Local entrepreneur sits in on President's forum for business creation

Marquette business owner David Ollila had an interesting start to the New Year, with a trip to Washington D.C. It wasn't for sightseeing; Ollila was one of about a dozen U.S. business leaders who sat on a forum hosted by President Obama and Vice President Biden about insourcing jobs in the U.S.
 
Ollila was the guy to ask, because he's started successful businesses using all American investments, jobs and sources, including V.I.O. and Marquette Backcountry Skis. At the forum, the political and business leaders shared how they moved work back to or created work in, the United States, and how they are investing in U.S. growth.
 
It may sound like the kind of thing best suited to CEOs with thousands of employees, but that's not Ollila. He brought a different perspective to the forum.
 
"My message to Washington is that an individual player can participate in U.S. manufacturing, earn a family-sustaining income and bring innovative products to the market with lower overall risk and greater reward than can be accomplished overseas," says Ollila. "It's my hope that this forum leads to increased dialogue and action that will support average Americans who are willing to wake up every morning, take charge of their lives and produce something of value."
 
The forum was motivated by growth in several employment sectors; the U.S. government reported that the December unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, largely on the strength of jobs added in the private sectors. Ollila says the growth of individual ventures like his form an important part of rebuilding the economy in Michigan and the U.S.
 
His own model is an inspiring one: Ollila founded Snapperhead Inventions, LLC and launched a small manufacturing business making Marquette Backcountry Skis in less than a year, and keeping everything local to Michigan.
 
"I feel incredibly fortunate to be invited to participate in the forum," Ollila says. "The fact that the Obama Administration is interested in how our small company is leveraging existing supply chains is a genuine signal that regular people can, and should, pursue the American dream." 
 
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: David Ollila, Marquette Backcountry Skis