With a presidential election coming up in 2012, things are heating up in Iowa, where the Straw Polls took place in the fall and the Iowa Caucus is scheduled for January 3, 2012. Markey's personnel in our Des Moines branch are often contracted by candidates to provide audiovisual service and gear during their run, often traveling with the candidate on the campaign trail. Recently, the Des Moines branch of Markey's Rental & Staging was selected to be the audiovisual provider for the Republican Presidential Forum on Manufacturing at the Vermeer facility in Pella, Iowa. On November 1, 2011, five GOP candidates attended the event for a sit down conversation with moderators Iowa Governor Terry Branstad who was joined by Tom Hudson, co-host of Nightly Business Report on PBS. This event was broadcast by Iowa Public Television live and the transcript is on the internet.