While attending a Sacramento Valley SME event in 2016 I had a conversation with and exchanged business cards with Dorothy Rothrock. I had been drawn to her by her passion for manufacturing. Many months later I went to work getting her to participate in an episode of Manufacturing Advocates. When you have a guest who loves manufacturing it makes for a fabulous interview. Dorothy “Dot” Rothrock is the current president of the California Manufacturing & Technology Association or CMTA and she is a difference-maker for California manufacturers. CMTA is a membership-based organization and the work that Dot and her team do is critical in addressing the regulatory impact on their members, among other things.
California is a complex state for businesses of any shape, size, or type. It gets even more complicated for manufacturing businesses. Regulatory uncertainty makes it extremely challenging when the required investment is massive. Informed people want manufacturers in California because they know how much of an impact they have on jobs and our economy. Just a few months ago we established the high economic benefit of a manufacturing job, so we’ve already addressed the economic importance of manufacturing. In my conversation with Dot, we discussed this in some detail with information unique to the largest manufacturing state in the USA, California. As the leader in terms of both jobs and dollars, you’ll hear how it’s “our game to lose”. Perhaps the biggest thing we have to lose is the opportunity to lead with our numerous advantages a US manufacturing renaissance. According to Dot, California while far from perfect in addition to already being the largest manufacturing state in the US is also uniquely positioned due to these strengths:
- Higher Ed
- Innovation
- Capital (Regular and Venture)
- Access to Pacific Rim for Import/Export activity
This episode is now live!