Lieutenant Governor visits Washington

WASHINGTON — Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg visited Brava Roof Tile in Washington on Friday, March 1, part of a 99-county tour for the state’s second highest-ranked official.

Gregg toured the facility’s manufacturing floor, where the company churns out roughly 800,000 lbs. of roofing tiles of all shapes and sizes per week, according to Co-owner and Head of Manufacturing Andrew Ahrens.

While there, Gregg said the facility embodied considerable economic growth for the community.

“This is something we were able to identify that I’d never been to before, and hadn’t heard of prior to planning the visit,” he said. “But what a rewarding experience it was, to learn about these true entrepreneurs, who took on this business, have now grown it to 200 employees, nationwide impact, even international sales. Their products are used at Disney World and at Dollywood, and all these amazing places. And to think that that comes back to Washington, Iowa, is a pretty special thing.”

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Gregg said it was “inspiring” to see Brava’s path to top-dog status in the roofing tile industry, starting from a business that initially struggled to survive.

“It’s a positive story on so many fronts, and I feel privileged to be able to learn more about it,” he said.

Gregg said 99-county tour visits varied widely, touching on schools, businesses, industrial plants, town halls, and any number of other points of interest.

“The core of it is to learn about assets that we have in Iowa, ask earnestly, ‘Are there things that we could be doing better in our state?’ And generally be accessible to the people that we serve,” he said.

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Asked in an interview after the tour about the state’s revised, but still contentious proposals for Area Education Agency reform, which passed in the Iowa House ahead of Gregg’s visit, the lieutenant governor said he understood complaints about the bill from rural school districts.

Some schools — including Washington — have openly stated their fear that the legislation would empower big districts to choose more effective providers for AEA services, leaving smaller ones behind in a then-underfunded special education network.

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Gov. Kim Reynolds continues to back the legislation, despite its scaling-back since she first announced it as an administration priority earlier this year.

On Friday, Gregg said he had faith that the legislative process would address any glaring flaws in the bill as it moves to the senate.

“It’s pretty clear that we need to make some improvements in that system, and that’s going to be an ongoing conversation,” he said. “I think that conversation is moving in the right direction, and I think there are more and more folks getting on board as we continue to refine that piece of legislation … the proposal has changed over time as those conversations continue.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com