Gluesenkamp Perez Returns Home to Speak to Machinist Apprentices, Visit with Truck Manufacturing Workers and Tour a Box Manufacturing Company

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez came home to Southwest Washington to visit a number of trades workers and local businesses. This work period included a stop to Northwest Paper box to talk about the role paper plays in our region, a tour of Summit Truck to learn about supporting U.S. manufacturing, and a visit to a machinists apprentice program to talk about supporting students involved in trades work.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez started the District Work Period with a tour of Summit Body Trucking in Ridgefield, a manufacturing facility that builds truck bodies. There, she was able to speak to skilled trades workers about the operational landscape of a major manufacturing facility, and what it takes to keep jobs local. 

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez joins workers on a tour of Summit Body Trucking

“We can’t have a strong local economy without a reliable, efficient way to get goods from A to B. Places like Summit Body aren’t just supporting local jobs, they’re building an economy where we have agency and self-reliance.” Said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “Thank you to the skilled tradesmen who welcomed me in to see their process and discuss what it takes to keep our local goods on the road.”

Later in the week, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez was invited to Northwest Paper Box Manufacturers in Camas to discuss timber products and how to continue supporting the pulp and paper industry. At this second generation family business, she spoke with workers about the vital need for a strong diversified timber industry in Southwest Washington. The Congresswoman has spent much of her time in congress as a fighter for the natural resource economy, including paper mills across Southwest Washington.  In 2025, she introduced the Jobs in the Woods Act aimed at investing in education for a new generation of skilled labor.

Rep Gluesenkamp Perez speaks at Northwest Paper Box about the critical role paper mills play in the timber economy. 

To round out the district work period, the Congresswoman stopped in to visit the Machinist Institute in Vancouver to learn more about their apprenticeship program. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has been a champion for trades education and apprenticeship programs. She has fought for AP credits for shop class and introduced legislation to allow the use of 529 funds for students in trades education.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez joins machinist apprentices learning lathe skills.

“It takes a lot of grit and determination to wake up every day and make a living with your hands. We need robust education programs to make sure that the next generation of machinists, welders and fabricators are right here, building things worth having in our community.” Said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “I’m so proud to support the people doing the work of teaching our students that they can build durable, fulfilling careers in the trades.”

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