In April, President Bush nominated Albert A. Frink Jr. for the new post of assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services-a.k.a., the manufacturing czar.
A native of Mexico, Frink has an impressive track record in manufacturing. In 1974, Frink co-founded carpet maker Fabrica International (Santa Ana, CA) with a $100,000 Small Business Administration Loan. By 2003, the company had annual revenues of $60 million and employed more than 400 people. In its 30-year existence, Fabrica never posted an operating loss, and the company achieved double-digit revenue growth from 1992 to 2002.