Dear Governor Ehrlich,
Thank you for visiting and witnessing our incredible our story!
Who would believe what we are doing for Baltimore, Maryland, and the United States?
We provide skilled jobs in the City. Recently, we have shown a special compassion for those who have hit rock bottom and want a second chance to rebuild their lives. We recruit from Catholic Charities’ Christopher Place with the help of Melissa Broom and Mary Ann O’Donnell. We also work with Clifton Lewis from the Young Fathers, Responsible Fathers, Safe and Stable Program here in Park Heights.
We are also offering opportunities to immigrants who come to this country eager to work, to start a new life – like your ancestors and mine. As a result, we not only melt metal, we melt cultures. We employ Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Eleven countries are represented in our fifty five employee work force. We work with responsible agencies and people like Nelson Ortega from Centro de la Commundad and Tova Jaffee and Marina Kabik from Jewish Vocational Services.
We also do great things for the State! We are the largest and one the last of a hand full of foundries left in Maryland. We also train our workforce valuable foundry skills. We even have one of the State’s oldest apprenticeship programs dating from the early 1940’s.
Governor, I would like to point out one very special individual to you– Howard Goodrich, who has been with our company for fifty one years. Howard started his apprenticeship in patternmaking in 1955 and is unsurpassed in his workmanship. Thank you Howard for all you have done at Danko Arlington.
In addition to our training, we promote valuable commerce from large fortune-five hundred companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Solo Cup. We also sell to small companies like Forest and Barbara Taylor of Cannonsonline.com. We also outsource to other companies like Bob Donohue’s Almag Plating in Baltimore, John Rykiel at General Pattern, Paul and Pat Wajbel at Automated Coatings in Bel Air in Hartford County. We use the port of Baltimore to procure our ingot through suppliers like Scott Beck from Beck Aluminum. We also use railroad cars and CSX to ship our foundry sand from silica deposits across the country.
We also do great things not only for Maryland, but for our Nation! We perpetuate American design and innovation. We cast components for all five branches of our armed forces. Our military flies, floats, rolls, and shoots with castings. Without castings, we have no armed forces, no defense. All our politicians should be aware of this! The lack of US foundries could become a major national security issue.
Who would ever believe that a small company in Park Heights is perpetuating an industry which originated five thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, or present day Iraq? And who would believe that here in Park Heights, the same metal casting process founded in ancient Iraq is used to produce some of the most modern military equipment which is being used to liberate Iraq’s people?
At Danko Arlington, we cast the ordinance support which is used by our coalition forces. We are also the prime foundry for several Defense programs. We also cast gun mounts for support vehicles as well as make brackets for armor plating to defend our troops abroad.
We plan to stay in Maryland, and continue here in Park Heights — war or peace. We hope to expand even more now that we have become a HUBZone company – a special government incentive program. I also welcome Cordell Smith who is the Executive Director of the Hubzone National Council in DC – which Danko Arlington is now a member since July.
And finally, I wish to thank you Governor. Thanks for your support of the Business community in Maryland. Thanks for all you do to promote our state and our economy. We are very grateful for your advocacy and your iron leadership.
We stand here today as proof everything that is great about America…kind of a miniature microcosm of culture and industry. Please tell others about us, what we do, who we are, and how we are making a difference for our city, state, and country…..one job at a time!
John D. Danko, President
Danko Arlington, Inc January 20, 2006
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