Lipinski Steps Up, Keeps Defense Department Contract Local

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) went to bat for a local forklift company when its owner, Marty Flaska, contacted him about losing a contract with the Defense Department. The DOD awarded a South Korean company a $670,000 contract for four forklifts, which the Southtown Star reports “absolutely appalled” Rep. Lipinski. After urging Pentagon officials, the contract was re-bid and awarded to Hoist Liftruck, Flaska’s company located in Bedford Park.

On Tuesday, Lipinski told workers on the factory floor “I grew up a mile from here, and I know that manufacturing used to be in this area. There are still some manufacturers that remain here, and I applaud them for the work they are doing against tough odds, fighting against foreign competitors.”