Obama lauds Burlington company for bringing jobs back to US

President Obama mentioned Burlington IT company Collaborative Consultants in a Milwaukee speech highlighting “in-sourcing” — bringing jobs back from overseas to America.

Collaborative Consulting plans to hire 200 IT workers in Wausau over the next three years. White House staff called the company yesterday to ask for information about their Wisconsin hiring plans the president could use in his speech. CEO Bill Robichaud joined the president in Milwaukee for the speech, though he didn’t meet him.

“That was a wonderful thing the president did,” Robichaud told the Herald. “He was talking about the important topic on the board right now, bringing jobs back to America. We’re excited to have been a small part of that.”

Appearing at a Milwaukee padlock plant, Obama said the United States must do everything it can to make it more attractive for American businesses to stay put and grow here at home, and “one place to start is with our tax code.”

The president visited Master Lock, a manufacturer that has brought jobs back to the United States. Reprising ideas from his State of the Union address, Obama asked Congress to approve tax system changes right away, including a minimum tax on multinational companies so that American firms can’t skirt taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. He also pushed for tax breaks for businesses that move into communities that have been hurt by factories leaving town.

“Don’t wait. Do it now. Get it done,” Obama shouted, his jacket removed and shirtsleeves rolled up, as he stood in front of a pile of stacked orange metal boxes, including one stamped “Made in the USA.”

Master Lock brought back 100 jobs to the U.S. from China in response to higher labor and logistical costs in Asia.

Pointing to a rebound in manufacturing and pushing U.S. businesses to extend it, the president said: “Ask yourself what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.”

Robichaud said such hiring wouldn’t have been possible five years ago.

“A middle class has been born overseas,” he said. “The cost of doing business is no longer as cheap as it used to be.”

He added that this type of hiring would not be possible in the Greater Boston area, though the company has 186 designers, database architects and other employees in Burlington.

“You can buy a house out here for $55,000 to $85,000, and the salaries are reflective of that,” he said of Wisconsin. “They’re great people. They work hard.”

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