on the city’s West Side. Some assembly work is done in Grand Forks, N.D., McLaughlin said. On Wednesday morning, Biden is expected to meet with some of the company’s employees and talk about the Obama Administration’s efforts to reward companies like American Seating that do not export jobs overseas. According to the White House announcement, Biden will discuss with workers the administration’s plan to help American businesses by “eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing.” McLaughlin said his company often faces tough competition from companies that have moved their assembly processes to Mexico. That competition from foreign labor rates can make a big difference, he said. “There are roughly 100 labor hours required to build a set of seats for a 55-passenger motor coach,” he explained. “If you multiply 100 labor hours versus the rate that is paid in Mexico City, it gets to be a real problem.” Currently, there are no federal programs that reward American Seating for its all-American approach to production, McLaughlin said. “We just try to be as efficient as we can be,” he said. McLaughlin said he does not expect his company will receive any direct benefit from the Obama Administration as a result of Wednesday’s visit. While McLaughlin and other company employees are scrambling to get their factory floor ready for Biden’s visit, they believe it will be worth the effort. “We’re very pleased to have this opportunity,” he said. “I don’t think we’d want to do it very often. But sometimes when you talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.” E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger 2012-02-02T22:27:28+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/u.s.-vice-president-joe-biden-visits-american-seating/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/u.s.-vice-president-joe-biden-visits-american-seating/#When:22:22:05Z GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Feb. 1, 2012—American Seating headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA (http://www.americanseating.com) welcomed U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to its campus today; the vice president toured the American Seating transportation plant that makes bus and rail seats used in more than 75 percent of public transit systems across North America. To watch video click here. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The White House has announced that Vice President Joe Biden is coming back to Grand Rapids on Wednesday. The White House says Vice President Biden will visit American Seating Company’s factory in Grand Rapids at 10:45 a.m. The White House says Vice President Biden “will discuss with workers the Administration’s plan to help businesses bring manufacturing jobs back to America by eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing”. American Seating Company is a company that makes seats for buses, trains, stadiums, and concert arenas.  The company has been around since the 1880s. Vice President Biden was in Grand Rapids in October 2011. V ice President Joe Biden visited Grand Rapids Central High School to focus on plans to put workers back on the job by spending $25 billion to rebuild and modernize schools. 24 Hour News 8’s Rick Albin will be at the Vice President’s event Wednesday and will have updates throughout the day. 2012-02-02T22:22:05+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vp-joe-biden-visits-grand-rapids-american-seating/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vp-joe-biden-visits-grand-rapids-american-seating/#When:22:13:36Z American Seating headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA (http://www.americanseating.com) welcomed U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to its campus today; the vice president toured the American Seating transportation plant that makes bus and rail seats used in more than 75 percent of public transit systems across North America. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Visits American Seating U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visits American Seating GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Feb. 1, 2012—American Seating headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA (http://www.americanseating.com) welcomed U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to its campus today; the vice president toured the American Seating transportation plant that makes bus and rail seats used in more than 75 percent of public transit systems across North America. Vice President Biden discussed with American Seating workers, company leadership, and local, regional and statewide dignitaries the Obama administration’s plan to help businesses bring manufacturing jobs back to America by eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing. “American Seating’s mission is to make seats and other furniture for everyday people, for just about every public setting imaginable. We’re pretty proud that we’ve been doing that for more than 125 years, right here in the same location, right here with a Grand Rapids, Michigan, Made-in-America workforce,” American Seating President Tom Bush said. “American companies need Washington to focus on how important it is for our country to continue to manufacture products right here. With the right environment and a level playing field, there is no reason why we can’t grow our manufacturing base.” 100 percent of American Seating products