Thursday, August 27, 2015
YOUNGSTOWN — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, who toured America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, today, said facilities like this "help spur advanced technologies critical to keeping America innovative and competitive in the global economy."
Joining Pritzker at America Makes were U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Jay Williams, head of the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration along with other area business leaders.
President Barack Obama created the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation in an effort to strengthen the global competitiveness of America’s manufacturing section and its workforce. The downtown Youngstown location was the first in the nation, opening in 2012.
America Makes focuses on additive manufacturing, the process of joining materials to make objects from 3-D model data.
While at the institute, Pritzker met with the leadership of the institute, and participate in a roundtable with local business leaders and industry partners from the Youngstown community to discuss NNMI’s role in strengthening America’s economy and workforce.
The $70 million institute was launched by nine research universities, including Youngstown State University and Eastern Gateway Community College; 40 companies; and 11 nonprofit organizations in the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh Tech Belt. Of the $70 million, $30 million came from the federal government and $40 million from regional participants.