An Excellent Series by ABC World News - Made in America

Consumer interest and desire of Made in USA products continues to increase and there is now an intriguing and informative series unfolding on ABC World News called Made in America.

ABC World News - Made in America

Unlike me, someone who completely furnished my home with Made in USA products across three decades, ABC tackled a more formidable project.  They wondered if it was possible to furnish a home completely with Made in USA goods, today. 

I admit that today I simply could not replace everything in my own home without purchasing vintage products.  As an example, my parents beautiful stainless waffle maker sits upon my kitchen counter and a new domestic replacement is not available in the marketplace.

My own personal story can be found on our site here.

Curious isn't it?  How much is available today, domestically produced for our homes?

A Call to Buy Goods Made in America





Yes, there was a time when our manufacturing base kept the U.S. strong, self reliant and self sufficient.  Simply, production is the means to create wealth and we produced our way to the status of the wealthiest country on earth.

Bankers have a role in our economy, but throughout life I understood that my father with his lunchbox did more to create wealth than the boys on Wall Street who play with papers and who appear to excel only at wealth destruction.

I've never, never, never understood those dimwitted and deviant individuals who convinced themselves and others that our country could somehow import its way to prosperity. 

Unfortunately, I could not include more than one video in a post, so please see below for additional videos with my comments.


Mary - A proud American manufacturer and web person for FindUSMade.com

Usry Family - ABC Series, Finding U.S. Products

I smiled when I saw the hunt begin for a U.S. made coffee maker.  My head shook when they thought they found one. 

Made in America: Finding U.S. Products



The Usry family is in for a very nice temporary household upgrade, as the products are on loan from the companies.  Their home will be filled with American made products that deliver quality and safety, simply - they deliver a good value.

I do suggest a visit to the ABC World News web page where you can view numerous videos, take a quiz, explore an interactive map, as well as find other engaging material.

ABC World News - Made in America

I'm delighted that our national media has seized an important topic and is undoubtedly raising awareness.  This is an informative and inspiring series and is actually quite thorough.  They stress the jobs that can be created by purchasing Made in USA products.

As I've stated on this Blog, consumers are the force within the marketplace.  Your every whim, interest, desire, curiosity, inclination, etc., once known will be researched, charted, graphed, and studied resulting in early morning meetings.  It only takes a small percentage of shift in your spending habits to trigger those meetings.

30 years ago, before I was ever a manufacturer, I made a simple decision to buy American because I liked the idea that someone like my dad would get a paycheck from the money I spent.  Supporting or creating a job for a fellow American appears to be quite altruistic, a trait I attribute to my mother.

Across those decades though, I came to realize how much I had done for myself.  My home is filled with products that deliver customer satisfaction, durability, quality, innovation, safety and value.  Regardless of price, my purchases came with a lower cost to own.

I am someone who is still using my parents waffle maker.  Like them, I spend my money once and I'm done.  When I consider folks who purchase imports and spend their money repeatedly, it actually appears quite extravagant to me.  My suspicion is they somehow believe they are saving money.  Huh.


You will likely enjoy reading these five Blogs from people who have dedicated themselves to buying American.

China Ate My Jeans

Joe of America

Buy American Challenge

Shopping Made in the USA

Shelley's Made in The USA 365 Day Challenge


Mary - web person for FindUSMade.com

Yet Another Made in USA General Store

I'd like to tell you about my sort of business person.  His name is Mark Andol and he's an American manufacturer.  He lost a large client to a Chinese competitor and had to close some manufacturing locations and lay off workers which he found disturbing. 

Now in this situation a man like Jeff Fettig, CEO of Whirlpool Corporation would start to whine about his company's inability to compete in the marketplace.  In 2009 during a recession, Mr. Fettig enjoyed a 77% increase in his compensation.  Nice raise.  In 2010, 1,000 Americans in Evansville, Indiana lost their jobs when Whirlpool moved them to Mexico.  So that whole competition problem is solved now to Mr. Fettig's satisfaction, correct?  Mr. Fettig is only mentioned again on this Blog because he serves as superb contrast to an inspiring and admirable American. 

