should it be higher or stay the same? >> focusing on the minimum wage, it's important to know that oregon has the second highest in the country and the index with inflation, which is something that other states do not have. we need to focus on the fact that minimum wage is supposed to be an entry wage. just looking at how we're going to be able to raise the minimum wage, we need more jobs, family wage paying jobs in our state. and that requires us to focus on those things, the barriers that revent us from having good jobs in oregon. i want us to expand our gross domestic product because when there's greater demand for services, that creates more desire for those products and that creates jobs. minimum wage is an entry level wage. we need to provide more jobs to allow people to raise their families and pay their mortgages and have a future here in oregon. >> 30 seconds to respond to that. >> just growing the economy

doesn't help people at the bottom. we have the second fastest growing and most of those jobs are flat out on the bottom. people are trapped with no way up and no way out. no one can live on the minimum wage. you try to take care of a family and it is impossible to do. if we care about each other and the future, we will pay people in this state a wage that allows them to take care of themselves and their families. >> governor, thank you. representative richardson, i want to ask a quick clarification on that question. in 2015, ts minimum wage will be $9.25 an hour. you talked about that being an entry level wage. do dwrou think it should be higher or stay the same in 2015? >> i think minimum wage should probably stay with the same program that we have now because it is indexed. we need to not focus on minimum wage but focus on people and that takes a vibrant economy.

our unemployment has been higher than the national average for 18 years. >> c-span's student cam competition is underway. this nationwide e competition for middle and high school students will award 150 prizes totaling $100,000. create a documentary on the topic the three branches and you. videos need to include c-span programming and must be submitted by january 20th, 2015. go to studentcam.org for more information. grab a camera and get started today. last week ups announced the expansion of its 3-d printing services citing demand by small businesses. next the house small business committee hearing on commercial 3-d printing use. this is an hour and 15 minutes. >> i'll go ahead and call the

hearing to order. ranking member will be delayed for just a little bit. but we also have a vote o coming up at any moment, which will delay the hearing slightly, which i apologize for that. we never know when they are going to schedule votes. unfrptly it will be in the middle of our hearing. we'll go ahead and get started and see how far we can get before they do call that vote. 3-d printing is a process of creating objects from a digital model. typically through the material layer upon layer until an object is formed. we're here to discuss how it's spreading innovation all across this country. technology has been around since the 1980s, it's been used by large companies for rapid proto typing. they have become more affordable opening the door for smaller businesses to begin benefit iti

from the technology. for instance some models are now available for under $1,500 and prices continue to go down. small businesses and entrepreneurs are using 3-d printers in a variety of ways. it has the ability to save time and cost, make highly accurate parts that assist in product production that are sold directly to end users. 3-d printing has become a critical kpoecomponent of many businesses. while a number of entrepreneurs and innovators are using it to print models that they intend to manufacture with traditional methods, others are using it to create products from start to finish. sometimes that can be done there in the garage. the 3-d printers continue to become more affordable and advanced, a a number of small businesses that began as household manufacturers is likely to skyrocket. while some capitalize on new technologies, others are

cautious about this technology. as congress and other regulatory bodies consider policies applicable to other technological advances, it's important to not be hasty and don't restrict the ability of small businesses, entrepreneurs and other innovators to grow our economy. we're frpt to have with us a group of makers and users of the technology that include in their development of products. i like forward to hearing from your insights on how small businesses are using this technology to grow and obviously create jobs, which is what this committee is all about. so we'll move right on into our witnesses. our first witness is the founder and ceo of for -- prior to founding the company, he was

product manager at premier systems, which is an information technology resaler and consulting organization. he was named entrepreneur magazine's 2013 sbrentrepreneur the year. welcome to the committee and look forward to hearing your testimony. >> chairman graves, ranking member, and members of the committee, i'm patrick o'neil. i invent ed the clip-on lens fo the iphone. i'm grateful for the opportunity to speak with you on the use of 3-d printing and how it's helped a small business to go from kitchen start up to selling in every apple store worldwide. i have spent my career in the technology industry. i hold over 30 patents and 3-d printing has enabled us to produce at a rapid pace. it's kept jobs in america. in creating this it product, i wanted to give the ability to people the aublt to use the iphone to capture photos.

