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Derek Read always knew he wanted to join the Navy, and he enlisted after high school—rising to become a machinist’s mate responsible for maintaining, repairing and running the ship’s engine as well as corresponding machines and equipment. However, when it came time to find his next career nine years later, he wasn’t sure what to do—until his research turned up the The Manufacturing Institute’s program, which helped Read translate the skills he already had into a modern manufacturing setting.

• “It’s definitely been enlightening,” said Read. “For the most part, I had the mechanical background and most of the skills, but HMA bridged the gap and gave me some technical expertise, as well as the extensive knowledge and certifications needed to get hired by a manufacturing company. Overall, it’s been an amazingly positive experience.”

One-on-one: Some of Read’s most valuable experiences were his meetings with executives and hiring officers at different manufacturing companies.

• “One of the greatest things they’ve given us is facetime with manufacturing company VPs, HR representatives and recruiters,” said Read. “They allowed us to get a better understanding of what was out there and what companies were looking for. Facetime like that is hard to come by unless you’re doing a specialized program like this, and it’s worth a lot.”

What’s next: Today, Read is fielding a few different job interviews, which he received via LinkedIn after Heroes helped him create his profile on the site. “Without HMA, I probably wouldn’t have been approached by those companies,” said Read.

Paying it forward: When asked what advice he’d give to other transitioning servicemembers considering the Heroes program, Read didn’t hesitate. “That’s easy—you’d be crazy not to take advantage of an amazing opportunity like this,” said Read. “The HMA program is outstanding. Take advantage of programs like this one, and don’t wait. Different manufacturing companies have a vast array of jobs. There’s definitely a job out there for you.”

From a distance: What makes Read’s enthusiasm all the more compelling is that he experienced the entire program remotely. But with the help of some virtual reality tools, he was able to participate without missing a step.

• “The VR goggles—that was amazing,” said Read. “I’ve never played with VR before. It’s almost like a video game. The training and tool seminars—I got to play with different tools and interact with the VR, doing measurements, calibrating equipment and going over parts of the manufacturing facility. It was a lot of fun to play with.”

That kind of substantive learning in an engaging environment is what the Caterpillar Foundation will bring to more heroes in the coming years, thanks to its new $2.25 million donation designed to help Heroes MAKE America increase its integration of virtual reality technology and expand training opportunities for the military community.

The last word: As Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby when the partnership was announced, “Caterpillar is proud of the support provided to veterans and their families through the Caterpillar Foundation’s donation to the Heroes MAKE America program. I am pleased the Foundation can help make this world-class skills training program available to all members of the global military community and connect them to careers in manufacturing.”

The 51�Թ��� and The Manufacturing Institute are launching the Yellow and Red Ribbon Initiative today to encourage vaccinations against COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know to get involved.

What it means: The ribbon is designed with two colors: yellow, which shows that we support one another, and red, which signifies that we care for one another. Wearing or displaying yellow and red ribbons is intended to serve as a sign of support for COVID-19 vaccination and a signal that you have been personally vaccinated.

Why do it: “It’s the same philosophy behind ‘I Voted’ stickers,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Seeing that others have been safely vaccinated sends a powerful message to those who have not yet made the decision to get their shot.”

What you can do: You can wear the ribbon to work or out in public, or . If you’re an employer or run a vaccination site, you can make the ribbons available to those who get their shot.

How to get your pins: The 51�Թ��� and the MI are producing yellow and red pins to distribute to workers, families and communities and have developed tools such as bilingual social media, email and newsletter copy and posters to support distribution.

• Bulk orders can be made online . The 51�Թ��� and MI are also encouraging a grassroots effort in communities nationwide, urging people to make ribbons at home, find them online or locate them at a craft store.

What we’re building on: Getting manufacturers and Americans their COVID-19 vaccines is a key step toward ending the pandemic. See how the 51�Թ��� and MI are working to get that done through its “This Is Our Shot” project.

You may not know it, but one company has the capacity to manufacture bulk drug substance for more than a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines annually: Emergent BioSolutions, a global supplier for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and U.S. supplier for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Emergent Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Technical Operations Sean Kirk spoke with us recently to explain what goes into the heroic production of all these doses—in other words, what it takes to help defeat COVID-19.

