President Clinton Visits Shinola Factory

Founder of the Clinton Foundation and Forty Second President of the United States Tours the Midtown Detroit Factory based inside the College for Creative Studies

News provided by

Shinola

Apr 26, 2014, 07:17 ET

DETROIT, April 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, President Bill Clinton, Founder of the Clinton Foundation, visited Shinola's Midtown Detroit factory.

During the visit, President Clinton met Shinola's watchmakers and craftspeople and toured the factory and newly built leather facility. Shinola is the first company in decades to produce watches at scale in America. It is also known for its Detroit-built watches and bicycles, as well as American-made journals, leather goods, and shoe polish.

President Clinton, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Shinola Factory Workers (PRNewsFoto/Shinola)

President Clinton (left) and Willie Holley (right) tour Shinola's watch factory. (PRNewsFoto/Shinola)

Along with the addition of leather manufacturing, Shinola also recently supplemented its watch factory with two new lines. Shinola currently employs 260 people in total, with 136 in manufacturing.

"Shinola is a great example of how we can continue to build and expand America's manufacturing capabilities while creating jobs," said President Clinton. "It's exciting to see how the brand is playing its part in the economic revitalization that's happening in the city of Detroit."

President Clinton has a long track record of supporting workforce development in the United States, including when in June 2011, he established the Clinton Global Initiative America to bring together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and foster innovation in the United States.

"Having President Clinton visit our headquarters in Detroit was a great honor and true highlight for the team. We hope Shinola can act as a business model that can be replicated in cities like Detroit across the US," said Shinola CEO Steve Bock.

For more information, please visit Shinola.com

ABOUT SHINOLA

In 2011, Shinola, a Bedrock Manufacturing brand, was conceived with the belief that products should be built to last, and they should be built right here in America. As makers of modern, handcrafted watches, bicycles, leather goods, and journals, we are proud to be based in Detroit, a community-minded city with a strong manufacturing legacy. We built our watch factory within the College for Creative Studies in the former Argonaut building. As a new company with a storied name, we stand for skill at scale, the preservation of craft, the beauty of industry.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSoVOEy-Ep4&feature=youtu.be

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140426/81056

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140426/81055

SOURCE Shinola