the design was inspired by the philosophies of steve jobs, simple designs. since the start we employed this simple design philosophy.qkyló % at the beginning when the design studio was in my kitchen, we used a 3-d printing company. i would ask myself, would steve jobs think this product was good enough? the answer would be no and we would keep refining until we felt the result would meet the standards. after a year of development, we launched the product through the platform in may of 2011. they received funding within four weeks and achieved almost five times our funding goal. since our start three years ago, we moved three times the larger offices and now employ more than 50 people in california including seven full-time designers. today it's considered the leader

in mobile photography products. they are sold in 90 countries. it's attracted a legion of passionate users. i was also fortunate enough to be named entrepreneur of the year by entrepreneur entrepreneur of the year. i was able to innovate quickly. design in 3-d printing are still the core of our development. in just six months we enhanced tools thanks to 3-d print ppg we have invested more than $50,000 in 3-d printing. we also have models of rumored devices. so lenses can be designed kwekly each time apple releases new version. we sketch an idea in the morning, model it in the afternoon. fast turn around is key for companies in this space. we will have dated an iphone version within days. i can't i math ip doing this

without our own 3-d printer. this is the process of developing our own products. this is brain storming concept communication. we print models on the 3-d printer. next evaluate prototype for and aesthetics. changes are made if needed and reprinted. if prototype is approved, we move forward to mass production. mobile device market changes so quickly. to stay competitive we use the print printer everyday for new ideas. we can now develop products in a week or two without 3-d printing and as apple launches products there are market opportunities p. this could result in millions of dollars of sales and perhaps even failure. small and midsize companies leak ours need the ability to compete on the world stage. especially in rapidly changing industries like consumer technology. as 3-d printing evolves, we like

to use it for bridge manufacturing and use marketing faster. we continue to think differently and are not afraid to try new things. we only build products if we can innovate. 3-d allows risks because it shrinks opportunity cost. if they are unsuccessful we can quickly move on to try something else. our successes come from our passion and ability to take risks and blaze trails. as congress considers policies, it is important tone surae entrepreneurs are using technology in innovative ways. i'm honored to be here today. thank you to this committee. >> thank you. our next witness is executive vice president of public affairs for at global leading manufacturer of 3-d printers.

mr. cobb served in government relations and global marketing and serves as the company's spokesperson. he is also the manager of the 3-d printing business of stratises. welcome to the committee. >> thank you. chairman, ranking member, and committee members. thank you for the opportunity to tell you about 3-d printing and how our company is helping small businesses grow and thrive in this economy. stratis says a member of the national association of manufacturers and i'm honored to testify on behalf of the organization. as the nation's largest manufacturing and trade association the name represent 12,000 small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector in every state.

i'm proud to say that 3-d printing and stratises are part of this innovative american industry. you may be asking, what is 3-d printing and why i do care about it? simply put, 3-d printing turns prints into tangible objects within a matter of hours. it shakes materials, including plastics no other objects. i brought some later for questions.

>> today 3-d printers are not only used for prototypes, they are used for low manufacturing, but also for interior components of aircrafts. 3-d printing is also found in the classroom. in fact, since 2002, nearly one quarter of stratises business has been in education. by helping students learn design,er with helping build a strong hiring coal for businesses in america. that brings up a point. 3-d will not replace traditional manufacturing process. it'll serve as another tool in a tool box for manufacturers to deliver products to market in efficient and customized ways. stratis was started in 1988 and has been growing ever since.

in 2005 we started a separate business unit called red eye which is a service that can produce 3-d printed parts for those who don't own a 3-d printer. we also acquired solid scape of merrimack, new hampshire, which helps jewelry designers and dental markets adopt 3-d solutions. last year we merged with brooklyn based maker bot, a 3-d printing company whose user friendly products are designed for prosumers and entrepreneurs with basic technical skills. the growth of our business has helped others as well. when magician chris miles was performing at events with his band, he used a popular credit card reader to process payments when he sold his cds. the credit card reader plugged into his laptop but he found that the reader tended to swivel or spin when it was used instead of remaining stable. that made it sometimes difficult to use. borrowing from his children's lego pieces, chris built an accessory that kept the card

stable. with the successful design, chris wanted to bring his new innovation to market. it would have been costly and inefficient using traditional production methods, so instead he invested in a consumer level 3-d printer which is literally become a factory in his desk enabled him to produce his invention from home for a couple thousand dollars and sell thousands of them. we take pride in stories like this. to us they demonstrate we are not just a business of producing 3-d printing machines. we are also helping empower entrepreneurs by bringing manufacturing into their homes and workspaces. our presence here today show that is the interest in 3-d printing is strong and the future is infinite. our industry is experiencing rapid growth. it is giving domestic manufacturing a new competitive edge in this global economy. the best thing washington can do is to encourage further growth in investment. as president obama noted in his recent speech touting 3-d printing hubs, if you want to

