3 local people to be guests of first lady at State of the Union

Three local people associated with Staub Manufacturing Solutions will be guests of first lady Melania Trump at the State of the Union Tuesday night.

The Harrison Twp. company’s owners, Steve Staub of Tipp City and Sandy Keplinger of Springfield, and their employee, Corey Adams of Huber Heights, will be among 15 special guests who will sit with the first lady during the speech.

Adams, is a welder at Staub and has worked for the company for more than eight years, according to a profile of him at industryweek.com.

“During 2017, Corey and his wife were able to become first-time homeowners, and they will invest their extra money from tax reform into their two daughters’ education savings,” according to the official statement from the White House.

Staub, who is president of the company, met with President Donald Trump at the White House last April as part of a “listening session” for small businesses.

“It was neat to have that small a group,” Staub said, recalling the meeting during an interview last year.

Small manufacturers should be heard, Staub said. Most manufacturers are relatively small companies, with fewer than 50 employees. Staub has 37 employees, according to the White House News relase, up from 23 last year.

It wasn’t the first time Staub had met Trump. Staub and Keplinger, who is a company vice president, hosted Trump in September during the presidential campaign.

When he visited last year, Staub said Trump asked detailed questions about the company’s equipment, including its laser-cutting machinery.

RELATED: Donald Trump meets with Dayton-area business owners

Jay Timmons, president and chief executive of the National Association of Manufacturers, said small manufacturers like Staub are the “heart” of industry.

“In welcoming NAM member manufacturers to the State of the Union, President Trump has once again demonstrated that manufacturing workers are at the center of his agenda and that manufacturers not only have a seat at the table in this administration, they have the best seats in the House,” Timmons said.

Staub gave employees larger than expected Christmas bonuses after last year’s tax cuts were signed by Trump last year, according to the  White House news release.

Staub, Keplilnger and Adams could not be reached for comment.

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HOW TO WATCH, INTERACT DURING STATE OF THE UNION

TV: Watch President Trump's State of the Union live on WHIO-TV Channel 7 starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

Radio: Listen to a special preview show on the State of the Union starting at 8:06 p.m. on AM1290 and News 95.7 WHIO. Listen to the speech live starting at 9. A special program will follow. If you missed the speech, it will re-air at midnight. Get complete reaction to the address on Miami Valley's Morning News Wednesday from 5-9 a.m.

Online: Watch the State of the Union live at DaytonDailyNews.com

On Facebook: Watch a livestream of the president's speech and speak out on the issues on our Ohio Politics Facebook page

On Twitter: We will have live updates throughout the State of the Union on our @Ohio_Politics Twitter page starting at 9. We will also have reaction from Ohio lawmakers.

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