Secretary Locke presented a Certificate of Appreciation today to Vice President of Schramm, Inc. Fred Slack, whose Philadelphia company’s products were instrumental in rescuing the 33 miners who were trapped 2,300 feet underground after the collapse of the San Jose Mine in Copiapo, Chile.

“The entire world watched on Oct. 13 as the 33 trapped miners were rescued in less than 22 hours,” Locke said. “Thanks in large part to Schramm’s T-130 rig – now dubbed ‘the rig heard ‘round the world’ – the miners were rescued two months earlier than originally planned.”

Locke was in Detroit speaking at the International District Export Council Conference about the administration’s efforts to grow jobs, the economy and U.S. exports through the National Export Initiative.

He also participated in a roundtable discussion with U.S. Rep. Gary Peters and local business owners, where he heard how the recently passed Small Business Jobs Act is improving the outlook for small businesses throughout Michigan. The passage of the bill – long-encouraged by President Obama – was the most significant step on behalf of U.S. small businesses in more than a decade and accelerates more than $55 billion in tax relief to businesses over the next year.  Press release  | Remarks