Nationwide, manufacturing is making a comeback. For the first time in history, manufacturing in the United States surpassed the $2 trillion mark. Manufacturing output has soared since the end of the recession, and manufacturing employment surged in the last months of 2013. In North Carolina, manufacturing remains a strong and vital component to the state economy. North Carolina manufacturers have stepped up and continue to be a leading employer, economic contributor and key to innovation in our state.

In his annual State of Manufacturing address, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons touted the manufacturing comeback as a tribute to the hardworking men and women who produce the goods and generate the ideas that power the U.S. economy as well as the global economy. With our reinstated Manufacturing Council, the NC Chamber continues to focus on the issues that matter to you most at both the national and state level, and we have already achieved successes in several important policy areas in North Carolina. Focusing on products, people and policy, the North Carolina Chamber will continue working with the NAM to ensure the stayed vitality of North Carolina manufacturing.

Click here for Timmons’ full remarks and here for his op-ed, “Manufacturing: A Key Ingredient for U.S. Growth,” in RealClearPolitics..