attract more good manufacturing jobs, you need to be on the cutting edge. our company could not agree more. i'd like to thank the committee for holding this hearing and i'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. >> thank you, mr. cobb. our next witness is peter weijmarshausen founder and ceo of shapeaways, the world's leading 3-d printing marketplace and community. prior to shapeaways, peter was the chief technology officer at sanjen which he and his team developed satellite broadcast modems. he's director of engineering at ermiska where he's responsible for delivering a business broadband service via satellite. he was born and raised in the netherland and moved to new york in 2010. thanks for being here. >> good afternoon, mr. chairman and members of the committee. i'm peter weijmarshausen.

i'm ceo and founder of shapeways. i'm honored to be here today to discuss how 3-d printing is fueling small business growth enabling anyone to create a business with fiscal products at low capital cost. as a kid in the netherlands, i loved playing with computers resulting in a passion for open source software. driven by this and my entrepreneurial spirit, i spent much of my career at startup software companies. in 2006 i learned about the technology called 3-d printing which prints physical objects based on 3-d computer designs. i immediately thought of the blender community. a large group of enthusiasts. they were using 3-d software but never imagined it would be possible to hold their own i asked some of them for their designs to print. when i showed the products to them, they were blown away. they agreed it would be great to have an online service and i knew there could be a business opportunity.

how big was yet to be seen. i started working in shapeaways in march 2007 within the lifestyle incubator of phillips electronics. at the time 3-d printing was used mostly for prototyping for large companies. and was very expensive. in 2008, we launched shapeaways.com for anyone to make and get products they wanted. we started printing products, not prototypes. we moved our headquarters to new new york is perfect for shapeaways, high talent tech savy talent and creative epicenter so we have the ability to talk to so many of our customers. at that point we had fewer than 20 employees. today over 140. in new york, seattle and in our factories in long island city. these factories are transforming old industrial helps with factories of the future. with new and innovative processes and machinery. shapeaways is now the world's leading marketplace and community to make, buy and sell custom 3d printed products and looking at design opportunities for entrepreneurs.

shapeaways is a success story in terms of small business growing out of endless possibilities of 3d printing but the opportunities created for 3d printing for entrepreneurs are immeasurable. when i think about what we can achieve, i relate now the internet has allowed software engineers to become entrepreneurs. bringing new software to market was difficult. you had to know what users wanted, build the software, test it, and then produce a lot of cd roms or floppy disks, bring it to retail and hope people would buy it. today, using the internet any software engineer can become an entrepreneur. the internet has removed the barriers, launching a website has become easy and google, amazon or facebook became successful quickly. similar to how 33 d removes barriers.-3 d removes barriers. d removes barriers.d removes barriers. update their designs quickly no need for marketing research in advance build products with

payments and distribute their products directly on-line with no retail investment. they can evolve their products since they don't have to keep any inventory. and there is no question that entrepreneurs are taking notice. from 2012 to 2013 product uploads increased to 100,000 a month and the number of new people has leveled. 3d printing transforms how we think about launching products and enables the entrepreneurs in ways we never could imagine in the past. let me share with you how shapeaways works. anyone can upload a 3d design. many free and open source software programs available to use 3d modeling to anyone -- literally anyone can do it. after the design is unloaded the user selects the material to print and make it available. shapeaways over 40 materials and finishes including precious metal, bronze, ceramic, plastic

and sand stone. designs are reviewed by engineers, then unloaded to our printers and then printed. after which they are cleaned by the engineers sorted and put in the boxes sent to anyone. 3d printing as described above is at the core of shapeaways. people have used it to create endless products for their business, model trains, jewelry, home decor such as lamps, dish ware, cups, plates, et cetera. i've brought a few samples you can see over here. let me share one of the examples of a successful business in shapeaways. goththam smith is an example. four friends working in new york city wanted to create something more tangible and lasting than a website or app. starting with designing cuff links and be into other jewelry they used 3d molding applications to develop unique ideas. shapeaways gives them the ability to turn those into prototypes and then finally products. without relying on costly metal casting machinery they sell their products on shapeaways.com directly or through other channels and their business wouldn't exist without

