Ag secretary takes tour of local facility

CELINA - Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday afternoon learned firsthand of a local burgeoning manufacturer's business concerns that they say play a part in the president's call for equitable trade and tax reform.

Celina Tent President Jeff Grieshop led Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on a tour of his business as part of the officials' ongoing "Back to our Roots" RV Tour of Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.

"It's important because that's where our customers and constituents are," Perdue said of the Midwest tour, noting that many small businesses and farms are located in these states. "If we're going to serve them well, we need to get out and talk to people. That's what, I think, people expect of their government. 'Don't make us come to D.C. You come here.' "

Celina Tent, which grew from humble beginnings, today manufactures and distributes tents, tarpaulin, ducting and military vehicle accessories worldwide. Its products are used in government, rental and hospitality arenas.

Among its products are humanitarian and military tactical shelters. It has provided products for numerous federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

"This business is phenomenal," Perdue said. "It's amazing to see a business that started in 1996 as a family business and grown and what they're doing for national defense, for our military."

Perdue and McMahon were led through the manufacturing facilities sitting atop Celina Tent's 58-acre campus along State Route 29 where 87 men and women work.

Starting out in product development, Grieshop drew their attention to the company's newest product, a dynamic shelter about to enter the military market.

McMahon asked how many people it takes to erect the shelter.

That's one of the product's selling points, Grieshop replied.

"This vinyl shelter will be about 20 foot by 32 foot, and we're going to be able to do it with three soldiers," he said, pointing out a competitor's model takes as many as six soldiers to install.

The company's biggest hurdle in producing shelters is securing enough threading fiber used in some materials. Government contracts mandate product materials be sourced, grown and produced in the United States, he said.

"Right now the supply chain is shut down," he said, explaining the paucity of the polyester fiber hampers a "tremendous amount of work scheduled."

"There was a company that manufactured it," he said. "They since went outside the U.S. … and that material is no longer available, so there's a big hurry right now to try to figure out how we can substitute to a different material."

The fiber manufacturer moved outside the U.S. a year ago, he added.

"So there's dwindling supplies that's affecting everybody in the industry. It's a struggle," he said, explaining the materials are major components of shelters and tarps.

After the tour, the newspaper asked McMahon what can be done about the scarcity of materials.

"I want to learn more about that because it was the first I had heard about a specific amendment that was really kind of restricting the ability to get their product here in the United States because the company that makes almost all of that particular product moved outside the shores," she said.

McMahon said the problem was exactly Trump's concern in regard to unfair trade.

"When he talked about big businesses who've moved outside the country and that's part of the program to get them back or to be able to start more of that kind of manufacturing here in our country," she continued.

Perdue then jumped into the conversation.

"That's why the tax reform was so important as well to encourage those businesses to stay on shore and not to have to move for labor or for economic policy reasons but to stay here, to build up again the manufacturing sector of this country," he said.

He insisted that U.S. manufacturing can return to former prominence of the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

Perdue and McMahon also extolled the principles and values that gave rise to Celina Tent.

"It's great to come out and visit and actually see the businesses operate," McMahon said, adding it's important to gain empathy and firsthand knowledge so officials can effectively advocate on their behalf concerning regulation, taxes and workforce issues.

"It just makes us smarter," she said.

Perdue said he is inspired by coming into family businesses such as Celina Tent.

"This is really the heart and soul of America, of how entrepreneurs had a good idea," he said. "This business started in a basement with party tents and now has developed into a worldwide export business, exporting a great product of safety and health and communications and many other areas there … all for good."

Celina Tent has received two SBA loans totaling about $1.6 million, McMahon said. SBA helps guarantee loans for start-ups and expansions, she added.

"We want to continue to do that across the country," she said.