How the vaccine works: The complexity begins with the vaccines themselves, which are amazing feats of bioengineering. The two vaccines have broadly similar structures, though they are made by separate, quarantined production lines in the Emergent facility. (As Kirk says, you can’t even take a wrench from one production suite to the other.)

You can think of this type of vaccine as a sort of beneficial Trojan Horse:

• Particles of a virus called an adenovirus, which usually causes cold and flu-like symptoms, are engineered to hold the DNA of SARS-CoV-2 (the official name of the coronavirus)—and to not be infectious themselves.
• Those adenovirus particles enter your cells and program them to produce a component of SARS-CoV-2 called a spike protein.
• That process provokes an immune response, teaching your system how to defeat the real COVID-19.

So how do you make it? As you might guess, making such a precise vaccine is itself a complicated and delicate process.

• You need to make a lot of modified adenovirus particles very fast, while ensuring they aren’t infectious and can deliver their payload of SARS-CoV-2 DNA.
• To cut a long story very short, the production process involves “infecting living cells [with the modified adenovirus] and turning them into virus factories,” as science writer Derek Lowe

Where Emergent comes in: Emergent handles the manufacturing process, which results in something called “bulk drug substance,” Kirk explains.

• “Our facility produces the high concentration active pharmaceutical ingredients, the viral vectors themselves,” he says. “Then we freeze them down and ship them out to what’s called a fill/finish facility, which dilutes the concentrate and fills vials or syringes with it.”

The numbers: That concentrate will eventually become part of the 100 million Johnson & Johnson doses and 300 million AstraZeneca doses purchased by the U.S. government.

What it takes: Kirk gave us a glimpse of just how much effort went into getting ready for a new vaccine.

• 6 or 7 months: That’s all Emergent had, for a process that normally takes years. Consider how much goes into it, Kirk says: ordering equipment, getting that equipment to work correctly and comply with regulations, “working out the kinks from the complex biological manufacturing process”—and then scaling it up and optimizing it to make large quantities of vaccines as quickly and safely as possible.
• 800 new jobs: Emergent had to increase hiring, adding approximately 800 new jobs in 2020, many of which were dedicated to COVID-19 response across three Maryland sites.
• Group effort: Emergent works incredibly closely with Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, along with the U.S. government and the company’s own suppliers. “We have leveraged U.S. government rated orders to get access to critical raw materials and equipment. We’ve depended upon certain suppliers, who were likewise rallying to the cause, to really step up and ramp up their overall capability and capacity,” says Kirk.

Why can’t you go faster? Kirk says he gets this question all the time and wants to impress upon readers that these are very complex biologic manufacturing processes.

• “They are highly regulated, highly technical and have to be highly reproducible,” he continued. “We are growing living cells and then we are infecting them with these viral vectors.”
• Furthermore, everything that Emergent produces must have the same characteristics of the product used in the clinical trials—“that’s the essence of biologic vaccine development,” Kirk says. “That’s the only way you can ensure safety and efficacy.”

The last word: Kirk tells us what he tells his employees: “It’s unbelievably difficult, more difficult than anything I’ve done in my entire career. But I can’t think of a more awesome opportunity to leave an indelible mark on the course of human history. We are going to help return a degree of normalcy to society. We’re going to help reunite families, open up economies and put a smile on children’s faces when they go back to school. And that’s an honorable and amazing thing.”

This article is the first in an exclusive four-part series on Emergent’s accelerated production efforts.

51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons sent a to President Biden on Wednesday urging the president to develop and implement a post-pandemic strategy regarding the U.S. relationship with China.

Why it matters: As the letter notes, China has signed new trade and investment agreements with a variety of nations in Europe and Asia over the past few months, increasing pressure on the United States to engage in a thoughtful and effective way to preserve America’s influence worldwide. But the U.S. relationship with China is also both delicate and complex, requiring the U.S. to challenge China in some areas even as we work to collaborate in others.

