Auburn Manufacturing’s president, Kathie Leonard, to attend State of the Union Address

AUBURN, Maine - Jan. 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Maine Senator Angus King has invited Kathie Leonard, President and Co-Founder of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. (AMI), to be his guest at the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20^th in Washington, DC.

“I am honored to have Kathie as my guest for the State of the Union,” said Senator King. “Manufacturing has always been an engine of economic growth and prosperity, providing good jobs for the middle class in Maine and across the country. Kathie’s story of hard work, innovation, and perseverance is a blueprint for how American producers can compete in an increasingly global marketplace. She has managed to keep jobs here in the U.S., and under her steadfast leadership, AMI has proven that manufacturing can thrive in Maine.”

Senator King has been a long-time supporter of American manufacturing, co-sponsoring the bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014, which the President signed into law in December. The legislation, led by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), directs the Department of Commerce to establish a network of regional Centers for Manufacturing Innovation that will bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and all levels of government to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications.

Kathie founded Auburn Manufacturing in 1979 with just two people. Today, the company employs 50 people at two facilities located in Auburn and Mechanic Falls. The company is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of textile products for extreme temperature industrial applications, exporting to over 30 countries. Customers include the petroleum, ship building/repair, power generation, and metal-making industries. The company is also now moving into the institutional market, including government and education facilities, with its patented Ever Green® modular insulation products. AMI was the first company in the industry to have all of its hot work safety fabrics third-party certified by FM Approvals to a rigorous performance standard that has become mandatory industry-wide.

For more information please contact Judy Paolini at (207) 871-1813 or judyp@tpda.com.