Bucyrus International Inc. chief executive officer Tim Sullivan said he was surprised that President Barack Obama did not take credit for the key role his administration played in persuading the Export-Import Bank to reverse its decision and preserve 1,000 new jobs.
The decision was the result of an “all-nighter” series of negotiations, according to Sullivan.
Sullivan said he expected Obama to use the Racine town hall to discuss how the administration had intervened on behalf of Bucyrus to save the jobs.
“I know he obviously wanted to have this done before he landed, and that was part of the process that an all-nighter happened to get this done; but, I was surprised he didn’t take credit for interceding and getting this thing put back online,” Sullivan said. “He certainly was involved.”
Sullivan credited Obama, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for interceding on behalf of Bucyrus.
For more on the inside story of how the jobs were saved, read the Milwaukee Biz Blog by BizTimes reporter Liz Ramus.
– BizTimes Milwaukee
