Anywhere you go in America, you are never far from railroad tracks. Someone has to maintain all of those tracks. And someone has to build the machines to do it. That’s why the owners of a Rockford company want Congress to know railway maintenance is a five-billion dollar industry that deserves support.
Steve Benck's company Rail Construction Equipment modifies conventional construction equipment into multi-purpose tools that ride the rails: they do everything from clearing brush to laying new ties. Benck told Congresswoman Cheri Bustos while she toured his company in Rockford that it’s a specialized, and expensive, product. She agreed with his contention that big capital budgets are good for his company and America.
Bustos is on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and says that’s why she supported making a temporary tax credit for rail maintenance permanent.
Those who need to buy expensive equipment like this that benefits the rail industry, they don’t invest in it unless they know the tax benefits are permanent. So that’s why I signed off on the piece of legislation that will help this company.
Benck says his company continues to expand and may take Bustos’ advice about connecting with a small business administration program focused on increasing exports.