Mr. Andol reacted to foreign competition by investing $50,000 in a 2,000 square foot retail store in Elma, New York.  He stocked that store with exclusively Made in USA products.  The legal definition isn't quite good enough for Mr. Andol as he insists that every item in his store be 100% Made in USA including the packaging.

Most of the employees Mr. Andol had to lay off he now employs in his store.   

His store launch was quite successful.  The store is stocked with a variety of U.S. made goods as well as his own products.  If you are in or near Elma, New York stop in to browse and shop.  If you reside elsewhere in the country you can click the photo below and shop his online store. 

As an American manufacturer I can tell you that it's extremely difficult to get shelf space in large chain stores.  Large retail chains prefer imported products because they come with a larger profit margin.  It makes sense because there isn't quality, safety, innovation, craftsmanship, etc. built into those products.  That leaves a greater margin for profit.  No, the chain stores didn't pass on any savings to you, the consumer. 

This is the third brick and mortar store that we've found with exclusively Made in USA inventory.  Other prudent merchants will likely embrace the same concept.  With each new such retail location comes another opportunity for American manufacturers to find shelf space. 

This is the right direction.  Well done Mr. Andol. 

Country artist Ricky Lee recorded a song that just might be my new favorite Country tune. 

Please visit our site to browse and shop the companies who can compete.

Mary - Proud American manufacturer and web person for FindUSMade.com

Product of China - "Organic" Foods

Consumers who carefully check the origin of foods in their local markets, including organic foods, are more often discovering "Product of China" on the packages.

Permit me to tell you a bit about food production in China so you can better determine if there is reason for concern.

Farms operate under the strictest guidelines. Foods may not be genetically modified and must meet international food standards.

Organic tea comes from the foothills of Tibet and is fresh, tender and flavorful. On the grasslands of Inner Mongolia hormone-free beef is produced. Rice is grown from specially cultivated seeds by experts from the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences and is watered by the melted mountain snow of Mt. Changbai.

These food products, which meet the highest standards are certified and stamped with a “Nation A” label.

That sounds fine, doesn’t it? Is that the organic food that's exported to the U.S.?

No, silly.

Is that the food that is available to the Chinese people?

No silly, I’ve been describing the special food supply, reserved for high level Chinese officials.

Are you now wondering why important officials in China might want and need their own secure and restricted food supply?

Are you wondering that if the absolute best, safest and finest food products are reserved for the Chinese elite, then what grade food is exported to the U.S.?

I'll address those questions.

Let me tell you about one basic food product that is made in China – cooking oil. (You may find the following information somewhat indelicate.)

Restaurants in China have waste tanks and cooking oil is siphoned from the raw sewage in those waste tanks. That tainted oil is then refined and resold.

As you would expect such an oil product contains toxins namely carcinogenic Aflatoxins. Since tainted and toxic recycled sewage oil sells for one half the price of untainted oil, oil producers in China blend the toxic oil with uncontaminated oil to increase their profit margins.

China consumes about 22.5 million tons of cooking oil per year which includes about 2 to 3 million tons of waste oil.

If this is what is produced in China for the consumption of the Chinese people, how much care do you suppose is taken with products that are exported to the U.S.?

In 2008 China experienced a problem with melamine in dairy products. (Melamine mimics protein when tested.) A few children died and hundreds of thousands suffered from kidney disorders. Recently, the problem arose again and Chinese authorities seized about 64 tons of raw dairy materials.

Farmers in China feed their dairy cows low quality feed. That inferior feed leads to low levels of protein in the milk, hence the introduction of melamine so the milk will meet the required minimum protein level.

Despite prohibitions of melamine in dairy products, dairy producers still use melamine. You can see that the authorities in China have a problem.

So, how might the authorities in China address the problem?

Hmmm…

Since it occurs to no one in China that perhaps dairy cows need better feed so their milk will contain more protein, the Chinese government has instead lowered the minimum protein level for dairy products to discourage the use of melamine.

See, the problem is all fixed.

At this point I have to admit, that as an American manufacturer I would never have conceived such a remedy for this problem, never.