A combative adversary: “For manufacturers, China has long been a hub for unfair industrial subsidies and government-fueled overcapacity in areas like steel and aluminum that distort global markets. China continues to promote discriminatory industrial policies, forced technology transfer and intellectual property theft that harm manufacturers and workers in the United States. Increasingly, China is also using global institutions and its economic influence to build alliances that challenge American interests, human rights and democratic values.”

An important partner: “Yet, China will also be a key player in tackling global challenges that matter for manufacturers, from COVID-19 to climate change. And China is a major destination for U.S. exports, with nearly $90 billion in manufactured goods going there in 2020, placing it behind only Canada and Mexico in the ranks of our biggest trade partners and supporting hundreds of thousands of well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs.”

The big picture: “America’s strategy must reflect the realities of the moment and the future: as we take stock of new post-pandemic realities, China will be a necessary partner, a fierce economic competitor and a major rival challenging American global influence.”

the whole thing for a list of the 51�Թ���’s policy proposals.

When leading members of Congress are asked what organizations were decisive in passing landmark tax reform in 2017, the 51�Թ��� is often one of the first organizations named. So, when a powerful Senate committee decides to explore issues related to taxes and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, the 51�Թ��� gets the call.

51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons testified before the Senate Committee on Finance on Tuesday to push forward a post-partisan consensus on a number of key manufacturing priorities. A few highlights are below, and you can read the full testimony .

Pandemic response: “Today, one year after health restrictions began, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter by the second—thanks to the innovation of pharmaceutical manufacturers. Their heroic work, combined with the previous administration’s Operation Warp Speed and this Congress and this administration’s focus on and investment in vaccine distribution, is now saving about 2 million American lives every single day.”

Supply chains: Timmons also spoke about the need to strengthen supply chains and touted the 51�Թ���’s supply chain policy recommendations, calling out three in particular:

• The need for predictability and stability in the tax code. Timmons spoke about the benefits of tax reform for manufacturers, reinforced how the industry has kept its promise after the historic law was passed and asked Congress to protect the benefits the law provided.
• The need for a tax code that supports innovation—specifically by preserving manufacturers’ ability to invest in research and development.
• The need to recognize that “policies that are successful in growing manufacturing will require significant capital expenditures by the small and medium-sized firms that are the backbone of our domestic supply chain.”

Challenges ahead: Timmons called out two proposed changes to the tax code that would make it more difficult for those businesses to invest:

• “More stringent limitations on interest deductions and the phase out of immediate expensing will take effect in the years ahead. If not reversed, these changes will make it hard to grow manufacturing.”

Manufacturers speak: In addition to Timmons, Intel Corporation Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer George S. Davis and Ford Motor Company Vice President of Global Commodity Purchasing and Supplier Technical Assistance Jonathan Jennings also testified at the hearing.

Questions to consider: Timmons closed by asking a series of questions about whether America would meet its moment—including by ensuring competitive tax rates, investing in infrastructure, developing trade agreements that protect American workers and enacting comprehensive immigration reform that offers a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

His response: “If the answer to those questions is ‘yes,’ if we tackle these fundamental issues, then I’m certain that this Next World that we are building in the aftermath of the pandemic will be built by American workers in American factories, restoring American leadership in the world.”

Zachary Willis has transitioned out of the military twice—and the second time, The Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America program made all the difference.

A passion for service: Willis had wanted to join the Marine Corps his entire life and felt even more strongly about it after 9/11. A little less than a year after he graduated high school, he did so. “I wanted to serve my country, and my country needed me,” he told us.

Two exits: Willis spent four years in the Marine Corps on active duty, with two deployments as an infantryman. He spent the next four years in the reserves, then left the military for a short stint in the civilian world. But feeling adrift, he ended up joining the U.S. Army as a mechanic in 2017.

When health issues led him to transition out of the military a second time, he knew he needed a strategy for what would come next. The Heroes MAKE America program, which helps members of the military community find opportunities in manufacturing, sounded like a great fit.

• “Getting out this time around was so different from the first time,” said Willis. “The first time I didn’t really have a plan. This time I was a lot more mature. I was like, I need to make sure there is something out there—and Heroes MAKE America seemed like a great opportunity to get into an industry with a lot of growth potential.”

A different world: Heroes exposed Willis to a world of modern manufacturing that was well beyond what he had expected.

