[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5700-S5701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Maryland's Businesses

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, my good friend Congressman Steny Hoyer 
promotes America by using the phrase ``make it in America.'' The 
statement expresses the pride of our country, the ingenuity, the spirit 
of American workers, and the fact that we can compete against any 
country in the world on a level playing field. We can make it in 
America.
  I rise today to share with my fellow Senators news of my recent visit 
to Maryland businesses that are contributing to our local and national 
economy through manufacturing innovation. As part of what I call my 
``made in Maryland'' tour, I visited Volvo Group North America's 
manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, MD, and the Flying Dog Brewery in 
Frederick, MD.
  A few weeks ago I toured the Paul Reed Smith guitar factory on the 
Eastern Shore. My ``made in Maryland'' tour has highlighted many of the 
leading job creators and key small businesses that have helped revive 
Maryland's manufacturing sector. The goal

[[Page S5701]]

was to meet employees and business owners, take stock of their 
challenges and successes, and identify ways the Federal Government can 
help them grow and innovate.
  We have highlighted the diverse products being produced in our great 
State, and we celebrate the hard-working Marylanders who have made 
these products and the companies that are providing jobs in our local 
communities.
  For example, the Paul Reed Smith guitar factory in Stevensonville, 
MD, makes high-end guitars used by some of the most prominent musicians 
in the world--including Carlos Santana. Paul Reed Smith has operated 
for nearly 30 years and now employs nearly 230 workers with revenues of 
$24 million. They are the largest private employer in Queen Anne's 
County, MD, and one of the top five employers on the upper shore.
  As a region and country, we must stay focused on creating good jobs 
at home and strengthen and continue to build our economy. Manufacturing 
is good for Maryland, and it is good for America.
  Let me tell you about my visit to Volvo Group, which employs 1,500 
people in Hagerstown, MD--accounting for 1 out of every 10 jobs in the 
region's manufacturing sector. Employees at this facility are paid 
approximately 62 percent above the average wage in the region. These 
are good jobs that people are proud to hold.
  Volvo has set the standard for environmentally aware manufacturing. 
Through its partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, Volvo has 
developed the next generation of fuel-efficient engines and trucks. 
Since 2001, Volvo has invested $330 million to upgrade and renovate 
their facilities, allowing Volvo to build a state-of-the-art engine 
development laboratory to produce increasingly fuel-efficient engines.
  This Volvo facility has shown outstanding success. Sixty of Volvo's 
trucks a day have the same emission as one truck in 1990. That is an 
amazing reduction of pollutants going into the air. In addition, the 
facility recycles 84 percent of the site's waste, and it has achieved 
an 83-percent decrease in the use of diesel fuels.
  Furthermore, Volvo remains invested in western Maryland by making 
generous contributions to local health and welfare organizations, civic 
and community organizations, art and cultural organizations, and 
education initiatives across the region. This commitment to the well-
being of Volvo employees is demonstrated by the August 2013 opening of 
an onsite Family First Pharmacy which will provide employees and their 
families innovative state-of-the-art health care to be provided by 
doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in cooperation with Walgreens.
  As the Volvo facility is highly invested in the local community and 
its numerous employees, we must remain invested in assuring this 
socially responsible company's future success.
  Later in the day I traveled to Frederick, MD, and visited the Flying 
Dog Brewery. They make a very different product than the most energy-
efficient transmissions in the world that are assembled at Volvo, but I 
recognize the same qualities in both of these unique companies and 
their employees: hard work, attention to detail, and a real pride and 
passion for the product being made. These are qualities that can never 
be outsourced.
  Small breweries such as Flying Dog have been anchors of local and 
American economies since the start of our history.
  This is a state-of-the-art facility that constantly works to perfect 
its product through innovative techniques. In addition to making a 
product whose high quality I can attest to, they are supporting 80 jobs 
and reinvesting profits back into the western Maryland community.
  When I grew up, brewing in Maryland was a huge industry. We lost most 
of it, but it is coming back. Today, the brewing industry in Maryland 
is supporting more than $13 million in wages paid and contributing 
nearly $100 million to our State's economy.
  My ``Made in Maryland'' tour was conceived to highlight manufacturing 
and innovation that is boosting our economy across our State. But I can 
tell my colleagues that agriculture, which is still our No. 1 industry, 
is being revived along the way too. During my tour of the Flying Dog 
Brewery, I met a farmer and his son who are fifth- and sixth-generation 
Frederick County family farmers celebrating the 175th year of their 
family farm. They told me their decision to begin growing barley, small 
grains, and hops for local breweries is what kept their farm going. 
They supply small grains and hops to Flying Dog and numerous Maryland 
brewing companies for many of their seasonal, locally sourced brews. 
Their farm, Amber Fields Malting and Brewing Company, in conjunction 
with Brewer's Alley Restaurant and Brewery in Frederick, MD, introduced 
Amber Fields Best Bitter, which they describe as an English-style best 
bitter. This was the first commercially brewed beer in over 100 years 
to rely exclusively on barley grown and malted in Maryland. Amber 
Fields Best Bitter and additional releases also featuring locally grown 
ingredients are available through Brewer's Alley and their sister 
brewery, Monocacy Brewing Company, both in Frederick, MD.
  America's manufacturing sector--from autos and truck manufacturing to 
beer makers and guitars--have played a major role in growing our 
economy and our Nation to be the world's leader. It has also helped 
create the strongest middle class in history. To continue in our 
recovery, we need to make sure companies such as Volvo Group, Flying 
Dog Brewery, and Paul Reed Smith Guitars, which are creating jobs and 
investing in our economy here at home, have what they need to be 
successful. Our job in Washington should be to make their job easier, 
because when they do better, we all do better.
  With that, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.