shapeaways or 3-d printing. the ability to easily create one-of-a-kind customizable products, extremely costly and labor intensive process, 3-d printing and shapeaways make it seamless. one company levering the technology is nervous systems. designs a process creating custom simulations, such as the growth of coral. their process generates jewelry and light fixtures. all of these are one-of-a-kind and 3-d printed by shapeaways, sold on our sites and in new york. one example of a successful business that is rapidly growing and employing more people as demand grows. i would like to conclude even the president of the united states has acknowledged this great opportunity shapeaways is working ob is -- shapeaways is working with the white house to partner on the first ever white house maker fair. dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the maker movement. the goal is to support the culture of making and use it as a call to action for stakeholders and shapeaways has committed to help the white house use this moment in time to facilitate entrepreneurship and in the state of the union

president obama spoke about the facility in ohio saying one warehouse is a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering 3d printing and which has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. it's true. 3-d printing does have the potential to revolutionize the way we make everything. i'm passionate about helping others see that and i hope i have effectively demonstrated to you the positive impact i can have on small business creating many jobs in the process. moving forward it will be critical the accessibility to 3-d printing remains uninhibited. thank you for your time today and allowing me me the honor to speak about 3-d printing, the technology i'm sure will change the world. >> thank you, peter. >> our next witness today is jan baum, the director of 3-d maryland which has been charged with bringing the 3-d printing and rapid technology agenda to the greater baltimore region. miss baum is a full professor at tallson university and founder of the university's object lab, a comprehensive state-of-the-art rapid technologies and digital

fabrication lab. in 2012 she co-hosted the first rapid tech and additive manufacturing conference in the baltimore region and 2013 named an innovator of the year by the maryland daily record. miss baum, thanks for being here. >> chairman graves, ranking member velazquez and committee members honored to have the opportunity to speak with you about technologies about how we carry out our work across industries from product development and manufacturing to skull surgery and bioengineering, 3-d printing gives us new capabilities that alter how we compete in a global marketplace. i would like to start with a real world example. so i'm the executive director of 3-d maryland a statewide leadership initiative to advance the engagement of 3-d printing and additive manufacturing as an innovative economic driver for maryland and america. 3-d maryland is located in the maryland center of entrepreneurship in howard county, maryland. within two weeks of a new client joining the maryland center, he

sought me out and he said i hear you're the 3-d printing person and i said i am. he told me about his product he was innovating and wanted to prototype and sent $2500 to china and hadn't heard anything and could i help. i said well when do you need your prototype. i said send me the 2-d drawings and i will see what i can do. i had the 3-d digital files made and two days later he knocked on my door to check the progress. he put his head in my door and i pointed to the build platform across my office. he looked at the -- his prototype on the platform, looked at me, the printer at me, speechless. and i said that's your prototype and he looked at the printer and back at me and said this is like magic. it's not magic but it is a tool that helps us do our work better, more efficiently, locally, and many times most times faster with optimized solutions across industries whatever work it is we're carrying out. 3-d printing and additive

manufacturing is a disruptive 21st century technology changing who, how, when, why and the what of what we make and how we solve problems. if we can imagine it and we have the skill to design it the 3-d printers will print it. there's tons of examples on the table here today. it's disrupting economies of scale, current business models and democratizing production across industries. innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities are at the heart. there are barriers to engagement. access to knowledge, both trusted knowledge sources and understanding what the technology can and can't do. overcoming industrial thinking is a huge one. we have made things for a very long time and we're very good at it. cost of entry, the allocation of resources whether capital or human is a challenge for small businesses and entrepreneurs and the position of the technology. are we there yet is a question we all receive regularly.

3-d -- the leadership of howard county in maryland, county executive ken allman, howard county economic development authority ceo larry twiel and the director of the maryland center of entrepreneurship are a strong leadership team for howard county and they easily saw the vision and the opportunity that these technologies brought and how it fit in with and supported small business and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 3-d maryland is an initiative addressing barriers to entry and advancing the business advantages for business, industry and entrepreneurs, our target audiences. raising awareness and facilitating engagement in implementation. it is identifying and addressing opportunities to strengthen and advance the rapid tech ecosystem in maryland. and we're building a loosely coupled system of collaborative relationships and partnerships across sectors to innovate and accelerate the region and the country's economic competitiveness.