Wolf touts jobs plan at Norristown plant

Tom Wolf spent part of Friday morning touring Norristown's Chandler Bats company to discuss his job-creation plan.

The campaign stop was also a chance for Wolf, the Democrat challenging Gov. Corbett in November, to see how the baseball bats are manufactured before the company ships them out to Major League Baseball teams.

"I want to showcase the idea that we can make things here in the United States," said Wolf, who owns a cabinet company in York. "That means we can make things here in Pennsylvania."

Founded in 2010, Chandler, on West Washington Street, fashions bats from high-quality maple and sells about 20,000 per year, some to major-league players.

As owner David Chandler walked Wolf around the warehouse, he explained the company's methods and the science behind the bats. Wolf watched as the bats moved through machines, and as employees shaped and sanded handles.

Among other ideas, Wolf said he would create incentives for Pennsylvania companies to keep their labor local and tie those incentives to measurable results.

Josh Shapiro, Montgomery County commissioners chairman, said Wolf's experience in the manufacturing industry would be an asset.

"We need a governor who understands what it takes for local businesses and local governments to prosper in the manufacturing sector," he said.