• “I always thought manufacturing was just a bunch of guys on an assembly line who put things together for 30 years and then retired,” said Willis. “But then I got into this program, and I saw how innovative it is. It’s constantly seeking improvement. It’s so different from the manufacturing of my father’s or grandfather’s generation.”

An expanded network: Willis is enthusiastic about his experience in the Heroes program—both in terms of the skills training and the opportunities to explore career options.

• “It’s been amazing,” said Willis. “The ability to reach out and connect with other employers all around the country—from smaller companies to huge international corporations. You don’t see that in very many places. I wish more people took advantage of programs like this.”

What’s next: Willis graduated from the program in early March and received four different job offers. He’ll start a new role soon manufacturing gunpowder at Hodgdon Powder Company near his home in Kansas. In fact, he’s so enthusiastic about the Heroes MAKE America program that he’s already encouraging his new employer to get involved.

• “The company isn’t even a part of the program, and when I told them about it, they said, huh, we gotta look into that,” said Willis. “It’s something more companies should get on board with.”

Heroes gets a boost: Willis also got to take on a new challenge during his program: using virtual reality technology to supplement his instructor-led hands-on learning. The technology let him learn everything from how to put on personal protective equipment correctly in a manufacturing environment to how to use welders, micrometers and digital calipers.

And as it happens, even more Heroes students will be able to engage virtually in the coming years. Thanks to a new from the Caterpillar Foundation, the Heroes program will be able to increase its integration of virtual reality technology and expand training opportunities for the military community.

The last word: “Caterpillar is proud of the support provided to veterans and their families through the Caterpillar Foundation’s donation to the Heroes MAKE America program,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby. “I am pleased the Foundation can help make this world-class skills training program available to all members of the global military community and connect them to careers in manufacturing.”

For Big Ass Fans, a Kentucky-based company that manufactures fans, evaporative coolers and controls for industrial, agricultural, commercial and residential use, the eye-catching name isn’t the only thing that makes them distinctive. The company is also a leader in research and development, crediting U.S. tax policy with supporting its innovations and the jobs they create.

Investing in innovation: BAF has spent millions of dollars in R&D, even building an R&D lab on its global headquarters campus in 2008. Most recently, it pioneered new ways of disinfecting air to keep manufacturing employees healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. And when Congress approved tax reform in 2017—including a lower corporate tax rate—the company got additional fuel for its efforts.

• “The more incentives that are there for us to create and for our customers to purchase, the more we can deliver for everyone,” said BAF Government and Public Relations Director Alex Risen.

Risen cautions, however, that a higher corporate tax rate could impact the company’s ability to grow. Meanwhile, a prospective tax change on R&D spending could stymie innovation by requiring the amortization of expenses (as opposed to current tax policy, which allows expenses to be fully deducted in the same year).

• “We’re always going to innovate. That’s in our DNA. But if our customers have higher corporate tax rates, that can take money out of our pockets and theirs,” said Risen. “If this new R&D tax policy detracts from a company’s ability to push and pioneer…then we’re all at risk of losing out on expedited innovation.”

Creating American jobs: BAF isn’t just using its revenues to invest in innovation; it’s also working to bring jobs and supply chains into the United States. In addition to its headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, the company has offices in Canada, Australia and Singapore. Up until recently, it also had a manufacturing facility in Malaysia in addition to a sales office there—but BAF is in the process of moving those production jobs to the United States.

• “It doesn’t just mean new jobs at BAF; it brings more business to American vendors and suppliers,” said Risen. “It allows them to continue trying to grow even during a downturn and uncertain times.”

Bolstering supply chains: In addition to job creation, strengthening the supply chain was another top priority for BAF.

• “We were already working on moving those operations before the pandemic hit, but the pandemic is a reminder that you want to have that supply chain close,” said Risen. “We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to slow production down, because the majority of our product is here in our backyard. That speaks to where we want to be as a company that is internationally headquartered in the U.S. but serves 175 countries. We want to do our part in order to make high-end machinery a U.S. export.”

