Congressman Mark Kennedy Visits the Defense Alliance of Minnesota

St. Paul, MN, 02/23/05 – Congressman Mark Kennedy (R-MN), the U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s 6th District, visited the Defense Alliance of Minnesota at Minnesota Wire & Cable Co. on Wednesday. The Congressman had requested the visit to gather information about the defense industry as part of his week-long bus tour through Minnesota to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN).

Congressman Kennedy’s noon-time visit included an overview of the Defense Alliance by its founder, Paul Wagner. Facilitators Chip Laingen and Pat Dillon then presented a summary of the defense and homeland security industries in Minnesota, and upcoming events and agenda items for the Alliance. Of specific interest was the upcoming Defense Industry Roundtable scheduled for May that will highlight the medical and combat casualty care needs of the armed forces. Also present at the meeting were Minnesota Wire & Cable Co.’s Executive Vice President Joan Thompson, and the company’s Subject Matter Expert for Military Applications, Andrew Davis.

Referring to the state’s diverse industrial base, Congressman Kennedy said, "Minnesota is well positioned to contribute more to the overall defense effort because of the transformational changes that are occurring in the military." Kennedy concluded the session by expressing his strong support for the Defense Alliance Mission, and said he would welcome invitations to attend upcoming events sponsored by the Alliance and its members.

The Defense Alliance of Minnesota was formed in July 2004 to make connections among players in the state’s defense industry with the ultimate goal of bringing more contracts and jobs to Minnesota, and more value to our men and women of the armed forces. More information on the Defense Alliance of Minnesota can be found by logging on to the Website at www.defensealliance.com.