A Davenport-based company is getting ready to host Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday. PCT Engineered Systems will be the setting for a campaign speech on the economy.
The visit will be open to employees and their families, plus invited guests from the Obama-Biden campaign.
There's a break from business as usual at the company on Tuesday. After a quarter-century of making custom high-tech equipment, the setting is just right for a vice presidential visit. Exports account for more than half of the company's business.
"We're starting to realize just how small the world is in a global economy," said PCT President Terry Thompson. "How much of an impact we could really have being a small company in Iowa."
PCT grew from three to 70 employees in a state-of-the-art facility it opened in 2007. The company uses a process called electron beam technology. Industries from food packaging to steel incorporate it into their manufacturing. It's the kind of innovation that's shaping the future.
"My hope would be that it just continues to elevate the importance of high technology and manufacturing of technology for companies in the U.S.," said Karl Swanson, PCT's director of sales and marketing.
And as the economy continues to grab national headlines, this vice presidential visit will be even more timely. The Obama-Biden campaign hope it will help to distinguish the differences between Democrats and Republicans.
PCT is ready for its time in the national spotlight. It will be a chance to showcase 25 years of achievements while aiming to grow even more in coming years. It's growth that shows a homegrown company on the go, locally and abroad.
"To bring recognition to Iowa and to this particular industrial park about the strength of manufacturing, work and resources that we have available right here," Thompson concluded.
As Mr. Biden will discover, it's a local success story called PCT Engineered Systems. It will be ready to share a national message from Davenport.