The U.S. and China both produce chicken, yet China imports chicken from the U.S. and we import chicken from China. At a glance that seems ridiculous until you consider that there must be a material difference in the products from both countries.

Do you suppose that the U.S. produced chicken qualifies for a "Nation A" label?

When you shop your local market and you stumble upon food products, including organics, that are a product of China, you are also likely to notice the familiar USDA logo as well as other logos on the packaging.

Shouldn’t you, the consumer be able to find certainty and peace of mind in the certifications you find on packaging?

That would be nice but it’s not exactly possible and I’ll explain.

The USDA inspects food that is produced in the U.S. but it does not inspect imported foods. Unfortunately, the USDA certifies private inspection companies which may not be located in the U.S. Those companies may or may not certify food products from China. If they don’t inspect food in China which is possible and likely, then they rely on the certification from an inspector – wait for it – located on the farms themselves in China.

And those inspectors are paid by whom?

That inspector certifies the supposedly organic products to the middleman who certifies the supposedly organic products to the USDA and everyone’s logo and certification goes onto the packaging.

This is the process which enables everyone in the chain from the farmer in China to your grocer to pretend that a food product from China is safe and possibly organic.

This brings me to a recent email I received from a visitor to our site. From time to time I receive emails from folks who wish to share with me, their displeasure of foreign made products.

I read the emails, nod in agreement and reply.

The writer shared with me information about a fine fresh food product, found in my own refrigerator but the producer unfortunately licensed their brand name to another company who exports the U.S. product to China.

Goodness knows I most certainly support U.S. exports, so this isn't necessarily unwise, except in this situation. The food product is then supposedly made into candy and shipped back to the U.S. packaged with a familiar and trusted brand name.

The person who wrote to me had sound concerns about what possible contaminants could be introduced in China during the candy making process while I wondered if U.S. product ever actually made it into the candy. 

A food product suitable for my own refrigerator is one I consider “Nation A” grade.

Mary - web person for FindUSMade.com

Observations of Growth in U.S. Manufacturing & Consumer Power

Detailed multi colored reports with graphs are nice, but they don't compare to what my own eyes witness.

We've been conducting a full review of each department on our site. This presented the opportunity for me to visit some businesses I hadn't personally browsed in several months. I am the one who is most familiar with the inventory of all the companies we list. 

I'm very pleased to share my observations and conclusions.  Keep in mind this involves domestic consumer products and this is happening in a down economy at a time when banks aren't lending.


My observations:

We removed only one link to a site that appears to be offline. It's possible that one company ceased operations but we'll return in the future to see if a new site appears.

Many smaller companies have invested in their web sites and have redesigned them or added e-commerce. Some companies with attractive and well designed sites have further improved their web sites.

The updates of a number of web sites now permit them to search in our Marketplace search. Those sites have since been added and their products can now more easily be found via that feature on our site.

Many American manufacturers have expanded their lines. Some have even expanded their lines into other types of products suitable for listing in additional departments. My own company contributed a new product to the marketplace this year so we too are part of this trend.

There are several manufacturers who are having difficulty meeting demand. They are noting for their customers the expected future date when they can fill orders. (I'm wondering if those companies will soon hire.)

Many retail sites where a keyword such as "USA" was necessary is now unnecessary because those retailers have since added Made in USA departments to their sites.

We've recently added to our site two new online malls that are filled with U.S. made consumer goods.

We also came across several retailers suggesting to their visitors that purchases of Made in USA products be made early, prior to need because of increased demand for such goods. One retailer even described the increased demand as "extreme."

We check many things related to the sites we list, including their traffic. The trend is up for nearly all sites, including other directories, Blogs & resources. This indicates to us that there is definitely an increased interest & demand for U.S. made product.

There is willingness, even in a down economy, to manufacture in the U.S. and enter the marketplace. This is demonstrated to us by a growing number of new companies that we set aside for research & review prior to appearing on our site.

Overall I see progress, growth and expansion with the American manufacturers & selected retailers we list and I am heartened.  I'm looking forward to a full review of the remaining departments. 

My conclusions:

I conclude that when you, the consumer, take the time and make the effort to purchase an American made product, you do much more than just snag a great product and a good value for yourself. That reason alone is really all the motivation a consumer needs.

