Vice president candidate Tim Kaine to speak to business leaders in Denver event
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine will be in Denver Tuesday morning for a roundtable meeting with Colorado small business leaders at a Lakewood aerospace company.
Kaine will discuss running mate Hillary Clinton’s plan to “create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”
The event at Primus Aerospace is not open to the public.
Randall Brodsky, CEO and president of Primus Aerospace, said Kaine will tour the facility before sitting down to talk with small business owners.
“I think Sen. Kaine is interested because we are growing, and manufacturing is still alive in the United States,” said Brodsky, whose company manufactures components for aerospace, defense and space industries around the world.
Brodsky bought a portion of Primus Aerospace 17 years ago and has slowly taken full ownership of the company. He said Kaine’s visit Tuesday is about advocating for industry needs rather than making the aerospace industry a political arena.
“We’re trying to educate as much as we can on both sides of the aisle,” he said.
Brodsky said the largest hurdle for his company remaining in the United States is that less expensive labor is available abroad.
“The way to offset that in the U.S. when there is a high cost of labor is to invest in automation,” he said. “There’s not major financial incentives to invest in automation.”
This is the first visit to Colorado from the Democratic ticket since Clinton was in Commerce City on Aug. 3, when she talked about her plan to jump-start the economy by spending billions on public infrastructure projects across the nation.
Kaine, from Virginia, will likely delve more into her plan to help small businesses. Clinton’s campaign stop also included a visit to the Knotty Tie, a small company that makes hand-made ties in an arts district just south of downtown Denver. Clinton said she wants to focus on ensuring things are made in America and helping those companies that are still manufacturing here.
–
Contact Megan Schrader: 286-0644
Twitter: @CapitolSchrader
Neighborhoods. Green Mountain Falls taken Aug. 10, 2015. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)