Smith Electric Employees Impressed By Obama Visit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Barack Obama said Thursday at Smith Electric Vehicles that the economy is moving forward.
Robert Lucas is a nine-year Kansas City resident who found himself unemployed until Smith Electric gave him a shot a year ago.
“The DOE (Department of Energy) program was, in fact, a huge boost to this,” said plant manager Robert Lucas. “We have hired a lot of people who were laid off.”
Lucas was the type of Kansas City worker the president targeted during his economic discussion.
“We expect energy investments alone to generate 700,000 jobs over the next few years,” Obama said.
The future was the emphasis as the president addressed “green” energy. But he also emphasized the fact that it needs to be financed. It’s a move he said the administration has made.
“Because we did, there is a thriving enterprise here instead of an empty, darkened warehouse,” Obama said.
The more than $30 million the Department of Energy invested is money Smith Electric Chief Executive Officer Brian Hansel said he believed helped his company grow into an industry leader.
“I think he’s genuinely sincere saying, ‘Are we having an impact?'” said Bryan Hansel. “‘Did it help your business? Is it helping you grow an industry?’ And we generally feel that it did.”
Obama drove home the point that there’s no doubt about the future of renewable energy.
“You’re proving that as long as we’re moving forward, nobody can stop us,” Obama said. “You are setting a model for what we need to be doing all across the country.”
