Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, a Democrat, delivered his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 21, and he used the word “manufacture” in his speech (transcript).

We’ve been search for references to “manufacturing” and “industry” in governors’ speeches this month, and Markell’s mention certainly qualifies. His reference comes as he describes a multifaceted policy and spending approach toward economic growth in Delaware, using as a starting point the announcement by Fisker Automotive that the company will manufacture a plug-in hyrid sedan at the former GM plant.

Fisker also received support from federal taxpayers via the Obama Administration, including a $528.7 million dollar loan from the Department of Energy. Vice President Biden traveled back to Wilmington to announce Fisker’s siting choice.

The governor did not discuss the federal funding, but he plugged the state’s company recruitment and regulatory reform initiatives, thanked the congressional delegation, lauded the state’s workforce and praised the UAW. He also put Fisker in a larger policy context:

Fisker’s decision to locate in Delaware will only be a success when the cars produced here get sold in showrooms across the world. Fisker has announced an extensive dealer network and their business plan calls for them to export half the cars produced here. One of the most attractive aspects of Delaware was our easy access to, and high-quality workforce at, the Port of Wilmington. Businesses like Fisker need to efficiently get products to the market. That is why I am recommending $10 million in bond bill funding for the Port of Wilmington and that we move forward with the Northeast Corridor Rail project and the Route 301 bypass project – all important infrastructure projects that will make Delaware more competitive.

To restore Delaware’s promise and prosperity, we should not only build, assemble and distribute the next generation of cars in Delaware. We should invent and manufacture the technology for the cars – as well the technology for other industries of tomorrow. …

That is why I am supporting in this year’s bond bill plans to provide a center for high-tech laboratories, health sciences, alternative energy research and development, and other emerging industries at the old Chrysler site.

Global trade, infrastructure and R&D are powerful tools to encourage economic growth.

Education is also a prerequisite. A section of Gov. Markell’s speech was entitled, “A Great Economy Demands Great Schools.” Earlier in the week, he joined Sen. Ted Kaufman and DuPont to announce  a Statewide Council to Improve  Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education.

All in all, Gov. Markell’s State of the State address presented the big picture of how to achieve economic growth and jobs for the state, one that embraced the important elements for a strong manufacturing sector. It’s appreciated.

For earlier posts on other governors’ state of the state addresses, go here.

Today’s Wall Street Journal reminds us of the passing of Richard E. Heckert, former chairman and CEO of DuPont, whose accomplishments as a research chemist risen to corporate leader testify to the companies and careers built on scientific smarts meshed with hard work.

Heckert was hired by DuPont in 1947 and rose through the ranks. From the WSJ:

As a Du Pont vice president in the 1970s, Mr. Heckert helped oversee the largest chemical research budget in the country. He became CEO and chairman of Du Pont in 1986.

As leader of a firm that sold products around the globe, Mr. Heckert was often quoted on issues of U.S trade imbalances. In 1988, he was named chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers.

In a 1987 profile, Fortune described Mr. Heckert as “a 6-foot-3, 220-pound, friendly bear of a boss,” with 14EEEE shoes. He retired in 1989.

Mr. Heckert was raised in Oxford, Ohio, where his German-immigrant father was a professor of education at Miami University and taught at associated McGuffey High School. There, Mr. Heckert played tight end under Weeb Ewbank, who went on to coach the Colts and the Jets in the NFL.

Heckert was passionate about the outdoors and conservation, chairing the Nature Conservancy from 1989-95. He also endowed a chair at the University of Illinois-Urbana, now known as the Richard E. Heckert Chair in Chemistry.

Ellen Kullman, DuPont’s chair and CEO paid tribute to Heckert: “All who knew Dick remember him for his genuine warmth and good humor,” said Ellen Kullman, DuPont chair and CEO.  “As a leader, he was direct and forthright.  He had high regard for DuPont’s values and traditions, and he encouraged every opportunity for future growth and innovation. ”

The Virginian Pilot has an excellent obituaries page. From Friday:

Robert A. Fuhrman, 1925-2009, “Lockhead executive led missile programs“:

Robert A. Fuhrman, a pioneering Lockheed engineer who played a central role in the creation of the Polaris and Poseidon missiles before rising to the top of the aeronautics and aerospace giant, died Saturday in Pebble Beach, Calif. He was 84.

Fuhrman, a longtime resident of Pebble Beach, had blood clotting in his lungs, said Sherman N. Mullin, former president of Lockheed’s Skunk Works, the division that produces top-secret military aircraft.

During more than three decades at Lockheed, Fuhrman served as president of three of its companies: Lockheed-Georgia, Lockheed-California and Lockheed Missiles & Space. He became president and chief operating officer of the corporation in 1986 and vice chairman in 1988 before retiring in 1990.

Lester Shubin, 1925-2009, “He showed that fabric meant for tires could stop bullets“:

John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, packed a lot of policy perspective into his seven-and-a-half minute interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick on Squawk Box. The discussion included green jobs, nuclear energy, infrastructure, trade and the Administration’s need to develop a “growth strategy.”

Engler was attending the National Energy Summit this morning, and CNBC was on hand. There are other very good interviews:

• Powering Up With Coal: Steven Leer, CEO of Arch Coal, discusses alternative energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the coal industry and more with CNBC’s Becky Quick.
• Energizing the Future: CNBC’s Becky Quick interviews Mayo Shattuck, CEO of Constellation Energy, at the National Energy Summit.
• Blue Chips Take on Energy Jim Owens, CEO of Caterpillar, and Chad Holliday, of Dupont, discuss their energy initiatives with CNBC’s Becky Quick.
• Making Energy Affordable: CNBC’s Becky Quick interviews John Hofmeister, founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy and the former president of Shell Oil.
• Sustaining a Competetive America: CNBC’s Becky Quick interviews Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, at the National Energy Summit.

In his ongoing efforts to make West Virginia a more hospitable state to business, Gov. Joe Manchin has taken the unusual step of filing an amicus brief with the state Supreme Court of Appeals, asking the court to clarify the ability of DuPont to challenge a jury’s award of punitive damages against it. DuPont last week filed an appeal (news release) to the state’s top court of last October’s awarding of $196.2 million in Harrison County Circuit Court, the result of a class-action lawsuit by residents who charged a nearby zinc smelter endangered the public through heavy metals. (Previous news coverage.)

AP now reports that Manchin’s brief cites a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision to argue that the 14th Amendment guarantees appeals of punitive damages, asking whether consideration of a written appeal alone is adquate.  The plaintiff’s lawyers express outrage; Florida lawyer Michael Papantonio declared, “This just further delineates how badly the deck is stacked in West Virginia against people trying to recover when they’re taking on DuPont. It’s stacked against people who have been wronged by corporate America.”

Really? Stacked for business against the people? According to Directorship Magazine’s 2008 Boardroom Guide to State Legal Climate – a project of the American Justice Partnership — West Virginia ranked 49th in the county in anti-business legal climates.

The governor’s brief in DuPont v. Perrine is available here.

In other West Virginia legal news, Walter Olson at Point of Law reports: “In West Virginia, a state where government hiring of private lawyers to pursue public lawsuits has been particularly controversial, four law firms including Hagens Berman are set to split $3.9 million for prosecuting an antitrust suit against Visa and MasterCard that resulted in a settlement, per the Charleston Daily Mail. And Attorney General Darrell McGraw has appointed four lawyers to pursue a new suit against a variable annuity life insurance provider. Steve Roberts, who heads the state chamber of commerce, said it’s particularly frustrating that the AG’s office makes no disclosure about how the lawyers — many of whom contribute to his campaign — are selected for the task. ”