(left to right) AED President & CEO Brian McGuire, McCann Industries CFO Steve Roggeman, Congressman Lou Barletta, McCann Industries Branch Manager Vincent Mastandrea at McCann Industries in Addison. Photo by Scott McPherson.

On July 18th the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) hosted U.S. Representative Lou Barletta (PA-11) for a facility tour and a discussion of business and tax issues affecting AED member companies, their suppliers and their employees. “Rep. Barletta has been a great supporter of the heavy equipment industry during his tenure in Congress. He really understands the challenging issues we face,” said AED President and CEO Brian P. McGuire. “He recognizes that in addition to the taxation and regulatory issues we grapple with, we are very concerned about the growing “skills gap” that is affecting our industry as well as many others including the manufacturing sector.”

Rep. Barletta, in his third term in the United States House, serves the 11th District of Pennsylvania.

He currently sits on three House committees: the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he serves as the Chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee; the House Homeland Security Committee, where he serves on the Counterterrorism and Intelligence subcommittee; and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

“It's a real pleasure to be here at McCann, one of the leaders in the Illinois Construction Industry,” Barletta stated. “My father was in the construction business and my wife and I started a line painting business that grew into the sixth largest business of its kind in the nation. I know first hand about the challenges you face. In Congress, I am committed to working to promote infrastructure projects that I know will help grow our economy. I am also committed to solving the skills gap issue and encouraging individuals to seek careers in the construction and manufacturing industries,” he concluded.

“It was nice to have Rep. Barletta visit our Addison facility today,” remarked McCann CFO Steve Roggeman. “The biggest challenge we face is trying to find qualified technicians for our heavy equipment division. It is obvious that Rep. Barletta gets that, and he is working hard in Washington to develop solutions.”

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