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 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.

The blog entry for “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program usually appears on Fridays. However, it was delayed until today due to a power outage at the NAM’s headquarters on June 13.

Here’s the rundown on this week’s program:

Oil prices are hitting new records almost daily, hurting consumers and businesses alike. But the United States still has plenty of untapped oil, says former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick.”

The former Georgia Republican congressman is chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future. The nonpartisan group has an online petition asking Americans whether they want more domestic oil drilling to help bring down prices. Not surprisingly, many want more drilling.

“In less than three weeks it has gotten 475,000 signatures,” Gingrich says. “We’re adding 30,000 to 50,000 signatures a day now. So it’s building momentum.”

America’s roads, bridges, waterways and rails are aging and need fixing and improvements. But is our government up to the challenge? Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) will join Mike to discuss the issue.

One answer to our nation’s energy crisis could be blowing in the wind. Assistant Energy Secretary Andy Karsner will talk about a recent report that says wind could generate 20 percent of our nation’s energy needs by 2030.

There are more minority engineers in America but more work needs to be done. National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Inc. Vice President Irving Pressley McPhail will talk about a recent report on diversity in engineering and why the issue is so important to manufacturing.

And “America’s Business” will chat with Munro & Associates Inc. President Sandy Munro. Munro’s company is helping manufacturers become leaner and meaner by helping them boost efficiency and cut costs.

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 check out www.americasbusiness.org.

Prices at the pump are downright painful. But Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) has a plan to wean America off expensive foreign oil by the Fourth of July 2015.

Part of the “American Energy Independence Act” calls for giving automakers incentives to build more gasoline-efficient cars or vehicles that run on alternative fuels, says Rogers, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program.

“We’re going to offer you low-interest money so you can invest in green technology research,” Rogers says. “You can do hydrogen research. You can do lithium ion battery research. You can do hybrid fuel and biomass research.”

Health care costs are soaring for businesses and consumers. Len Nichols from the New America Foundation will tell Mike about his group’s report on what the nation’s leaders must do to fix this problem.

Teenage race car driver Brennan Palmiter is also a pretty handy welder and fabricator. Palmiter, whose race car is partly sponsored by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, is encouraging other youth to pursue manufacturing-related jobs. He even has a fan Web site, www.gobrennan.com.

SPX Corporation has been around for almost a century, shifted its product line, and is still thriving. President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Kearney will talk about how his company has managed to survive and succeed. And “America’s Business” will visit with Polyamide High Performance President Carlos Serrano. Serrano’s award-winning company is helping save thousands of lives by making the material used in car air bags.

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.