Given what I'm witnessing, the dollars that consumers traded for U.S. made goods supported American workers & American manufacturers and enabled them to prosper. When able to expand, such companies will expand and deliver additional U.S. made goods to the marketplace providing consumers with greater variety and selection of Made in USA products.

Those consumers who shop for U.S. made product have actually invested in U.S. manufacturing. It appears that prudent and motivated consumers are a fine substitute for a negligent Wall Street.

Now consider Mr. Griggs, a motivated consumer who invested differently in the marketplace. 

Mr. Griggs was a consumer with a need for a set of matching stainless flatware.  He searched numerous big box stores and of course noticed the lack of a Made in USA option for flatware. 

Mr. Griggs understands the same as I, that consumers can not be expected to find the value in the marketplace if a Made in USA option is not present. 

The choice of one shoddy product from Country A and some other shoddy product from Country B is not a real choice. Where was the option for the consumer who is looking for quality and a fair trade for their money?

Mr. Griggs faced a lack of choice.  He knew though what he wanted, what the marketplace needed and what consumers deserved.  He spent about a year working on a solution to his problem and he now has his set of matching flatware.  It is manufactured in Sherrill, New York.  He's now in business selling Made in USA 18/10 & 18/8 stainless steel flatware in 9 tasteful patterns.  I have no doubt this flatware will make it from one generation to the next. 

Liberty Tabletop

Well done Mr. Griggs.


While the review continues I will of course be shopping.  Epicurean is now manufacturing kitchen utensils & coasters, Okabashi is now manufacturing children's footwear and The Three Weavers are back in business.

American manufacturers seem intent on keeping me busy with updates to our site while tempting me with desirable product.

Good on 'em.


Mary - web person for FindUSMade.com  

Whirlpool Corporation - Another Failure to Compete

Advertisement Transcript:

This country may be in danger
It could be losing something we can’t afford to lose.

Once in this country when a man produced a product it was the best he could possibly make

He stood behind it
With pride

He lived a simple idea
Do it right or don’t do it at all

Nobody told him that
No government agency dictated it

And it built a standard of living
For the world to aim at

Now that idea is threatened
By shod, the second rate

To some it means quick riches

To some it means quick death
Of the standards we have built

Some are fighting this threat

Whirlpool Corporation believes in one simple idea
To continue to design, build and service home appliances
The right way, with pride, so you can live with them comfortably for years
Or they will not build them at all

If we can’t keep this simple idea alive
Then indeed we are the endangered species.
___________________________________________________

Countless times as a child, I heard the message from both my parents, “do it right or don’t do it at all.” I was raised on that philosophy just as I suspect were many Americans. I agree with the message in the above advertisement even if I lack that particular level of testosterone. Yes, Americans worked hard, produced the best products possible and built a standard of living for the balance of the world to strive to achieve. Whirlpool Corporation, like myself perceived a threat to this country from “the second rate.”

Today, the difference between Whirlpool Corporation and myself is that I maintain my ideals not unlike the many thousands of American manufacturers we list on our site.

Once upon a time, Whirlpool Corporation had a fine reputation due to their innovation & dedication to quality. Today their concern is cost cutting - not innovation, quality or keeping alive a “simple idea.”

Whirlpool announced that they will close their plant in Evansville, Indiana and move production of their top mount refrigerators to Mexico next year demonstrating again that Whirlpool now embraces what it once recognized as a threat.

From their August 28, 2009 press conference:

"While Evansville has most certainly had the best quality, it has not been competitive in terms of cost and asset utilization for some time. That combined with a decrease in demand for top mount refrigerators, aggressive new global competitors and the continued effects of a recessionary economy, are requiring Whirlpool, like many companies, to take unprecedented steps to help ensure that it remains competitive."

Please note that Whirlpool acknowledges that their Evansville plant has the best quality and they are willing to sacrifice that quality for other concerns. Whirlpool also states that this recessionary economy contributed to their decision to move production. That recessionary economy is the very same one that the thousands of manufacturers we list on our site navigate and persevere yet proves too difficult for Whirlpool. I’m smiling now thinking my own company must be better managed than Whirlpool Corporation.

