John McClelland, vice president for government affairs for the American Rental Association (ARA), along with representatives from 19 other business associations representing more than 4.5 million employers, met on Friday, July 16, in a forum on job creation held at the U.S. Capitol by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the House GOP’s America Speaking Out program. These association leaders had a chance to tell members of Congress about the issues of greatest concern to their members and to job creation.

“Credit availability, high unemployment in the construction industry and improvement of our nation’s infrastructure are issues of tremendous importance to ARA members,” McClelland said. “Besides providing more certainty in the marketplace, we need Congress to understand the vital importance of investing in this nation’s infrastructure and to take action. Our construction segment is experiencing an unemployment rate that is three times the national average. By funding infrastructure projects, not only are we helping to revitalize America’s highways, roads and bridges, we are putting construction companies and equipment rental companies back to work.”