National Association of Manufacturers Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is on the road attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver and next week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St.Paul.

Timmons, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business” with Mike Hambrick, says Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) made history by becoming the first African American nominated to the White House. However, Obama needs to give voters more details on his policies to help manufacturers and workers, he said.

Meanwhile, Timmons said prospective Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made a smart move Friday in selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. She could attract some of the supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to the Republican fold, he said.

“If there are those who are looking at this as an opportunity for women to provie they can lead the nation then certainly she can attract some of those former Hillary supporters,” Timmons said of Gov. Palin.

All that talk about American jobs moving overseas may be overblown. We’ll be joined by Exxel Outdoors founder and Chief Executive Officer Harry Kazazian to discuss why his company is moving sleeping bag production back to the United States from China.

America has a hard time balancing its check book. The White House recently announced the federal budget deficit will hit a record $482 billion for the year ended September 2009. Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas will join us to talk about what effect this massive deficit will have on our economy.

This is the Labor Day holiday weekend. That means its time to get the annual Labor Day economic report from National Association of Manufacturers Chief Economist Dave Huether. Dave will talk about how trade and exports have proven to be a bright spot in the economy.

And with fall approaching football is in the air. Mike will chat with Wilson Sporting Goods plant manager Daniel Riegle about football manufacturing and Wilson’s close ties with the NFL.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out http://www.americasbusiness.org.

Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA), a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, is one of the strongest supporters of free and fair trade in Congress.

It’s not difficult to find out why. One out of three jobs in Washington State is linked to trade. That’s why Reichert is so disappointed Congress is not moving to approve more free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South America. The United States should be using trade to create jobs and shape global economic policy and not sit on the sidelines, he says.

“We are in a global economy. I think most people recognize that,” he says. “There is no going back now. And what we should be doing as a country is focusing on how we as Americans define the global economy.”

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are dominating the news. We’ll get an on-the-scene look at the games from Behlen Manufacturing Company Chief Executive Tony Raimondo.

More American manufacturers say they want to do more production at home and not overseas. We’ll talk about that phenomenon with Industry Week reporter Jonathan Katz.

Gas prices dropped a bit but manufacturers and most Americans are still worried by high energy prices. National Association of Manufacturers Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Keith McCoy will join us to talk about what Congress could do this fall on energy policy.

And NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons, who has been deeply involved in the national political scene for years, will talk about environmental issues manufacturers should keep an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out http://www.americasbusiness.org.

With oil prices at record high levels Americans are more eager than ever to find affordable, alternative fuels. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), a guest on this week’s edition of “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, says nuclear power will be an important part of our nation’s future energy supply.

Clyburn’s state is already pro-nuclear. More than half of South Carolina’s electricity came from nuclear power plants in 2004, according to the Energy Information Administration. “I do believe that if we are going to…ever wean ourselves off of foreign oil we’re going to have to do it with nuclear in the mix,” Clyburn says.

Commerce Undersecretary Chris Padilla is responsible for helping formulate America’s international trade policy. He will appear on America’s Business to talk about why a pending trade agreement with Colombia is important to the U.S. economy and job creation and why lawmakers are wrong to block passage of that deal.

Our radio program will also host one of the biggest supporters of free trade in Congress – Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT). The National Association of Manufacturers recently honored Matheson for his unwavering support of free trade. Like Padilla, Matheson says Congress should approve the Colombia deal. The agreement will open that market to American goods and services and help support an important South American ally, he says.

“We should be rewarding Colombia for the progress it has made – the move to democracy, the move to a secure situation in that country, the move to respect human rights,” he says. “It’s been such a great success story.”

Who will presumptive presidential nominees Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain pick as running mates? National Association of Manufacturers Executive Vice President Jay Timmons, who has been deeply involved in the national political scene for years, will give us his take on who could be vice president.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out http://www.americasbusiness.org.

America has one of the most advanced medical systems in the world but many doctors and hospitals continue to keep records on paper. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick,” is pushing legislation to change that.

Dingell’s PRO(TECH)T Act of 2008 would reduce medical errors and costs by encouraging adoption of health care information technology and further protect the security of health information. The bill would reduce soaring healthcare costs and save many lives, Dingell says.