Two other things struck me in that paragraph from their press conference. The use of the word “requiring” implies that this decision was the result of having no other choice, or that some external entity is forcing them to close this plant. If those who manage Whirlpool Corporation lack an understanding of corporate responsibility, they likely also lack an understanding of personal responsibility.

There is also the phrase “like many companies,” as though no one need take this decision personally or think ill of Whirlpool since they are just one of many companies moving production and are actually part of a trend - m’kay?

I can tell you about a trend - in lean manufacturing, something many companies are pursuing and utilizing enabling them to better compete in the marketplace. By comparison, Whirlpool established committees to explore such techniques. Those committees meet regularly and discuss what other companies are actually busy implementing.

Okay, so Whirlpool Corporation is not exactly trend setting or cutting edge. They needed to cut costs so the first thing, or the second thing they considered, after establishing committees was to move production to a low wage country. Or perhaps it wasn’t the first thing they considered.

Perhaps they reviewed their entire operation and business model. Perhaps they reviewed their levels of management and compensation packages. Perhaps they studied each and every one of their expenses and made all prudent cuts eliminating all waste. Perhaps they engaged with their workforce and implemented the ideas and suggestions from the very people who daily have their hands on product. Perhaps they are truly operating as effectively and efficiently as possible - honest to goodness running lean & mean and is still reduced to moving production to Mexico.

Which scenario strikes you as more likely?

The Whirlpool press conference also noted "unprecedented steps" which confuses me since Whirlpool had already closed some plants in the US and moved production to Mexico. There doesn’t seem to be anything unprecedented about this type of production move, it’s just another step that indicates Whirlpool’s inability to innovate and compete. I would though categorize as “unprecedented steps” the occasion when Whirlpool moved some production from Mexico back to the US because of a high failure rate in those particular foreign made appliances.

The average person may believe that highly paid/compensated individuals, well educated and with experience, such as those who run large corporations, certainly must know what they are doing.

Pause for a moment and consider our bankers…

Couldn’t you make better decisions? Give it a try. Come sit in the big chair in the large office on the top floor. You need to cut costs for your company. You can continue to manufacture in the US with your skilled experienced workforce and cut other costs. Trust me on this - if you are blessed with a capable, highly trained & experienced workforce, you have one heck of an asset! Then, if you manage a company well, you can make some real money.

Or, you can move production to northern Mexico, incurring some freight costs and hassles at the border. You leave behind the most productive workers in the world, American workers trading for low wage workers. That cuts wage costs but you’ll have higher, ongoing training costs due to the high attrition rate in the Mexican workforce. You’ll trade the infrastructure in the US for the infrastructure in Mexico. You’ll operate in a country with drug cartels with armed thugs that number as large as the Mexican military. Consider also that those drug cartels sometimes extort “protection” money from US companies.

You might also consider the growing desire for US made goods by American consumers and their growing dissatisfaction with imported products. Now consider that my own company is operating in this recessionary economy and I made cuts in our costs, none of which had any impact whatsoever on product or workers. My approach was to cut fat, not meat.

What would be your approach?

That’s what I thought. See, you would do well seated in the big chair in the office on the top floor.

When companies can so easily and readily abandon manufacturing here for manufacturing elsewhere, there really isn’t a framework in place to compel companies to focus on themselves and their products so they can improve, advance & innovate, is there? They can simply trot off to another country with their same poor practices, inefficiencies, behaviors & imprudent management decisions. They can readily preserve the “fat” in their companies while sacrificing the “meat.” The consumer is not well served in such an environment.

As a consumer, would you purchase the refrigerator that was built by Americans with decades of experience or would you buy the refrigerator built by a person with perhaps months of experience if they lasted that long on the job?

Whirlpool is moving production to Mexico supposedly so they can better compete with new global competitors, correct? So consumers can expect a decrease in the price of those top mount refrigerators that will be made in Mexico, correct? Now if the price remains stable, we’ll know that Whirlpool simply enlarged their profit margin, won’t we? And they only had to sacrifice quality and over 1,000 American jobs to accomplish that feat.

