Following his visits to Martinsville and Danville on Monday, Senator Warner traveled to Franklin yesterday and met with officials at the International Paper transition facility who are helping employees who will soon be out of work.

In November 2009, International Paper announced that it would close its paper mill in Franklin, leaving over 1,100 employees without work and closing a facility that has sustained the community for over 125 years.  Four days after the announcement, Senator Warner made a visit to the area to offer his help. 

What was scheduled to be a brief stop-by turned into a 25-minute brainstorming session between members of the transition team and Senator Warner on ways to streamline the transition process, including ways to help IP employees receive the workforce training and health care benefits they need and how they can find new jobs.

WAVY-TV in Norfolk aired this report after Senator Warner's visit:

Senator Warner also spoke to over 100 business and community leaders at a luncheon organized by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. He said that as Franklin works to recover from the IP mill closure, the community should focus on attracting a variety of industries and companies so that the community's economy is no longer dependent on a single employer.

He told the group that he plans to introduce legislation -- the America Recruits Act of 2010 -- that would help communities like Franklin attract new companies.

"I'm tired of jobs continuing to exit this country and go abroad," he said.

The Virginian-Pilot explained his proposal:

His bill, "America Recruits Act of 2010," will seek $40 million to $100 million a year. The money, at up to $10,000 a job, would be provided to companies that shift jobs to the United States that otherwise would be based overseas. The focus would be information-technology and manufacturing jobs.

The money would come in the form of interest-free loans that would be forgiven if the jobs were maintained.

When he was governor, Warner said, he often had to fend off other countries while trying to lure companies to Virginia.

"We put some pretty good packages together only to see Korea eat our lunch," he said. "Our competition, quite honestly, isn't North Carolina or Maryland. Our competition is India, China, Mexico, Canada and Germany."

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Warner talks recovery in Franklin
On January 13, the Suffolk News Herald reported on Senator Warner's visit to Franklin to meet with officials at the International Paper transition center and speak to the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.