are manufactured in the U.S.A. Ninety-five percent of the company’s products are made from domestic content. The company sells the No. 1-selling bus seat on the market, known as InSight®, which also has the largest personal sitting area on the market. American Seating transit seats are used in bus, rail and motorcoaches. The company, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2011, got its start by inventing the first student-seat-desk combination. American Seating remains committed to the education market as well as other architectural environments, including office facilities, sports stadiums, theaters, and concert and lecture halls As part of its year-long celebration, American Seating opened an exhibit to the public last June at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Michigan. The museum exhibit chronicles the company’s 125-year history in Grand Rapids and throughout North America – told through products, historical photos, timelines and vignettes. Founded in 1886, the company – headquarters and manufacturing operations – has remained on its original campus. “We’re very pleased to be part of Grand Rapids’ and our country’s history,” American Seating Chairman/CEO Ed Clark said. The company’s seating products touch every major city in the United States and Canada for public transportation – including New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Grand Rapids. The company’s architectural products are in such memorable venues as Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, the University of Michigan’s The Big House in Ann Arbor, the Boston Red Sox’s beloved Fenway Park, the Chicago Cubs’ iconic Wrigley Field, the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park, the New Orleans Superdome, LSU and more. Read or download The History of Seating America at http://www.americanseating.com. ### About American Seating Since 1886, American Seating Company has set the benchmark for product design, durability and comfort. We are committed to being the leading innovator of world-class transportation and architectural environment seating solutions. Transportation markets include City Service, Rail, Motorcoach and Demand-Response. Architectural markets include Education, Entertainment, Office and Government Contract. American Seating employs a U.S.-based workforce and is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA. We invite you to learn more about American Seating at http://www.americanseating.com.    2012-02-02T22:13:36+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-fact-sheet-vp-joe-biden-visit/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-fact-sheet-vp-joe-biden-visit/#When:22:03:39Z VP Joe Biden visits Grand Rapids based company, American Seating. For American Seating Fact Sheet Click Here Fact Sheet • Through the years, American Seating’s mission has been to make seats and other furniture for everyday people, for just about every public setting imaginable. • The company has been doing that since 1886, right here in the same location, with a Grand Rapids, Michigan, Made in America workforce! • 100 percent of American Seating products are manufactured in the U.S.A. • Our products are made by members of UAW Local 135. American Seating has a 125-year history in markets where our products have made a significant impact on the everyday lives of people through the years, products such as: • Transportation – seating • Portable seating • Educational and office venues – desks, seating • Sports stadiums and ball parks – seating • Theatre seating We’re in just about every public setting imaginable: • Buses • Trains • Schools • Colleges • Offices • Courtrooms • Convention centers • Ballparks • Stadiums • Arenas • Theaters • Churches An exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum chronicling the company’s history opened in June 2011 – a booklet of our history is available at americanseating.com – see http://www.americanseating.com/videos/Seating_America.pdf FACTS: • American Seating employs a Grand Rapids-based workforce of almost 500. • American Seating purchases 75 percent of its raw materials from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana – 95 percent of its products are made from domestic content. • Transportation products are manufactured and assembled in the Transportation Plant on the American Seating Park campus on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. • The company also makes seating and other products for architecture and office markets at additional facilities also on the American Seating Park campus. • American Seating has made products on Grand Rapids’ Northwest side since 1886 – 2011 was the company’s 125th anniversary year. • Almost all raw materials used by American Seating are from the U.S. • 100 percent of American Seating products are manufactured in the U.S. • More than 75 percent of the nation’s city-service bus seats are made by American Seating. • Major cities with American Seating bus seats include Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Miami, St. Louis, San Francisco and, of course, The Rapid in Grand Rapids. • Major cities using American Seating seats in rail systems include Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon (and the Olympic SkyTrain in Vancouver). • American Seating’s InSight® seat is the best-selling transit seat in the world. Here’s a taste of how we’ve touched America for the past 125 years – from bus seats and beyond: • Public transit o If you’re riding a bus in CHICAGO or at DISNEYWORLD or in GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, USA, (or maybe took the SKYTRAIN in Vancouver, Canada, at the 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS), then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. • Pro sports stadiums o If you’re eating a hot dog watching the BOSTON RED SOX AT FENWAY PARK or the CHICAGO CUBS AT WRIGLEY FIELD, then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. o If you’ve scored tickets to the NEW YORK JETS or GIANTS at MEADOWLANDS, then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. • Performance venues o If you’re enjoying a performance at the KENNEDY CENTER IN WASHINGTON, DC, or at RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL IN MANHATTAN or at the sparkling brand-new ARMSTRONG AUDITORIUM IN EDMOND, OKLAHOMA, then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. • Places of worship o If you’re worshipping at the CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL in Orange County, California, or in any number of churches across America, then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. • Schools o If you’re watching a football game at THE BIG HOUSE (UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN) or at its rival’s house, OHIO STADIUM (OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY), then you’re sitting on seats made by American Seating. o If you’re taking classes at universities from OLE MISS to MICHIGAN STATE, from LOYOLA to BIOLA (or at any number of colleges from coast to coast), then you’re sitting on seats and at desks made by American Seating. o If you were a student 125 years ago or maybe not so long ago, THEN YOU PROBABLY SAT IN AMERICA’S VERY FIRST STUDENT SEAT-DESK COMBINATION, made by American Seating. Two examples of transportation products made by American Seating are InSight® and Vision® - these award-winning solutions have been installed in mass-transit vehicles in major cities across the United States and Canada. InSight® – North America’s No. 1-selling transit seat InSight® is the No. 1-selling transit seat in the industry. InSight® received the prestigious iF® (International Forum) and Red Dot design awards. InSight® also features the largest personal sitting area on the market. In addition to new style, fabric and and color options, American Seating has added the option for upholstered back panels. Combined, these elements help to support the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)’s goal of improving the image of public transportation and boosting ridership. Additional resources: InSight® product brochure Vision® – the next generation in stainless seating Vision® builds on the InSight® value platform with enhanced, vandal-resistant features. Vision® received the Good Design® award in the Transportation category, one of the oldest and most recognized programs for design excellence worldwide. Additional resources: Vision® product brochure FACTS FROM THE RIGHT PLACE: • There are more than 2,300 manufacturers in the West Michigan region with nearly 131,000 employees. • Careers in manufacturing represent 15% of all jobs, ranking our region #1 amongst the largest metropolitan areas in manufacturing employment percentage share. • Manufacturing contributes nearly $76.3 billion to the Michigan Gross State Product, far outranking other economic sectors, including real estate ($42.9 billion), professional and technical services ($29 billion), health care ($26.3 billion) and finance and insurance ($22 billion). • West Michigan manufacturers have led the U.S. in sustainable manufacturing practices. The region was the first to implement the EPA’s Green Supplier Network and the first to implement the EPA’s new E3 (Economy, Energy, Environment) Program. • West Michigan National Rankings by Industry Sector: • 6th in Automotive Manufacturing • 8th in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing • 9th in Metal Manufacturing • 12th in Plastics Manufacturing • Manufacturing jobs create one of the highest spin-off job ratios in the world. It is estimated that six supporting jobs are created for every one direct manufacturing job. 2012-02-02T22:03:39+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-joe-biden-visit-american-seating/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vice-president-joe-biden-visit-american-seating/#When:20:53:18Z GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The White House has announced that Vice President Joe Biden is coming back to Grand Rapids on Wednesday. The White House says Vice President Biden will visit American Seating Company’s factory in Grand Rapids at 10:45 a.m. For all stories relating to this visit Click Here. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The White House has announced that Vice President Joe Biden is coming back to Grand Rapids on Wednesday. The White House says Vice President Biden will visit American Seating Company’s factory in Grand Rapids at 10:45 a.m. The White House says Vice President Biden “will discuss with workers the Administration’s plan to help businesses bring manufacturing jobs back to America by eliminating incentives to ship jobs overseas and offering tax credits for insourcing”. American Seating Company is a company that makes seats for buses, trains, stadiums, and concert arenas. The company has been around since the 1880s. Corporate 2012-01-31T20:53:18+00:00