We’ve all been to this rodeo, haven’t we?

Whirlpool Corporation has many divisions and still manufactures some brands in the US such as KitchenAid products. I have no confidence in their dedication to US manufacturing so their product lines sit on our watch list. Personally, I would still purchase those US made brands, placing greater faith in American workers than I do in the management personnel of Whirlpool Corporation.

It’s pitiful and sad to me to see a once great company falter and fail with their best days behind them.

Sadly, Whirlpool Corporation is unable to keep a simple idea alive.

“Do it right or don’t do it at all,” as my parents would say…

Please visit our site to browse and shop the companies who can compete

Mary - Webperson for FindUSMade.com

Country of Origin Labeling on Meat Products

New labeling requirements for meat products are now in effect which should hopefully better inform consumers about the origin of meat offered to them in stores.

One contributor to our site lives in a state that shares a border with Mexico. He phoned today with concerns about labeling he saw on a package of ground beef he found at a Walmart store. It might be helpful then to review the guidelines for this new labeling. If you shop for meat products of US origin, you need to check for this particular labeling:

Muscle Cut Labels

United States Origin - only meat from livestock that are born, raised and processed in the US may say "Product of the US."

Ground Meat Product Labels

United States Origin - only meat from livestock that are born, raised and processed into ground meat in the US may say "Product of the US."

What that contributor discovered of concern to him was a package of ground beef that was labeled, "Product of USA, Canada, Mexico" He asked if he should believe that the beef in the package came from all three countries.

I explained to him the problem I saw with the new regulations as they pertain to ground meat. It's possible that this package actually contains beef from all three countries, and it might also contain beef from just two countries; perhaps Mexico and Canada. It's also possible that this package actually contains beef sourced only from Mexico but was produced in a US plant that typically also sources raw materials from Canada and the US for other products.

Unfortunately, the consumer still won't know the country of origin from such a label. Ground beef may be sourced from different countries to be processed in one US plant and the label need only reflect the countries from which the company typically sourced its raw materials for products over the past few months.

In the US we also typically source leaner beef from grass fed livestock from New Zealand & Australia, countries that may be listed on some labels of ground beef.

We also import young cattle from Mexico & Canada to be fed & fattened in the US. Meat products from such cattle will carry multiple countries of origin on their labels.

If the consumer desires a truly domestic meat product, they will need to seek the "Product of the US" label.

The phone conversation I had with this contributor was overheard by shoppers in the Walmart store. At the end of our conversation he told me that nearby shoppers had removed packages of meat from their carts and returned them to the meat case. He, and perhaps the nearby shoppers, had concerns that the ground beef offered at this Walmart store was likely sourced from Mexico and produced in a plant that also processes meat from the US and Canada.

Unfortunately, the new label does nothing to designate the actual country of origin of ground beef for consumers.

After shoppers decided against their meat purchases, our contributor was asked to leave the store by Walmart personnel. While I've proudly never set foot in a Walmart store, he is quite accustomed to such treatment. He's learned repeatedly that Walmart does not like information sharing with their customers, even accidental sharing from overheard cell phone conversations.

It could be the new country of origin labeling is an improvement but not yet satisfactory for consumers, at least with ground meat products.

Sources for domestic meat & seafood products can be found in our Gourmet Food/Drink department.

Mary - Web person for FindUSMade.com

New Feature - Resource Search

We hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season. During this period, we returned briefly to our site in order to implement a new feature for our visitors.

There are a number of other resources that appear to make an honest effort to assist consumers with locating Made in the USA products which we very much appreciate. We list these other resources on our site but it occurred to us that a dynamic search of those resources could prove helpful for shoppers.

So we combined those sites and their pages into a custom search and they can all now be simultaneously searched from one location. You can give this new search a try here: Resource Search of Made in the USA Sites

Some of these resources are shopper friendly with links to sources of US made goods. Some merely list, without links - manufacturers, retailers or other sources. These sites can be helpful though and a comprehensive search of those sites could provide greater efficiency for shoppers. If a consumer simply finds a company or manufacturer name, that information alone could lead them to goods that we overlooked or have not yet listed.

