"America’s Business" is a new one-hour radio program that delves deep into the issues that shape manufacturing and business in the United States and abroad. Hosted by broadcast veteran Mike Hambrick, "America’s Business" hits the topics that matter most to those who make America’s products…and to the people who buy them.
From politics to the economy, litigation to legislation, Hambrick goes directly to the nation’s top leaders. The very first guest on “America’s Business” was President George W. Bush, reaffirming his commitment to a strong U.S. manufacturing economy and the goals he shares with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
Weekly features include:
“American Justice Partnership” tackles tort reform on the state level. Go beyond the headlines to explain how the law and lawyers are affecting America’s business – for better AND worse.
“Factory Floor” — a first-hand account from manufacturers. For example, Kelly Johnson shared with a nationwide audience the success story of her company, Ace Clearwater Enterprises in Torrance, California.
“The Way It Was” — commentary from the NAM’s own author and historian Hank Cox.
“America’s Business Soapbox” — if you have an issue or gripe you want to get off your chest, we have that covered too. Call in, step up and let loose by calling 877-BIZ-SPEAK.
“Last Word” — NAM President, Governor John Engler, delivers his weekly commentary.
Remember, if it is business it’s “America’s Business.”
Click to hear archived shows:
America's Business: April 26, 2008
This weekend on America's Business with Mike Hambrick, Education is a top priority for manufacturers who need a skilled workforce to operate increasingly complex shop floor computers and equipment. But has America’s public education system improved in the 25 years since the National Commission on Excellence in Education released its “Nation at Risk” report? That report gave our schools a mediocre grade. Chester Finn, a guest on this week’s edition of “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick,” said things haven’t gotten much better. “I guess the big issue for me is that the reforms to date haven’t yielded much by the way of improved achievement,” said Finn, who is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Trade agreements have recently gotten a bad rap in Congress and the media but exports create American jobs. Miguel Cruz from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. will join Mike to talk about how his company is taking advantage of Latin American business opportunities. “National Small Business Week” is officially ending. Kristy Schloss, president of Schloss Engineered Equipment, will visit “America’s Business” to talk about issues important to small businesses such as hers. MeadWestvaco Corp., which makes packaging materials, is repackaging itself under the new name MWV. Company Vice President of Communications Donna Cox will tell us why the company decided to make the change. And to honor “Earth Day” Ed Kiczek, global business director at Air Products and Chemicals Inc., will discuss his company’s push into the hydrogen fuel market. Hydrogen could turn out to be a promising alternative form of energy. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of the American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”
America's Business: April 19, 2008
This weekend on America's Business with Mike Hambrick, The media can sometimes fan false hysteria about issues ranging from asbestos to global warming, according to the authors of the new book “Scared to Death.” Christopher Booker and Richard North, guests on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick,” said this hysteria can cost businesses billions of dollars when policymakers overreact. Remember the Y2K computer crash that never happened? “Part of the reason for writing the book, the process, is to tell people that actually they are being caught up in a very specific phenomenon and to advise and instruct them as to how to recognize the phenomenon they’ve been caught up with,” North said. Manufacturers are struggling to find qualified workers and the H1-B visa program helps them attract talent from overseas. But the visa program has flaws. Microsoft Corp. Managing Director of Federal Government Affairs Jack Krumholtz will appear on the program to tell us more. Clean technology is more popular than ever. Allied PhotoChemical Inc. Vice President of Sales Dan Sweetwood will join Mike to talk about why his company is offering a line of environmentally friendly paints, coatings and other products. One way to cut soaring healthcare costs is to help workers manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Dr. Ken Thorpe, executive director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, will be on hand to talk about his group’s push to include chronic disease management in the presidential debates. Spring is here and grass is growing again. On that note “America’s Business” will visit Walker Manufacturing Company in Colorado to help celebrate a special milestone. They will manufacture their 100,000th lawnmower this year. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of the American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”
America's Business: April 12, 2008
This weekend on America's Business with Mike Hambrick, Congress will hurt the U.S. economy and send a bad message to its allies if it rejects a free trade agreement with Colombia, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez says. The House on Thursday voted to delay a vote on the deal. “We should not put politics in front of sending a message to an ally,” said Gutierrez, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program. “If we don’t approve this, our allies and friends will be very confused. And people who don’t like us will be very happy.” Gasoline prices are at record highs and the search for alternative energy sources is gaining urgency. America’s Business will talk to Southern California Edison about the utility company’s multi-million-dollar plan to light hundreds of businesses and homes using solar power. American manufacturers are also using a foreign visa program to help meet a shortage of qualified workers. Texas Instruments will join Mike to discuss the hurdles the company faces when it uses the H1-B visa program. You can also tune in this week to find out what high-ranking government official visited Colorcraft in Sterling, Va., to talk about the economic stimulus package. And “America’s Business” will continue its series on foreign manufacturing groups when its visits the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”
America's Business: April 5, 2008
This weekend on America's Business with Mike Hambrick, Executive Director of the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce, Miguel Gomez Martinez says the United States will only hurt itself if it rejects a free trade agreement with Colombia. Higher energy prices are prompting Americans to consider alternative energy sources such as solar and geothermal. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) will join Mike to talk about an upcoming Clean Energy Center in Maryland that will introduce the public to the renewable energy industry.
