Minneapolis, MINN — April 12, 2010 — U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, of Minnesotaʼs Third Congressional District, visited Diversified Plastics, Inc. in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Friday, April 9. The purpose of his visit was to learn about the challenges affecting small businesses and discuss business issues directly with senior management and shop floor employees.
Paulsen participated in an informative round table discussion with the management team followed by a plant tour and an informal question and answer session with company employees covering topics ranging from the medical device tax to health care legislation and the economy. First-term Congressman Paulsen is the co-chair of the House Med Tech Caucus and as cochair, he learns about advances in medical technologies and meets with industry leaders on a regular basis. “We were excited for the opportunity to share our views with Congressman Paulsen on topics important to small manufacturers. He was very interested in our needs and it was very apparent he was familiar with manufacturing and understands our concerns,” said Annette Lund, vice president, Diversified Plastics. “He encouraged us to stay involved with our legislators so our opinions will be heard.”
Joining the management roundtable discussion was David Hansberger, president of Applied Strategies International, Ltd. and director of the Midwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center. Hansberger shared some historical information and current data on the dramatic increase of grant requests his center has received. “The increase in companies applying for Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) is being felt by our office as well as every other Trade Adjustment Assistance Center around the country,” says Hansberger.
“The need for the program has never been greater, given the weakness of the national economy, the continued high level of imports, and a growing trade deficit. Itʼs wonderful to see Congressman Paulsen so clearly dedicated to supporting manufacturing and we look forward to continue working closely with him and Diversified Plastics.” TAAF is a federal program that provides financial assistance to manufacturers affected by import competition. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce, this federal assistance program helps pay for projects that improve a firm’s competitiveness. Diversified Plastics is a participant of this program.
About Diversified Plastics, Inc.
Diversified Plastics is an injection molder of high-precision, close tolerance, small- to medium-sized injection molded components for medical device, filtration, aerospace and a variety of other industrial markets. The 32-year-old company is a full-service injection molder, from design assistance and mold construction, to intricate molding and clean room assembly. Diversified Plastics is ISO 9001:2008 and 13485:2003 certified, and UL registered.
