Primera Plastics CEO at White House

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The president of Zeeland's Primera Plastics will meet with the President of the United States at the White House Thursday.

Noel Cuellar is the president and CEO of Primera Plastics. He and other business leaders were invited to attend the Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth with President Obama.

The meeting began shortly before 2 p.m.

Administration officials are hoping Thursday's jobs forum, an Obama trip to Pennsylvania on Friday and a major economic speech on Tuesday will help counter Republican critics who contend the administration's economic recovery efforts have failed and its oversight of the $787 billion stimulus package has been inadequate.

At the jobs forum, Obama planned to defend his administration's handling of the economy and argue that it would be in far worse shape had Congress not passed the huge stimulus bill earlier this year. Under intense GOP attacks, public support for the stimulus effort has faded.