Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/686649
76 SMT Magazine • June 2016 of PCBs, which are literally the backbone of ev- erything that happens. Then companies like Isola are the raw goods material suppliers to them. Isola is the most innovative company in PCB materials in the world. It's not just some company called Isola. These companies are just crucial to technology development. Goldman: You probably want to point to your congressman's little phone and point out they wouldn't have that without us. Frank: It's really true. To the congressmen and women's credit, the blur of issues and the range of issues that they face is just stunning. By and large they engage, they understand, and they know the issues we come in and bring up. It's not some obscure thing they have never heard of. Goldman: Anything else you'd like to add about what's been happening the last couple of days? My impression is that everybody here is very focused. This is no lark down here, this is serious business, and very important business at that. Frank: Yes, our government relations staff at IPC and the Prime Policy group just do an out- standing job of shaping the issues. Obviously the industry can sort of highlight the main is- sues, but if you were to look across the range of things, there are hundreds of things going on in the regulatory world that affect our in- dustry, but they do a great job of shaping and funneling us to the critical things. There's an interplay there, too, between what's important to the industry and what we can actually have an impact on. For instance on TSCA, that's an element where we can actually make an impact on certain things. Goldman: Fight the battles that you can fight and win. Frank: These things are just the craziest things too, like in the past there's been language that gets inserted into various types of regulations that might take years to settle. For example, we spent a couple of years on very subtle language related to how PCBs are delineated on the U.S. Munitions List, which controls ITAR classifica- tions. Two or three years over literally one sen- tence. But to our industry and to our PCB man- ufacturers in particular, that language was very, very important. But unless we tell Congress, how would they know? Again, our government relations team and Prime Policy put us in the right meetings at the right times. We were in meetings over the years with not only members and committee staff, but with staffers at DoD and in the White House who were specifically controlling that language. The opportunity to do that is impressive. If you step back and think about it, it's impressive that IPC is coordinating an effort to target us at is- sues that can really make a difference in our in- dustry. Goldman: It impacts the everyday workings of your companies. Frank: They do a great job with that. This year they have us focused on the Department of La- bor and the classifications of direct versus in- direct employees. What the Department of La- bor is talking about doing is just crazy talk and frankly I wasn't really that aware of it until IM- PACT this year. They've pointed it out to us as something that we can go and be heard on. Goldman: Everett, thank you so much. Frank: Thank you. SMT Isola's president Jeff Waters (L) with Everett Frank, VP/ general manager (R) at Optimumn Design Associates.