Each resource was tagged with either Resource or Resource/Blog. Two of the sites in this search are also Blogs which usually review American made products and also offer Weekly Giveaway's of US made products. The search results includes these tags so that visitors will know the type of site appearing in the results before they click and visit.

Our own site is included in the search and may appear in some search results. The purpose of the search though is to highlight other resources and the hopefully helpful information they offer to shoppers. We are not responsible though for the content presented on those other sites.

We'll resume work on FindUSMade.com in January after a bit of a break to spend time with our families. Again, we offer our best wishes for a lovely holiday and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Mary - web person for FindUSMade.com

Discover American Manufacturing

Find US Made.com can be a learning experience for visitors. Not everyone is aware that we produce potato vodka, caviar & extra virgin olive oil in the US.

Our oldest rice mill is still in operation as well as Indiana’s oldest commercial water-powered flour mill. Since 1888, Charles H. Baldwin has produced possibly the absolute best vanilla extract. The Frye Co. is our oldest continuously operated shoe company and for the past 166 years, Johnson Woolen Mills has been producing wool apparel.

Consumers are wise. When they find a value, they return to it time and again which explains our 8th generation companies.

Recycling and technology has brought new businesses and new products to the American marketplace. The growing demand for organic products is being met by many of them. Environmental concerns are spawning eco-friendly products and I believe technology will one day fulfill consumers wildest dreams.

What is common to both long established companies & the new companies listed on our site, are their values and their dedication to domestic manufacturing. They chose to employ Americans. They chose to be subject to our laws, codes & regulations. They also chose to compete in the American marketplace, even against unfair subsidized foreign competition. American manufacturers have moxie, don't they?

Even the merchants that we list, carefully selected the lines they would offer to consumers, and they wisely chose to include American made goods.

Your local large retailer has no doubt selfishly chosen to limit your options by filling their stores with imported products. Unfortunately, you, the consumer is not well served by limited options. You can't be expected to find the value in the marketplace if US made products are absent.

Permit us then to introduce you to the choices you've been missing.

Consumers deserve their choice of US made large stainless steel utensils from Kwik Kut, 6 pieces for $11.25. Casual shorts from Duck Scrubs are $10.00. An organic cotton nightshirt from SOS From Texas is $12.50. A 17 piece recycled plastic tea set from Green Toys is $24.99. The consumer also has the choice of colored glass tree ornaments from Bronner's, 8 for $4.99.

Consumers should be aware of all available options, and we're working hard to spotlight the US made products so often absent from your local store.

The most recent generation of American manufacturers - you know, the ones with moxie, are anxious to meet you. They've worked hard in the American marketplace while playing by the rules and they deserve the opportunity to meet and hopefully impress you. I've visited each and every one of the thousands of locations listed on our site and goodness knows they've impressed me.

Now I'm wondering which of these new companies will be in their 8th generation years from now.

The wise consumer will explore their options and discover value in the marketplace. They'll be rewarded with products they'd purchase again from the manufacturers who earn their business.

What might you discover?

Mary - web person for Find US Made.com

Power in the Marketplace

As a small business person, I get up early every morning, work all day long, most evenings and some weekends, all with the hope of earning some of your hard earned dollars.

Corporate manufacturers and large retailers are no different as they also hope to earn your money. After the toy recalls I noticed a change in the complexion of the toys offered by JCPenney. I noticed US made toys offered now at full price while imported versions were on sale. That large retailer quickly & wisely responded to consumer demand.

Believe me, if the consumer decided that desirable products should be adorned with - let’s say purple stars, then corporate manufacturers and small businesses like ours would be busy affixing purple stars on our products. I would likely be up even earlier in the day affixing the purple stars myself and get my product to market before the large corporations. My products are here already, while the corporations would be awaiting ships to reach a dock. Our pricing would be comparable and competitive mainly because small businesses tend to run efficiently without layers of bloated management. Products without purple stars would be on sale at JCPenney while products with purple stars would be offered at full price.

All of this fuss would have happened because consumers developed a penchant for products adorned with purple stars.

Yes, you have this much power in the marketplace.

Mary - web person for Find US Made.com