“It is a piece of legislation that industry desperately has to have (and) government desperately has to have,” he says.

An excellent example of how health information technology can help hospitals provide better care is Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center. They used Microsoft Corp.’s Visio software and Orlando Software Group’s ProcessView to improve health care delivery and cut costs to boot. Hershey Medical Center Chief Medical Information Officer Chris DeFlitch and Frank Kapper, Vice President of Orlando Software Group, will tell us more.

Will gasoline prices continue to rise? Will gas-hungry sports utility vehicles really go extinct like dinosaurs? American Petroleum Institute (API) President Red Cavaney, another radio guest, will answer those questions and more.

And the National Association of Manufacturers Vice President of International Economic Affairs Frank Vargo will give us the scoop on the latest round of World Trade Organization negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. Frank probably had more access to the U.S. negotiating team than any other business group representative.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program has helped small and medium-sized manufacturers stay competitive and create jobs for almost 20 years. Despite its benefits, MEP supporters often have to scramble to get federal funds.

Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), a guest on this week’s edition of “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, explains how he and other program supporters recently pushed to get the program funding.

“We did it by having individuals with the MEP talk to people in their district, wherever it might be, whatever state it might be in,” he says. “And that drummed up a lot of support because those members of Congress living in those states did not want to lose out.”

Higher energy prices are putting a financial pinch on manufacturers and made more Americans eager to embrace alternative energy sources. Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) will discuss his plan to extend tax credits that encourage development of alternative fuels such as solar and wind.

High energy prices also make shipping more expensive. CIBC World Markets Chief Economist Jeff Rubin will talk about his recent report on how energy costs affect global trade flow.

Canada is one of our nation’s closest allies. Canadian Ambassador to the United States Michael Wilson will join Mike to discuss the trade and other economic ties that bind the United States to its neighbor to the north.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” This week “America’s Business” is launching a new regular segment featuring NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons. Jay, who has been intimately involved in politics for years, will give us his take on 2008 political races that manufacturers should watch.

And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

The U.S. House in June overwhelmingly passed legislation to expand protections for people with disabilities. Many businesses employ disabled people and manufacturers were key supporters of renewal of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the bill’s chief sponsor, will appear on “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program to talk about how businesses and the disabilities community came together to craft the bill. Hoyer hopes the Senate will take up the bill soon.

“I think we have a bill that’s workable for both sides,” Hoyer says. “A bill that will be effective. And a bill which will carry out the intent of ensuring people with disabilities aren’t discriminated against in our country.”

“America’s Business” will continue exploring the issue of disabled workers with another guest, Assistant Labor Secretary Neil Romano. Romano runs the Office of Disability Employment Policy, which encourages companies to hire disabled people.

Despite worries about the economy a new survey indicates more American and Canadian manufacturers want to expand business at home. Deloitte and Touche Vice Chairman Craig Giffi will join Mike to talk about the survey from the National Association of Manufacturers and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

There is a misconception that robots will replace human workers. However, FANUC Robotics President Rick Schneider will explain how his company is using robots to help manufacturers boost efficiency, grow their business, and hire more flesh and bone workers.

Americans roads, bridges and other infrastructure are ailing. We’ll talk to Patricia Dalton from the Government Accountability Office about that group’s recent Congressional testimony on the nation’s infrastructure needs. Dalton is managing director of the GAO’s Physical Infrastructure Team.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

America’s transportation infrastructure – its roads, bridges, and rails – are in crisis, former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent says. The government should make fixing the nation’s ailing infrastructure a national priority, says Talent, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program.

Talent is an honorary chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Alliance to Improve America’s Infrastructure.

“I think it’s one of the three or four things the government must do in partnership with the American people if America is going to continue to be prosperous and great in the next generation,” Talent says.

The declining U.S. housing market put a damper on the economy. But are things about to turn around? National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun will give us the scoop.

Exports have proven to be a bright spot in the economy. General Mills Chief Operating Officer Ian Friendly will tell us how his company, which makes popular foods such as Cheerios cereal, is taking advantage of free trade agreements.

Our nation would save countless lives and billions of dollars if we converted our healthcare records system from antiquated paper files to electronic ones. Jennifer Queen, the parent of a chronically ill child, will join us to tell us why health information technology legislation that would modernize the health care sector is so critical to her family and other Americans.