America's Business: March 29, 2008
This weekend on "America's Business America is headed for trouble if it doesn’t kick its spending habit, says Tennessee Democratic Rep. John Tanner. The federal debt is a massive $9 trillion dollars. All that money spent paying interest on this debt could go to fixing roads and bridges and investing in human capital such as education and healthcare, says Tanner, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick.” “There is no country that I know of in recorded civilization that had an unhealthy, uneducated population that was strong and free,” Tanner says. President Bush is pressing Congress to approve an agreement to open Colombia’s markets to American goods and services. Politico reporter Victoria McGrane will talk to Mike about the odds Congress will back the deal. The Senate may also take up a climate change bill that critics say wouldn’t stop global warming and would wreck the economy. William O’Keefe from the George C. Marshall Institute will talk more about the bill’s down side. National Association of Realtors economist Lawrence Yun will tell us whether the stagnant housing market will turn around soon. And Loews Corp. President and Chief Executive Jim Tisch will tell Mike why a lower corporate gains tax rate would benefit business. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”
America's Business: March 22, 2008
This weekend on "America's Business Sen. George Voinovich says a pending Senate bill that would address global warming by limiting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions is ineffective, would hurt the economy and spark higher energy prices.
America's Business: March 15, 2008
This Week on America's Business Rep. Joe Donnelly says you are hurting American manufacturers and jobs when you buy a bootleg DVD or fake Rolex watch on the street corner. Donnelly introduced a bipartisan bill to battle product piracy in the United States and abroad. “It takes intellectual property theft much more seriously (and) creates stronger law enforcement network to fight it so that we can stand up for our manufacturers and make sure our ingenuity and ideas are protected,” the Indiana Democrat said. Freelance reporter Phaedra Hise returns to the program to talk about her Popular Mechanics magazine article on five American manufacturing success stories. The owner of one the companies profiled in her story – Drew Greenblatt of Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore – will also appear on the program. Manufacturers are scrambling to find well-trained workers. Mike will talk with an executive from Die-Tech metal stamping company in Pennsylvania about an innovative program they use to sharpen employee skills. You can tune into “America’s Business” this week to find out how the recently enacted, $168-billion economic stimulus plan will benefit McCutcheon's Apple Products in Maryland. And Sandra Westlund-Deenihan, president of Quality Float Works in Illinois, will join Mike to discuss the advantages U.S. manufacturers will gain from a pending trade pact with Colombia. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on legal reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word” when he talks about why innovation is so vital to America’s future.
America's Business: November 17, 2007
“America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” this week tackles weighty issues affecting U.S. manufacturers, including a controversial hardrock mining bill, America’s ailing bridges and roads, taxes and water regulations. Rep. Don Young (R-AK) tells Mike why he voted against the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, which could impose taxes on mining companies and hike raw material costs for manufacturers.
America's Business: March 8, 2008
Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have said they would try to reopen parts of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program says NAFTA is fine as is. Tampering with the pact would sour relations with Canada and Mexico and threaten the economy, said Dan Ikenson,associate director of the Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies. “It’s a terrible thing to be talking about at a time when U.S. export growth has been crucial,” Ikenson says. “Four years in a row we’ve set records in exports.” All the talk about the decline and fall of American manufacturing is overblown. Mike will talk to reporter Phaedra Hise about her recent Popular Mechanics magazine story on American manufacturers who succeed despite the odds. We’ll also visit one of those manufacturers – the American Bicycle Group. Natural gas is a crucial part of America’s energy supply. Natural Gas Supply Association President Skip Horvath will join Mike to talk about what role natural gas will play in America’s future. “America’s Business” will also chat with a business executive who says manufacturing know-how can help companies slash healthcare costs. And we’ll visit a Wisconsin boat horn manufacturer that has achieved a rare feat – the same family has run it for more than 100 years. In our regular segment Renee Giachino of America Justice Partnership will give us the latest on tort reform. And the National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler will close out the program with “The Last Word.”
America's Business: March 1, 2008
This Week on America's Business with Mike Hambrick The Washington Post and CNN say Alabama Democrat Rep. Artur Davis is a future leader to watch. The Harvard Law School graduate sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees trade, taxes and other vital business issues. And Davis, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick,” is keen on using trade deals, worker training and other steps to keep manufacturing strong. “Obviously, we need to make sure that the international rules of trade are fairly enforced and that they just don’t apply to the United States,” he told Mike. “America’s Business” will also go to “The land Down Under” to meet the Australian Industry Group and will chat with an executive from an American mining and farm equipment company that does business in Australia. Coal provides much of the nation’s electricity but has a dirty reputation. A Duke Energy official will talk about technology that reduces coal’s impact on the air we breathe. This week you’ll meet the person to go to at the U.S. Small Business Administration if you need help clearing regulatory hurdles. And with Black History Month closing, we’ll talk to a University of Houston expert about the many contributions of African American inventors. In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest report on tort reform while commentator Hank Cox recalls the “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close out the program with “The Last Word.”
Visit the "America's Business" page at the NAM's official Web site www.nam.org.