51�Թ��� support: To support companies like BAF and its customers, the 51�Թ��� is leading the effort to ensure that the tax code keeps encouraging innovation. Recently, a bipartisan group of U.S. policymakers introduced legislation that would allow manufacturers to continue to deduct their R&D expenses immediately—a move that the 51�Թ��� advocated for. The 51�Թ��� is also working to strengthen U.S. supply chains, releasing an for such actions last year.

The bottom line: “A high tide floats all boats,” said Risen. “We need to continue to innovate and deliver for companies in America—and we need to help Americans push the envelope, innovate and deliver for all of us.”

Manufacturers across many sectors were surprised in recent weeks by a ban on products containing a chemical called PIP (3:1), which was slated to go into effect after March 8, 2021. Due to the incredibly short compliance window and because PIP has not been regulated elsewhere in the world, it is a major challenge even to identify its potential presence in supply chains.

The sudden ban could have caused significant disruption in the manufacturing industry and snarled the economic recovery, 51�Թ��� Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Rachel Jones tells us. Here’s what you need to know.

Why it matters:  While there is no PIP chemical manufacturing in the United States, it can be found in a broad array of components that are used in electronics; robotics and manufacturing equipment; gaskets, clamps, tubes, harnesses, cables and casings; and in many other applications for flame retardant purposes. The ban would have a serious impact on manufacturers in the United States, forcing them to scrutinize every component of their supply chains for PIP, rework manufacturing processes and find new materials in an impossibly short timeframe.

The COVID-19 angle: Many of the products that would be impacted by this rule are being used to conduct research into COVID-19, whether that involves an examination of COVID-19 variants or developing, producing, storing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. If this rule goes forward without being fixed, some of these products could become unavailable at a time when they are needed most.

What we did: The consensus from some experts was that changing the Biden EPA’s approach on this matter was a futile effort. But the 51�Թ��� pressed forward and asked the EPA to issue a “no action assurance” for downstream manufacturers until the PIP rule can be amended to include a reasonable compliance timeframe. At the same time, the 51�Թ��� moved forward in court to preserve relief options and to ensure that manufacturers affected by the rule can be made whole.

The results: After the 51�Թ���’s intervention, the EPA announced a 180-day “No Action Assurance” and opened a new 60-day comment docket to reexamine the rule. The 51�Թ��� will continue to work with the EPA to find a reasonable approach that supports manufacturers and upholds critical standards.

The last word: Jones says, “When manufacturers are willing to speak up on challenging issues, we can solve complex problems. I have zero doubt that EPA’s extraordinary action was in response to our work with many 51�Թ��� members and collaborative solutions-focused advocacy. While we celebrate this important interim victory, it is only a 180-day window of relief and manufacturers need more time.”

Manufacturers across the country are doing their part for the pandemic response—whether that means developing vaccines, producing vials and containers or creating personal protective equipment for frontline responders. They are also increasing the capacity and efficiency of vaccination operations by embedding their manufacturing methods and technologies—as Honeywell and several partner organizations did recently in North Carolina. Now, the group has to help others do the same.

What they did: Honeywell, Atrium Health, Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Charlotte Motor Speedway formed a unique public–private initiative with a bold goal of distributing 1 million doses of the vaccine by July 4. With support from the state of North Carolina and Gov. Roy Cooper, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and local governments, these organizations worked together to plan and execute efficient, safe and equitable mass vaccination events at Bank of America Stadium and Charlotte Motor Speedway in January and February.

• “These highly efficient mass events safely vaccinated a diverse group of more than 36,000 people with scalability at a rate of nearly 1,500 vaccinations per hour with average wait times of less than 30 minutes,” according to the guide. “These successes offer several best practices for locations around the world working to get ‘shots in arms’ quickly, efficiently and safely.”

Planning and structure: The guide encourages planners to offer doses by appointment only, to schedule the first and second doses concurrently and to ensure that the venue will have enough doses to serve all its guests without any waste. Meanwhile, it advises that a “task force” staff model be put in place with cross-functional teams and a clear decision-making structure.

Site selection: Planners should consider venues like stadiums, arenas, racetracks and convention centers as mass vaccination sites. But they should also consider whether these venues have:

• Sufficient space for social distancing;
• Free and available parking capacity if necessary; and
• Convenient access to public transportation.

