Made in the USA. It Matters!

GOOGLE for MADE in the USA

I think this could really help both the campaign & America

Contact info:

John-Edward Alley, Jr.
PO Box 19965
Greensboro, NC 27419

mobile: 336-558-5618

"John-Edward Alley, Jr." john-edward@mindspring.com

I have been following "Made in the USA" issues for about 20yrs. and while we have lost a tremendous amount of MFG. capability in that time, we still make more here than any other country. The most obvious and significant losses have come in consumer products. There are many, many reasons for this  some obvious  some not so. I will address these in another post. But just like the issue of energy independence, there must be a short term component to go with any long term strategies that reinvigorate our industrial sector.

What we need to do NOW is invigorate the existing industrial base. It's great to bring jobs and products back that have been off-shored, but, right now, there are thousands of companies making great products here already.  Many times, the real problem is getting the products and consumers together.

One idea that I'd like Barack to look at and start promoting as part of "change," is what I call "Google for Made in USA!" What I am suggesting is that he should propose a new search system to be managed by Google and financed by a focused TAX credit to them.

With proper government oversight, this system would help anyone find any and all USA made products and/or USA manufacturing services for their use and consumption. Clicking on the link above illustrates there are already a lot of resources via Google, but there is no unified system in place to consolidate, organize and manage them.

Next posts: How Google for Made in USA! would work

How FTC "Made in USA" labeling rules penalize American Manufacturers

Additional NOTES:
It is important to reform the designation of what constitutes "Made in USA"  IF you want contact NEW Balance they fought this battle for quite a while.
or go to this link and try to decipher:

Complying with the Made In the USA Standard

One idea I have on that is:   
Made in USA      = 76 to 100% USA content
Made in USA75  = 51 to 75% USA content
Made in USA50  = 26 to 50% USA content
Made in USA25  = 0 to 25% USA content

Also, Barack should say how he is going to put together a manufacturing round table with current and potential mfrs. I could give you an interesting mix of potential companies: New Balance , Neil M. Footwear , Apple  (currently makes nothing but "towers" here: even there software is recorded in Canada),
Crestron Electronics, Inc. , B & K Components, Ltd. , Whal Clipper, NK Nielsen-Kellerman Company - Kestrel Wind Meters, PING Golf Equipment, Microplane products, Super Talent Technology - DDR and DDR2 Memory, MPC - Computers & Storage Solutions & check out some of the companies at the bottom of this e-mail

COMMENT!!: IF Blackberries can be made in Canada the iPHONES should be able to be made here in the USA!!

IMPORTANT!!! We also need to initiate a program, to develop & Manufacture the next generation of "display" technologies (Probably OLED), a lot of research is going on here, but most of the MFG infrastructure is being developed in ASIA (One company would be Universal Display Corporation ) also, contact Insight Media - Consumer Electronics, Flat Panel, LCD & LED Display Market Research Reports, Display Industry News, Analysis & Consulting

Here are some links to browse, you might have heard of some, but I thoght some of these links might be interesting to explore.

Angelus Shoe Polish Company
Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing: The Worlds Finest Cutlery & Flatware Made in the USA
http://alore.net/
http://store.americanapparel.net/
earnest sewn - Denim
American Apparel - T-Shirts - Wholesale T-Shirts
Eliza B...quality made casual and dress belts, sandals, bags, and accessories
Leatherman Limited - flip flops & belts
bamboosa - all made in usa sweatshop free from bamboo
Fessler USA manufacturer of private label garments and PFGD blanks
Island Slipper Hawaii - flip-flops & sandals made in USA
Sustainable Cotton Project
Rugby Shirts
Diamond Apparel Golf Shirts - Golf Shirts
Diamond Gusset Jeans Made in USA
Alore Clothing - Our strong commitment to producing the finest 100% American Made product.
St. George Crystal - USA made lead crystal

some duplicates & I have a lot more:

RGM Watches - Made in America (MADE IN AMERICA RGM Caliber 801 )
DaleBoot USA | Custom fit ski boots
Avocet Vertech - made in USA watch with altimeter and count runs for the day
NK Nielsen-Kellerman Company make Kestrel Wind meters in USA
VOILE USA
Five Axis Snowboard Manufacturing and OEM Suppliers
ScottyBob's Snow Skis
GOODE Ski Technologies
Leupold's Website - maker of the only Binoculars made in the USA
Skiing with Skea Paris/Vail - Ski suits, pant...
FALL RIVER SHIRT COMPANY   This is now Herringbone shirts owned by Joseph Aboud - working on new website not ready yet
Feathered Friends -- Welcome to Feathered Friends - make sleeping bags, camp booties & clothing in USA
earnest sewn - Denim
Sky Blue Sewing
Apparel USA Corporation
City Boxers--Finest Quality Boxer Shorts
Boxercraft - Homepage
Moretz Sports - socks
TEKO socks
American Apparel - T-Shirts - Wholesale T-Shirts
Eliza B...quality made casual and dress belts, sandals, bags, and accessories
Leatherman Limited - flip flops & belts
bamboosa - all made in usa sweatshop free from bamboo
Fessler USA manufacturer of private label garments and PFGD blanks
Island Slipper Hawaii - flip-flops & sandals made in USA
Sustainable Cotton Project
Rugby Shirts
Diamond Apparel Golf Shirts - Golf Shirts
Diamond Gusset Jeans Made in USA
Cove Shoe Company: boots, footwear, hunti... private label boots made in USA
Chippewa Boots
Frye Boots  - most of there traditional boots are made in USA
Weinbrenner Shoe Company, Inc. Merrill, Wisco..
Mag-Nif makes it in the U.S.A.!  - USA made Coin sorters, puzzles & Toys
Annieglass, handcrafted sculptural glass dinnerware, serving pieces, drinkware and accessories
Rufus Shirts  - Stylish Men's shirts all made in USA
Gitman Shirts  - Stylish Men's shirts all made in USA
Kenneth Gordon - Stylish Men's shirts mostly made in New Orleans, USA
.: Dezario Shoes :. - Stylish womens shoes Made in USA
The Cheese Knife is made of a revolutionary new material and design that keeps the cheese on the plate, not on the knife.
EdgeCraft Chef's Choice - Great Kitchen knives & Sharpeners made in USA   
Hansgrohe-USA - Hansgrohe makes excellence hand held & fixed shower heads in GA, USA. (some still come from Germany)
Neil M. - Men's shoes from the makers of Munro shoes (Not ALL styles are currently made here) Nordstrom

My New car

Well, back around late August of last year I was almost demolished by a dump truck. Luckily, the driver managed to swerve to the left and missed me as he ran through the red light. As he swerved, the truck full of dirt slowly overturned and ended up on its side. He was OK and so was I. I give full credit to his reflexes here, and I'm lucky to be writing anything much less this little story. But all of this just leads up to my experience of buying a new safer vehicle that meets my needs and is made in the USA. After this my family and I, upon reflection decided I needed to get one.

I have two large dogs, Roxie & Rollie, who I would like to be able to take on a road trip if I wanted and like the functionality of SUV's but not the size. So, the dilemma was do I get a crossover(glorified station wagon) or a small SUV? After talking to the family,* we decided a small SUV would be the most versatile.

So, the hunt begins with me looking at vehicles I deem attractive yet functional. The problem I'm having is that a lot of the vehicles, especially from the US brands are made in Canada and Mexico. Well that doesn't work for me, so since I've had a great deal of luck with my Honda and my stepmother loves her Subaru, I figure let's see what they've got. The Subaru Outback is made in Indiana so I checked it out, and it is very nice, but too much of a wagon. Next are the Hondas. The new CR-V is pretty nice but they all say "Made in Japan." As it turns out, the newer ones are being made in East Liberty, OH, but that still makes it harder to actually buy a US Made one. The other Honda SUVs are made in the USA, but I don't like certain things about them. This leads me to Acura where I find true love in the RDX made in Marysville, OH.

Now, the truth is that I really already knew most of the vehicle MFG locations because that is my expertise. That is why I'm writing this column. Even with all of my knowledge, it can still be a frustrating process. This is why I am starting a list of USA made vehicles which I will update regularly.   

* Roxie & Rollie had a lot of input and approve of the final selection.

Honda & Acura-

	Models in Production at Marysville, OH:
		Acura RDX
		Accord Sedan
		Accord Coupe
		Acura TL Sedan

Models in Production: Civic Sedan Civic GX (natural-gas powered) Element Honda CR-V Motorcycle Models in Production: Gold Wing 1800 VTX 1800 V-Twin Cruiser Shadow Sabre 1100 VTX 1300 V-Twin Cruiser Valkyrie Rune Lincoln, AL Automobile and Engine Plant Opened in 2001, this is Honda's newest North American Automobile Plant, producing the Odyssey minivan, the Pilot and V-6 engine.       Overview of Toyota's North American Engineering and Manufacturing

What is Made in the USA?

Hello readers,

I often hear people say, "Nothing is made here anymore..." as if it 
were a fact. Some people seem to use this as an excuse not to worry 
about where anything is made. Others seem genuinely concerned about 
the thought. Of course, it is far from the truth. We actually remain 
the largest manufacturer and 2nd largest exporter in the world after 
Germany, which just recently surpassed us. Many of the products that 
are made here, of course, are not consumer durable products and this
is probably the main reason so many people are misled.

