The MIC says that its members continue to see benefits from this spring's annual MIC Capitol Hill Fly-In. Congressman Mark Meadows visited Rinehart Racing's facility and its employees in Asheville, North Carolina, in August as a direct result from the government relations event.
In April, Judd Hollifield, President and CEO of Rinehart Racing, met with Meadows at his Washington, D.C., office to discuss MIC priorities for the powersports industry. At that meeting, Hollifield offered to host Meadows at his company's office and production facility, an invitation the Congressman accepted.
"It was an honor to show Congressman Meadows our American-made premier exhaust systems, which are manufactured right here in his backyard," Hollifield said. "We also had a chance to discuss the significant impact that President Trump's China tariffs are having on our products. Even though we have 100 percent American-made products using American steel and aluminum, the tariffs have really affected our business," Hollifield said.
"With the tariffs making Chinese products more expensive, our American suppliers have taken an opportunistic approach and increased their prices, driving up our supply chain's raw material costs and lead times.
"We have seen costs rise by as much as 30 percent for aluminum and 40 percent for steel. Moreover, our lead times have gone from two to four weeks to as much as 16 to 20 weeks, slowing production."
Hollifield said: "The Congressman committed to bring that message back to Trump administration officials."
Scott Schloegel, MIC Senior Vice President of Government Relations, went on to say: "When lawmakers visit MIC members' facilities in their legislative districts, it helps reinforce the significant job and economic impact the powersports industry has across the country. These are exactly the type of relationships that we strive to establish with our annual Fly-Ins."
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