President Donald Trump announced a Manufacturing Jobs Initiative Friday that he said will include meetings with the chief executives of America's largest manufacturing firms and trade groups, including 3M Company CEO Inge Thulin.
Trump's press office issued a statement Friday saying, "The President will be meeting with some of the world's most successful and creative business leaders to share their experiences and gain their insights. President Trump plans to continually seek information and perspectives from a diverse range of business leaders...on how best to promote job growth."
The initial round of leaders invited to participate in the initiative include the heads of Maplewood-based 3M as well as Dow Chemical, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, and many others. For the full list, see below.
In response to Trump's invitation, Thulin said in a statement that he is "honored to be asked to participate in this Presidential initiative and looks forward to engaging "on the important issues relating to American manufacturing."
It is not yet known when the meetings will be scheduled or which topics will be covered. Manufacturing experts said they expect issues discussed to include workforce training, the robotics, programming and technology needs of today's factories as well as tax and regulatory relief, exports, trade tariffs, and patent protections.
Initial business leaders assisting with Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative include:
Andrew Liveris, The Dow Chemical Company
Bill Brown, Harris Corporation
