COMMERCE SECRETARY DONALD L. EVANS ANNOUNCES BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S INTENT TO NOMINATE AL FRINK ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF MANUFACTURING AND SERVICES
Appoints Missouri and Ohio Manufacturers To Manufacturing Council

Mt. Vernon, Ohio - Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans today announced, during a town hall meeting with employees of Ariel Corporation, the Bush Administration’s intention to nominate Al Frink for the position of Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services. Once nominated and confirmed, Frink will serve as the Bush Administration’s point person on manufacturing and will focus on ways to help the sector grow, create jobs and compete in the global economy.

“Al’s extensive background as a manufacturer makes him a great candidate to serve because he has walked in their shoes and knows first hand the barriers that are challenging American manufacturers,” said Evans. “President Bush understands that manufacturers are the engine that creates jobs, grows our economy and raises our standard of living.”

Evans also appointed Don Wainwright as Chairman and Karen Wright as Vice-Chair of the Manufacturing Council. The Manufacturing Council will ensure manufacturers of all sizes have a voice in the ongoing implementation of the administration’s manufacturing initiative.

Background on Al Frink

- Frink, an Hispanic-American, is Co-founder and Executive Vice President of Fabrica International, a manufacturer of carpets and rugs, in Orange County, California. Thirty-years ago, Frink helped lead the business into an internationally recognized company. Fabrica’s commitment to research and development has helped the company grow in the last decade and stay on the cutting edge. Fabrica has been in business since 1974 and employs more than 400 people.

- Over the years Frink has held numerous leadership positions and served as a member of the Commerce Department’s Exporters’ Textile Advisory Committee. Frink is a 2004 inductee to the Small Business Administration’s Hall of Fame.

- As the Assistant Secretary, Frink will advocate, coordinate and implement policies that will help U.S. manufacturers compete globally. Some of the challenges he will focus on include:

1. Enhancing Government’s Focus on Manufacturing Competitiveness;
2. Creating the Conditions for Economic Growth and Manufacturing Investment;
3. Promoting Open Markets and a Level Playing Field;
4. Lowering the Cost of Manufacturing in the United States;
5. Investing in Innovation; and
6. Strengthening Education, Retraining, and Economic Diversification.

Background on Wainwright and Wright

- Wainwright is the Chairman/CEO of Wainwright Industries headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Wainwright Industries manufacturers stamped and machined parts for customers in the automotive, aerospace, home-security, and information-processing industries. In 1994, the company won the Commerce Department’s prestigious Baldrige Award. In 1996, Industry Week tapped Wainwright’s company as one of the best-run plants in America

- Wright is President and owner of Ariel Corporation. The company founded in 1966 in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, designs and manufacturers compressors for natural gas gathering, pipeline and gas storage markets. Today Ariel designs a wide variety of compressors that are in service world-wide in refineries, gas fields, pipeline service and gas gathering.

Today’s announcement fulfills some of the recommendations made in a comprehensive report by the Commerce Department, Manufacturing in America, that identified challenges facing the manufacturing sector and outlined recommendations that will aid American manufacturing and create jobs.

“We need leaders with practical experience. We need leaders with strong records of success. These business leaders will bring a wealth of practical experience from the manufacturing sector to Washington,” said Evans. “They will help the President pursue advanced policies that will make it easier for American businesses, specifically the manufacturing and services sectors, to succeed and create jobs."

Bios

Albert (AL) A. Frink
Nominee, Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing & Services
The Department of Commerce

Al Frink is a Small Business Executive Who Has Successfully Led and Grown an Internationally Recognized Manufacturing Company

Frink was Selected by the President because:

· He is an excellent and persuasive communicator.
· He understands both the challenges and opportunities facing manufacturing and will be a credible voice to others in the sector, particularly small and medium sized businesses.
· Within the industry, his company has distinguished itself through innovation and quality product.
· He is a champion of export. He is his company’s chief advocate and salesperson, opening up foreign markets and responsible for all international accounts.
· He is a committed and dedicated volunteer, public servant, particularly on cultural and educational issues within the Hispanic and Native American communities.

Frink Co-Founded and Grew a Start-up Manufacturing Company:

· Frink co-founded Fabrica International in 1974 with a $100,000 Small Business Administration (SBA) loan
· Frink helped grow the company to $60 million in annual revenue by 2003
· Frink helped build the company to over 400 employees
· Fabrica has never had to resort to any major lay-offs
· All of Fabrica’s operations – including manufacturing and distribution are located in the United States
· Fabrica boasts 30 years without an operating loss and achieved double digit growth in revenue between 1992 – 2002
· Fabrica develops, manufactures and sells high-end luxury carpet and rugs to retailers, interior designers, furniture stores and other markets, and is considered best in class, rated #1 carpet mill in the United States for quality and fashion
· Fabrica was acquired by The Dixie Group in 2000.