Equity in distribution: Would-be vaccinators should take special account of underserved communities and populations, says the guide. Organizations seeking to create a mass vaccination site should engage in outreach, promote access and work to reduce vaccine hesitancy. That might require:

• Developing early partnerships with diverse faith-based, health care, business, educational, news and entertainment organizations;
• Working with the local government to create free transportation options; and
• Connecting with social influencers and community members who can help reduce vaccine hesitancy in targeted areas.

Process: This how-to guide lays out the processes an organization should be aware of and plan for—from pre-event scheduling to on-site check-in, screening, vaccination and observation. The organization should also plan to do post-event data entry, which ensures both their team and local governments can document doses correctly.

Why it matters: “Like any other successful endeavor, mass and community vaccination events require deep planning, strong leadership, committed partnerships and an army of support,” the guide says. “Missing even one of these critical elements can severely limit the effectiveness of an event, ultimately slowing down a community’s recovery… We hope these learnings will be helpful to government leaders who are building a strategy to get their community vaccinated.”

The last word: As 51�Թ��� Vice President of Brand Strategy Chrys Kefalas said, “Manufacturers like Honeywell and their partners in health care and government are leading us toward the end of the pandemic. It’s important that all of us play our parts to help them, as the 51�Թ��� and The Manufacturing Institute’s ‘This Is Our Shot’ project emphasizes. Our industry has been protecting Americans from COVID-19 for a year now, and our job isn’t over yet.”

You can download the full guide .

The 51�Թ��� Board of Directors has reelected Trane Technologies Chairman and CEO Mike Lamach as its chairman and Dow Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling as vice chair.

Lamach and Fitterling provided stalwart leadership during an extraordinarily difficult year. Under their guidance, the 51�Թ��� achieved notable successes, ensuring that policymakers accounted for the industry’s needs and helping to make the production of masks, vaccines and other vital supplies possible.

And that’s not even the half of it. Here are some of the highlights from the 51�Թ���’s past year:

• COVID-19 response: Our “American Renewal Action Plan” shaped legislation and administrative action to get manufacturers the support they needed. The 51�Թ��� team’s advocacy secured more than six dozen policy accomplishments.
• PPE production: Our Creators Respond initiative helped send millions of pieces of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to hospitals and health facilities—and after the election, the 51�Թ��� worked with the Biden transition team to share insights on PPE production and distribution.
• Workforce development: The Manufacturing Institute’s initiatives, including , the and the , strengthened manufacturing’s workforce pipeline and helped close the skills gap.
• Legal victories: The 51�Թ��� led the business community in court on issues like protecting vital immigration and standing up against regulatory overreach.
• Fight for opportunity: Through our Pledge for Action, the 51�Թ��� has committed our sector to taking 50,000 tangible actions to increase equity and parity for underrepresented communities and creating 300,000 pathways to job opportunities for Black people and all people of color.

A look ahead: With Lamach and Fitterling at the helm and an exceptional team in place, the 51�Թ��� is poised to expand on its successes over the past year and continue to strengthen manufacturing across the country. Already, the 51�Թ��� is working closely with the new administration and Congress to make sure manufacturers’ voices are heard. To learn more about the breadth of the 51�Թ���’s policy agenda, read its newly updated blueprint “Competing to Win.”

Small and medium-sized manufacturers: Meanwhile, the current chair of the 51�Թ���’s small and medium-sized manufacturers’ group, BTE Technologies President Chuck Wetherington, will also serve another two years in his position. Ketchie President and Owner Courtney Ketchie Silver will replace retiring Protolabs President and CEO Vicki Holt as vice chair.

The last word: “Today more than ever, manufacturers are the arsenal of democracy. In our nation’s time of need, manufacturers have stepped up and manned the front lines to provide essential goods for the American people. With Mike and Jim’s sound guidance and experience, the 51�Թ��� will continue to be a leading voice for the business community during these unprecedented times,” said 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons.

“Our board leaders will also help our industry lead America’s recovery and renewal—helping to strengthen and unify our nation during extraordinary times. And above all, we will advance the values that make America exceptional: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.”