ACC Hosts First Virtual Roundtable with Sen. Joni Ernst
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the daily lives of Americans. In our own industry many essential workers are working around the clock. Some are staying on site for extended periods of time to ramp up production of personal protective equipment, disinfectants, parts for vital medical equipment, and more. Others are doing their part by social distancing and caring for at-risk family members to help diminish the spread of the virus.
As chemistry continues to play a critical role in combating the coronavirus, it is more important than ever that the voices of chemical industry employees are heard. While elected officials are currently unable to visit chemical facilities in person, ACC has been working to connect employees and elected officials online to strengthen our robust partnerships.
On Wednesday, the American Chemistry Council’s Political Mobilization team hosted their first virtual roundtable with Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). On the call were site managers and other chemistry employees representing ACC member companies in Iowa: BASF, DuPont, LyondellBasell, Performance Pipe – Chevron Phillips Chemical, and Wacker Chemical Corporation.
ACC’s President & CEO Chris Jahn opened the roundtable with an overview of industry efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, ACC’s Collin Brecher and Marcus Branstad introduced the participants on the call and informed the Senator of member company initiatives to combat COVID-19 in the state of Iowa. Following this discussion each participating member company representative talked about their efforts in Iowa. With the chemical manufacturing industry’s designation as essential critical infrastructure for the production of much needed virus fighting products in all fifty states, participants spoke about the importance of keeping their essential employees healthy by implementing social distancing and other safety measures. Finally, the call wrapped up with comments from the Senator and a productive general discussion.
As we adjust to this new normal, ACC’s Political Mobilization team will continue to look for opportunities to foster partnerships between elected officials and our critical industry. ACC looks forward to hosting more virtual roundtables and other remote events in the future to talk about the great work being done by the industry.
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