And “America’s Business” will make a special visit to the factory floor of Image National with company President Doug Bender. The Idaho company makes some of the electric signs that light up shopping centers across America.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

This year is halfway over. So this week “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” will take a look back at some of our favorite guests so far in 2008.

We’ll re-air excerpts of our June interview with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich about his push to help America find alternative energy. Gingrich is now general chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future, a bipartisan group that is trying to solve some of our nation’s most pressing issues.

The group’s online petition asking citizens whether they want more oil drilling has attracted more than 1.2 million signatures. “We believe that the American people deserve to have the least expensive energy possible in an environmentally sound way and in a way that strengthens national security,” Gingrich said.

Europe is way ahead of the United States when it comes to developing nuclear energy. This week you can listen to our February interview with Tennessee Republican Rep. Zach Wamp. Wamp say the United States should be the No. 1 nation when it comes to developing nuclear and other alternative energy sources.

The news media and the government tend to fan up hysteria about issues ranging from asbestos to global warming. Back in April we talked about this phenomenon with Christopher Booker and Richard North, authors of the book “Scared to Death.” We’ll play some of that interview.

“America’s Business” will also re-air parts of a February interview on the state of the nation’s manufacturing sector with Assistant Commerce Secretary William “Woody” Sutton. And we’ll take you back to January when we talked with NBC Universal General Counsel Rick Cotton about a campaign to battle intellectual property theft. Cotton is chairman of the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy.

In our regular segment, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform. And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more information on “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” check out www.americasbusiness.org.

The United Space Alliance aerospace company manufactures special tiles that protect space shuttles from the fiery heat they encounter when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

The company wanted to cut down on waste in space shuttle tile production. So they turned to Microsoft Corp. Visio software and the ProModel Corp. Process Simulator to get the job done. Visio is software that helps businesses visualize systems, processes and other information while Process Simulator is a Visio plug-in.

United Space Alliance representative David Tucker, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, says the results were better than expected. Accompanying Tucker on the program is Microsoft representative Ingo Heel and ProModel Consulting Services Vice President Bruce Gladwin.

“I can tell you to triple the production requirements and not have to hire anybody new or buy any new equipment was a pretty amazing feat,” Tucker says. “So we were able to do that without tripling our resource requirements. We used what we had.”

Reporter James Fallows, a frequent contributor to Atlantic Monthly magazine, returns to “America’s Business” this week to continue his conversation about China’s environmental problems. China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world but lags far behind the United States when it comes to keeping air and water clean.

Nuclear energy could be an important component in making America independent of expensive imported oil. And a recent report from the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy) says a renaissance of America’s nuclear power industry could create thousands of high-paying jobs.

Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, co-chair of CASEnergy, will join Mike to talk about that report.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) is pushing legislation to begin oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to help ease soaring gasoline prices. But Bartlett, who was the first congressman to buy a gas-stingy Toyota Prius, said federal revenue from ANWR oil drilling will be used to develop alternative fuels.

“Well, I always was opposed to drilling in ANWR unless we used the revenues we got from ANWR to invest in alternatives,” says Bartlett, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program. “We desperately need to develop alternatives and I thought that would provide some leverage to get us going on developing alternatives.”

China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world but is grappling with a huge pollution problem. Smog is so thick in Beijing some observers say it could hamper the performance of athletes at the Olympic Games. Reporter James Fallows, a regular contributor to Atlantic Monthly, will join Mike to talk about what China is doing to clean up its air, soil and water.

Federal tax credits to boost research and development help foster innovation and create jobs. But Congress often lets these credits lapse. Tom Neubig of Ernst & Young, author of a recent report on R&D tax credits, will talk about the huge benefit thee credits give manufacturing.

With gasoline prices so high wouldn’t it be nice if you could make your own fuel at home? Well, now you can. E-Fuel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Thomas Quinn will introduce us to a machine his company makes that lets consumers produce their own ethanol using sugar, yeast and water.

And America’s Business will visit Patriots Technology Training Center in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. President Thurman Jones will talk about his mission to use recreational activities to teach children and teenagers about robotics, science and math. These skills could one day help them in manufacturing careers.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.