‘America Wins With Trade’ Tour Continues!
By Jason Oxman
CEA’s “America Wins With Trade” tour continues today with our first stop in Rockleigh, New Jersey, at the headquarters of Crestron, a manufacturer of innovative home and business lighting, audio-video, and other automation controls. Crestron has been in business in New Jersey for nearly 40 years and employs some 2,500 people. Crestron manufactures its devices here in New Jersey, and also does all its research and development here (we toured their research facility and saw some of Crestron’s 350 engineers working hard on the next generation of automation products). 
Crestron manufacturing facility in Rockleigh, New Jersey
Crestron just outfitted Comcast’s new Philly headquarters with automation products from its “Green Light” environmentally friendly collection of products that do cool things like automatically raise office shades and turn off electric lights when sunlight can provide free lighting.
Crestron currently derives 35% of its revenue from sales of US-made products to overseas consumers, and expects that number to reach 40% by the end of the year. Free trade is vital to the success of this 2,500 employee strong manufacturer.
Mayor Nick Langella, Rockleigh, New Jersey
George Feldstein, founder, president and CEO, Crestron
Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, CEA
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July 26th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Free trade benefits have been over-rated. American manufacturing was once a way for low-income, low skilled workers to move up the ladder toward prosperity. Companies once provided health care, pensions, vacation and holiday pay. This has eroded badly and we are at the mercy of many foreign producers for basic products that we should be able to make competitively. Your organization needs to be encouraging Americans to buy American products, identifying contries and companies abusing workers and polluting the planet. There should be an international pay rate where workers exporting products should be paid at least two thirds of the rate of the countries they ship to. Americans are tired of being ripped off by cheap imports, knock-off products and unsafe products. The trade imbalance is no minor problem. Boycotts of shoddy, unsafe good made by people at slave wages should begin. The benefits of free trade have diminished greatly. There is certainly a sense of criminality and pollution associated with imported goods. Educate Americans on ways to reduce the trade deficit and you will be doing our country a real service.