Frink is an Active Member of His Community in Many Roles:

· Former Member, Exporters’ Textile Advisory Committee, The Department of Commerce
· Former Member, Board of Directors – The Latino Coalition
· Member, Orange County Hispanic 100
· Member, Board of Directors – YMCA Orange County Metro
· Member, Board of Directors – Pacific Symphony Orchestra
· Member, Board of Directors, Lincoln Club – Orange County
· Member, Advisory Board, Carpet and Rug Institute

Frink’s Awards and Achievements Include:

· 2004 Inductee to the prestigious Small Business Administration Hall of Fame
· Silver Trumpet Award, the industry’s most prestigious award from the Southern California Floor Covering Association
· Distinguished service Award, Native American Preparatory S

Arthur D. Wainwright

Don Wainwright was born March 29, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended public schools in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, Missouri and graduated from Kirkwood High School. He attended the University of Missouri on a scholastic/athletic scholarship under the tutelage of Dan Devine. Their teams won the 1960 Orange Bowl against Navy and the 1962 Blue Bonnet Bowl against Georgia Tech. He earned his Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering.

After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1965, Wainwright worked over a year for the Westvaco Corporation in the capacity of a technical research engineer before joining the United States Army Artillery and Missile School staff as an artillery instructor during the Vietnam War. He returned to civilian life in 1967 assuming a position as engineer/manager of Westvaco Corporation.

In 1969, he joined Wainwright Industries in St. Louis, Missouri assuming the position of plant manager and was promoted in 1973 to Vice President/Director. In 1976, he was elevated to the position of Chairman/CEO, which he holds today. During Wainwright’s 32 year tenure, the company has implemented Total Quality Management and many unique personnel programs, including an all salaried work force with a regularly at/or above 99% attendance record, developed the concept of company “Team Wainwright” uniforms, profit sharing programs, and has been instrumental in numerous improvements in the manufacturing efficiency of the plant. The company has received numerous awards for outstanding product quality and total customer satisfaction.

In 1994, the company won the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In 1996, Industry Week Magazine named Wainwright Industries on of the ten best plants in the country. Also that year, Wainwright received the Governor’s Quality Award for outstanding quality leadership. The company was named 1999 Missouri Industry of the Year.

Wainwright’s past and present civic and public involvement includes positions as director of BJC Investment and Pension Committee, director of Boatmen’s and Mark Twain banks, director of AAIM Management Association, director of Associated Industries of Missouri director of St. Louis Health Care Network, and gubernatorial appointments to the Industrial Educational Development Committee, a member of Washington University’s National Engineering Council and the University of Missouri’s Dean’s Engineering Advisory Council, and director and chair of the overseer’s board for the Baldrige Award for the Commerce Department. He was elected Vice-Chairman, then Chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers for 2001 and 2002 respectively.

He has been a guest lecturer throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Wainwright has traveled overseas with the Governor representing the Hawthorn Foundation, being instrumental in developing the economic growth for the state. He is a member of the Third Baptist Church of St. Louis, Missouri and is married to the former Mary C. Pillsbury

Ms. Karen Buchwald Wright
CEO, President and owner of Ariel Corporation

Biographical Information:
Born on July 4, 1954 in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Karen grew up in rural Knox County. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 1971, Karen earned her B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., in 1974. For the next six years, she worked with various companies in the Minneapolis area gaining experience in public relations, marketing and communications. In 1980, she moved back to Mount Vernon and began her career with the Ariel Corporation and raised four sons. Her position within Ariel included organizing trade shows throughout the world, marketing and brand recognition, trade advertising and communications. In 1997, she was named Vice President of Administration and added the responsibilities of personnel and corporate philanthropy. In 2001, Karen was named CEO of Ariel and in 2002 became President as well.

In her position as CEO and President, Karen has provided exceptional leadership and direction for the company. Since her appointment as CEO, market share has increased 15 percent and she has significantly increased the company’s presence internationally and in other developing niches.

Company Profile
Karen’s mother and father, Maureen and Jim Buchwald, along with several others, founded Ariel Corporation in 1966. Their work is a wonderful example of the classic American success story: A small family business that is now on of the largest employers in the county. A mechanical engineer, Jim Buchwald speculated the development of high-speed engines provided a unique opportunity. He decided to design and build a compressor for natural gas gathering unlike any previously manufactured. The compressor was an unqualified success and market indications led to the design and manufacture of a broader product line. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, new compressors were developed and by the 1990s, Ariel was manufacturing compressors for a diverse global market. More than 20,000 Ariel compressors are in service world-wide in refineries, gas fields, pipeline service and gas gathering. Ariel’s world standard gas compressors, outstanding service and exceptional customer support have made it the world leader in gas compression