Although thousands of consumer products are still Made in the USA, 
finding them gets harder everyday as more and more production goes 
overseas. If people put in just a little extra effort, however, they 
might be surprised how easy it is to find products that are made in 
the USA. One thing to do is look on the packaging for "Made/Assembled 
in the USA with domestic and foreign components." ** Another is to use 
the Internet. Below I have a list of some resources that you can use 
and share with people. Also, you would be surprised how effective the 
various big search engines such as Google and Yahoo can be.

U.S. Stuff Home- Made in USA Products, Assembled in USA...
USA Made.org
Buy American
Made in USA.com
Legendary USA

**(Made/Assembled in the USA with domestic and foreign components)
One of my pet peeves is the unfairness to USA Mfrs.of regulation set by the FTC as to what constitutes Made in the USA.  While these requirements are well intended, they unfairly handcuff most USA Mfrs. of products with very much complexity, because they cannot possibly make all of the parts that go into their products. If Customs were to apply the same standards to imported products that would help, but the truth is, that is not practical. So my feeling is that the requirements for "Made in the USA" should be modified to reflect a more realistic approach in the global economy. I could go on for quite awhile, but I will revisit this subject on another blog later. In the meantime please check-out these links on the subject, as well as some companies that have to deal with this.

"Made in U.S.A".   Standard
USA Import Requirements
Complying with the Made     In the USA Standard

Here's a sampling of Companies that make PRODUCTS in the USA and have to use the (Made/Assembled in the USA with domestic and foreign components) type of claim:

New Balance make shoes in 6 factories in the USA Many of the same made in UK are labeled as such
PING Golf Equipment most clubs except for Drivers Made in USA
munro AMERICAN womens shoes Made in USA 
Allen-Edmonds mens shoes made in USA
RGM Watches
Syntax-Brillian: makes TV's in Arizona & California
BUNN My Cafe commercial grade coffee and tea pod brewer
Lexicon Home Theater
Sony special order Laptop computers like I use Made in San Diego, Ca.
many Sony TV's are made in Pittsburgh, PA as well as other products
MPC computers are all made in Nampa, ID
Fall River Shirts
Individualized Apparel
Oreck makes "America's best" vacuum cleaners and upright and soon all air cleaners in the USA

later,

Have fun with these for now and I'll be back soon...

e-mail me if you are looking for something specific @john-edward@mindspring.com

My 1st Posting

Hi everyone,

This Web log is intended to provide a resource for people who want to buy American (USA) made products do just that. I have been working and studying this subject for probably 20yrs or more and have an immense knowledge of the products, as well as the issues surrounding making products here in the USA and the complexities involved. I am planning on posting a few times a week, with both discussion of issues and talking about Companies that are making products here in the States.

As a teaser check out some of these companies:
Syntax-Brillian: makes TV's in Arizona & California
BUNN My Cafe commercial grade coffee and tea pod brewer
Diamond Gusset Jeans Made in USA
Diamond Apparel Golf Shirts
McIntosh: The Great American Audio Powerhouse
B & K Components, Ltd. Stereo & Home Theater Made in USA 
Boltz Steel Furniture, cd, dvd, and vhs storage Made in USA
Corkpops Classic products are Made in USA
Gadgets for Wine Lovers Sparkling Wine opener
RGM Watches
Thiel Audio loudspeakers. High performance speakers Made in USA
Phase Technology indoor outdoor speakers Made in USA
Lamson & Goodnow Mfg. Co. Fine Cutlery Made in the USA since 1837 
Van Staal Fishing Reels
UCO Candle Lanterns | Mini CandleLanterns | Candlelier | Camera Tripods | Camp Stoves | Clubmaker's Golf Vise
GOODE Ski Technologies
DaleBoot USA | Custom fit ski boots Made in USA
Cannondale bikes Made in USA
ATK USA Motorcycles
PING Golf Equipment most clubs except for Drivers Made in USA
munro AMERICAN womens shoes Made in USA 
Allen-Edmonds mens shoes made in USA
OTABO Fine Custom Fit Shoes for men & women made in USA

Avocet Vertech (added 2/8/07)

Wahl Clipper Corp. (added 2/8/07)

Simon Pearce glass blowing video (added 2/4/07)

Simon Pearce -  Glassblowing and Handcrafted ... (added 2/4/07)                     

Have fun with these for now and I'll be back soon...

e-mail me if you are looking for something specific @john-edward@mindspring.com