We flew in from Schaumburg, Illinois for today’s "Rally on the Hill for Trade".  We came today to tell the story of how our 93 year-old company expanded into the international arena. Being a small company we felt compelled to tell of our success exporting and the job growth it has created. With the weakening dollar, and our export plan, we have seen a 17% increase in international sales since 2003.

After meeting with Senator Menendez's staff, we headed over to meet with Congressman Roskam’s staff.  They were very supportive of exporting and our efforts. From there we headed to Senator Durbin’s office. He listened to our story and was appreciative of our information.  He explained his concerns on the multi-layers of immigration intertwined with the multi-layers of Free Trade Agreements.  Finally we met with a staff from Senator Lautenberg.  She was very welcoming and the Senator is making efforts to bring innovation to New Jersey.

Overall we were pleased with the time each office took to meet with us. Everyone was grateful to hear a real world story, and not just facts and figures.  I want to thank the U.S. Chamber for putting this together, and all the staff who took the time to meet with us!

I hope more companies will speak out on these issues, as it does make a difference!  We need to erase the myths about "fair trade and job loss" and tell the true story of "fair trade and job creation", as we have experienced.

Sandy Westlund-Deenihan is President and Jason Speer Vice President of Quality Float Works, Inc.