I Make America Announces Winners of Picture a Better America Photo Contest in Washington, D.C.

Photos Make Visual Case to Congress for Urgently Needed Infrastructure Investment in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the I Make America campaign announced the four winners of the Picture a Better America Photo Contest honored during a congressional reception held last night in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill. Eric Draper, contest guest judge and former official White House photographer for President George W. Bush, chose the four winning images among hundreds of submissions and presented the winners with the $250 prize during the reception.

Joined by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Tom Petri (R-WI-6), Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-GA-3), and AEM president Dennis Slater, the category winners are:

One Bumpy Ride: Julia Hoskins of Dexter, Oregon, for her photo of the poor condition of Pi'ilani Highway (also known as Highway 31) in the state of Hawaii. Julia is an employee of the Eugene Water and Electric Board. To view her photo, click here.

When We Work, Things Work: Nicholas Klisch of Rapid City, South Dakota, for his photo of road work on Highway 244 right in front of Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Nicholas is an employee of the South Dakota Department of Transportation. To view his photo, click here.

Our Many Faces: Christine Perkins of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for submitting a photo of her coworker, Deb O'Leary, who has worked at The Manitowoc Company (a crane and ice machine manufacturer) for more than 20 years. Christine is an employee of The Manitowoc Company. To view the photo, click here.

America Grows Here: Macie Perry of Moreland, Georgia, for her photo of an "Old Storehouse" located in Moreland. Macie is a college student at Truett-McConnell College. To view her photo, click here.

To view photos of the congressional reception, click here and to view all of the contest photo submissions, visit www.imakeamerica.com/photocontest.

"We congratulate the winners of the Picture a Better America Photo Contest and thank the hundreds from around the country who participated and helped us to make the case that infrastructure investment and a world-class transportation infrastructure system are critical to our economy's ability to create and sustain globally competitive, high-productivity, good-paying jobs," said Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. "As we celebrated the winners, Congress and the White House continued to delay on passage of a well-funded multiyear highway bill. What's needed is a sense of urgency from political leaders in D.C. to repair and modernize our transportation infrastructure."

The Picture a Better America Photo Contest showcased the hard-working men and women who make America. The contest aimed to greatly amplify the voices of I Make America's grassroots supporters and others who are committed to demonstrating the real cost of congressional inaction on infrastructure investment and pushing for passage of a well-funded multi-year highway bill by September 30th of this year.

"All of the photo submissions presented a unique perspective on how real Americans view their contributions to making and rebuilding America, but the four winning images truly demonstrated an eye for composition, aesthetic, and message," said Eric Draper, photo contest judge.

To learn more about I Make America, visit us at www.IMakeAmerica.com. View short videos of employees and small business owners around the country telling the real life stories of how manufacturing impacts the national economy at www.ADayinAmericanLife.com.

Keep up-to-date on the latest I Make America campaign news on Twitter @IMakeAmerica and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/IMakeAmerica.

About I Make America
I Make America is supported by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and its 850+ member companies representing 200-plus product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors worldwide.  We are joined by the memberships of like-minded associations, American business owners, and citizens and local elected officials across the nation.

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) - www.aem.org

AEM is the North American-based international trade group providing innovative business development resources to advance the off-road equipment manufacturing industry in the global marketplace. AEM membership comprises more than 850 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors worldwide. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the capitals of Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Beijing and a European presence in Brussels.

SOURCE Association of Equipment Manufacturers