Jack Reinhard, WFMZ 69 News
POTTSTOWN, Pa. - U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo toured the American Keg Company in Pottstown, Montgomery County. Lawmakers like Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and Senator Bob Casey said Raimondo helped the company get the steel it needs. It is the only steel beer keg maker in the country.
"And they had a real problem and that was the sourcing of steel and they really wanted domestic steel," said Congresswoman Madeleine Dean.
Dean said the company was told its steel provider would not be selling to it in 2022, only to a distributor that the company would have had to buy from, driving costs up. At one point, they started seeking a tariffs waiver to buy steel from overseas.
"It seemed insurmountable and one of the outcomes could've either been a massive layoff or closure of this company," said Congresswoman Dean.
In December, the Secretary of Commerce helped strike an agreement for the company to get the steel it needs, while also keeping job opportunities for people the Secretary said have been given a second chance.
"Here you provide a job opportunity for folks who've been formerly incarcerated. It's real. These are moms and dads of people who rely on them and their livelihoods," said Secretary Raimondo.
They are jobs that will stay here in the U.S.
"I am obsessed with American manufacturing and bringing back as much American manufacturing as we can," said Secretary Raimondo.
See full article and video here.
