STI Electronics Participating in IPC’s IMPACT Washington, D.C.

Dave Raby is president and CEO of STI Electronics and an eager participant at this year’s IMPACT Washington, D.C. event. We talked early on the first day of the event, before a heavily scheduled day for the attendees.

Patty Goldman: Dave, what are your thoughts about this year’s IMPACT event, overall?

Dave Raby: I’m excited. I came to this event for the first time last year and have been looking forward all year to coming back. It’s really great to meet the other people in here. It’s all senior executives from companies in our industry from all over the country. Whenever senior executives from the same industry get together, we usually find out we share many of the same concerns and that is true with this group. Washington, D.C. is also a foreign world to most of us, and it’s great to get up here and see what’s going on here and see what our representatives are thinking. What is even better is, through the efforts of IPC, we can actually have an influenceon some things and can give them our opinions.  As Americans, it is what we’re supposed to do but I don’t think most of us do anything unless there’s a group like this supporting it and organizing it.

Goldman: Yeah, there’s some reluctance.

Raby: It’s hard to come up here as a lone wolf and just say, “Hey, I want to support this bill.”

Goldman: First of all, how would you get to see anybody?

Raby: That’s a good question but also how would you even know what bill was out there?  IPC does a great job of scheduling visits with key people from all over the country and also with the representatives from my states. STI has employees in four states and tomorrow I’ll be visiting both senators from one of the states and our U.S. representative from two others.  IPC staff does a great job of keeping us informed on the legislation that is at various levels of the process and gives us a very good idea on where the people we are meeting with stand. We can then express our views and let them know we appreciate their support and encourage more support, or let them know why we see their particular stance as a problem. My opinion may or may not change their opinion but I’ve been impressed with how they really will listen and consider how a certain piece of legislation will affect my company and their constituents. It was fascinating to me when I came last year just to see how the government works. We often complain about how it doesn’t work, but in reality, it has done a pretty good job over the last 240 years or so.

Most of the legislation starts for a good reason. I compare it to my shower thoughts at home. I’ve come up with what seemed like some of the world’s greatest solution or idea as I’m getting ready to go to work in the morning.  I’m so excited when I can get to the office and tell my staff about them. Most of the time, as soon as I start saying them out loud I realize that it may actually be the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. The legislation starts for a good reason and seems like a good idea at the time and, by the time you get through the process that they go through, there’s hopefully people like us that have come in to say, “Yeah, this really is a good idea but could you add this to it?” Or, “We really don’t like this. Have you thought of what this would do to business?  While it seems like a good idea overall, maybe if you took out this line, then it really would do what you want.” Right now, you’ve got the unintended consequences that are going to happen.

Goldman: You really have to think about the consequences.

Raby: Exactly, and no offense to the lawmakers but they are trying to improve our lives and businesses but usually have no idea how they work and some of the unintended side effects some of their laws can have. Just making up an example here but there could be something that will save my company $10,000 but causes me to have to hire a full time person just to fill out the paperwork. That didn’t save me $10,000. That put a productive person out of work. That’s a big reason for being here this week.  Just as a citizen, it’s frustrating to watch the democrats versus the republicans, republicans versus democrats. If I have an idea, no matter how good it is, you’re not going to like it, and vice versa. It’s nice to get up here and see they actually do talk to each other (or at least many of them do), and there are some things that they cooperate on.

Goldman: There are things behind the news that happen.

Raby: Right. Apparently, talking to each other doesn’t make the news.

Goldman: That’s for sure; it’s not as exciting. Do you think you’ll come next year? Do you see this as a good event to attend?

Raby: Yes I do. If it’s anything like last year—and from the schedule we have, it looks like it will be—I’ll be back next year. I also want to encourage other business leaders and owners to do the same. It costs two or three days of time plus your travel expenses and can have a direct benefit on your company’s and your industry’s future as well as your country’s future. Plus, it is interesting, educational and we have some fun, too.

Goldman: There’s a pretty heavy schedule this year, from what I understand.

Raby: We’re hearing from four different presidential campaigns this morning, which is something that of course we didn’t have last year. It may not be a kind way of saying it, but it’s a straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth type of thing that you don’t get sitting at home on the couch. It’ll be interesting to hear how that

goes and we get to question each candidate on their thoughts on keeping (or making) American manufacturing competitive with the rest of the world. Then we’re also meeting with several congressmen and it will be great to get their perspective on things, and also give them our perspective.  One of the things I’m talking about is the NNMI, the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. We are meeting today with Senator Orrin Hatch, who’s the head of the Senate Committee on Finance. Senator Hatch is number three in line to be president, as far as a succession plan.

Goldman: That’s not somebody you can just knock on his door and talk to.

Raby: I’m from a little town in Alabama. That’s not somebody I’m used to talking to. I’m a little nervous about that, but I also know from last year, IPC will get me through it.

Goldman: Right, they keep you well-informed of all the important stuff.

Raby: They’ve educated me, but they’re also going to be sitting next to me. If I start to stumble, they’ll steer me in the right direction, or if the senator asks a question that I don’t know the answer to, I just look over and they’ll help to answer it.

Goldman: And John Hasselmann said they have all the data ready as well. So they’ll have a lot of answers.

Raby: John and his entire team do a fantastic job.

Goldman: Okay. It’s probably about time to head in to the meeting. Well thanks so much for your time, Dave.

Raby: Thanks Patty, I appreciate you being here, because publicizing this can do nothing but help it.

Goldman: That’s what I hope to see happen also.

Raby: IPC does a great job on this. There’s nobody else up here looking out for us in the electronics industry.

For full coverage of IPC IMPACT, please click on the following link:

http://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/686649-smt-june2016