Rinker Materials personnel were able to highlight their work efforts and the resulting products during Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) visit and tour on Wednesday morning.

“This is incredible,” she said following her tour. “Building tomorrow’s infrastructure starts right here. I’m very, very impressed with their workforce, providing really good paying jobs for those who have little experience. They take them in, train them and give them plenty of opportunity.”

Plant Manager Scott Thompson showed the senator around the area where reinforced concrete round pipes are built. Rinker Materials is located at 2002 E. Olive St.

“I’m glad she came,” he said after her tour was over. “It is good when politicians take an interest in what we’re doing. It was fun giving her the tour.”

After Ernst saw the process of creating, she was able to witness the process of breaking one of the pipes with a vise-like machine which was able to apply more than 43,000 pounds of pressure per square inch.

She then opened for a question-and-answer period with nearby Rinker employees and a few members of the community who were there for her visit. Ernst mentioned a conversation she had with Thompson about interest rates and how they affect businesses.

“If you’re looking at subdivision, home construction, the infrastructure necessary there, obviously if we have lower interest rates, it’s going to help,” she said. “While I have no control over that, we are hoping this fall will see interest rates come down a little bit.”

Ernst also asked attendees if she could take any of their thoughts or questions to Washington, D.C. She mentioned that someone told her many Rinker employees will begin working at the plant right after graduating high school. They do not have to spend a lot of money on a college degree, and Ernst said they get a good wage. She thought that was brilliant.

“I’m excited about that,” Ernst said. ” . . . I’d like to hear about the labor pool, maybe give me feedback on that.”

A few Rinker employees responded, saying high schools place a lot of pressure on students to go to college. Another said he would like to see schools promote the trades, as two years of a tech degree or in-field training is valuable. Whereas two years of a college degree does not benefit someone a lot.

“I agree and I’ve seen that, too,” Ernst said. “I’ve followed this through the years. I come from a family where I’m the only one with a four-year degree.”

She said her daughter graduated from Stanton High School with 22 other students. One-third of the graduates went to traditional universities, one-third opted for trade schools or two-year community college degrees and the final third went straight into the workforce or the military.

“I thought that was a good ratio, and we need more engagement in that area,” Ernst said.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Hall asked Ernst about the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and the reauthorization being stalled in Congress. He said he does not know how much time she has spent diving into the processes.

“It is government bureaucracy for government bureaucracy’s sake,” Hall said. “The engagement the business community can have within the workforce system that is funded by the federal government flows through states which then have requirements on reporting.”

He said it is inaccessible for many businesses that are not large enough to have someone dedicated to understanding and navigating the various titles.

“Under the reconsideration of that program, certainly the dollars and the intent is strong, but if there is any way we can find to adapt those programs to be more geared toward being business-friendly, that would be huge,” Hall told her.

Ernst told him that 30 years ago, she was a counselor in South Carolina, specializing in the Economically Dislocated Worker Adjustment Act. She said every year the act would go through multiple changes.

“They kept adding more and more requirements onto it,” Ernst said. “Just like any government program, it starts to get too many layers of bureaucracy. If you’ve got specific suggestions for me, send them to me. I’m ready to engage on that. . . . I haven’t been actively engaged in the requirements for those programs, so if you can share with me and my team, I would love to.”

Hall said he would, and added that businesses like Rinker are great for displaced workers. However, they need a full-time employee dedicated to navigating the system, he said.

While Ernst has not made an official announcement of whether or not she will try to retain her United States Senate seat in 2026, earlier in the week she said she will make her plans known soon. If she does run again, there are seven other candidates vying for the position. Two of them, Republican opponents, she will face in the primaries – former state Sen. Jim Carlin of Sioux City and veteran Joshua Smith of Indianola.

Five Democratic challengers have also thrown their hats in the ring – Des Moines School Board member Jackie Norris, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nathan Sage, state representatives J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and Josh Turek of Council Bluffs and state Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville.

Following Ernst’s visit to the Marshalltown manufacturing facility, the senator traveled to Black Hawk County to visit with representatives of Grow Cedar Valley Coalition and the University of Northern Iowa.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.