Be American, Buy American

The above title was taken from a blog called Retarded Minds. This blog has some very good information. Please go visit and read this article in particular. http://retardedminds.com/be-american-buy-american/comment-page-1#comment-37

I just love that title Be American, Buy American.

New Balance Shoes Revisited

I got an email from a representative of New Balance Shoes and was asked to share this information with my readers. Enjoy!


NEW BALANCE CELEBRATES ITS SHOEMAKING HERITAGE
AND COMMITMENT TO AMERICAN WORKERS

Online Documentary and Awareness Campaign Launches to Highlight
Craftsmanship and Community of Domestic Manufacturing



BOSTON, June 15, 2009 – This week, New Balance, the only athletic company that still produces footwear in the United States, launches a national celebration of its domestic manufacturing workforce through an online documentary and awareness campaign.

“We made our first pair of running shoes in 1938 and have never wavered in our commitment to domestic manufacturing,” says Rob DeMartini, CEO at New Balance. “During this tough economic time, we are proud to showcase the powerful unity of our American workforce and their local community. Our associates have passion and pride in their craftsmanship, and their dedication to their work is why we are able to withstand economic challenges and remain strong. This documentary highlights Skowhegan as our first Maine factory, but tells the success story of all New Balance manufacturing facilities and associates.”

The documentary can be seen at New Balance’s website at newbalance.com/USA which highlights the company’s domestic manufacturing history, facilities and footwear products. The video can also be viewed on New Balance’s Facebook and YouTube fan pages. Later this month, New Balance will invite consumers to share their feedback to win an opportunity to experience Skowhegan shoemaking first-hand. For every entry, New Balance will donate $1 to the non-profit National Center for Craftsmanship (NCC) up to $50,000. The NCC is dedicated to the preservation, enhancement and sustainability of quality craftsmanship from construction and manufacturing to art and handicrafts.

Digital Kitchen, the production company that produced the documentary, spent a week in Skowhegan, Maine filming the company’s associates at work and at home as well as the Skowhegan landscape and greater community.

New Balance highlights its commitment to American workers through a national awareness campaign this summer including print, radio and online advertising. Dedicated in-store materials as well as footwear hangtags and box stickers highlight the 993, 1063 and 769 footwear models as either Made or Assembled in America.

“Our New Balance associates have proven that high-quality athletic footwear can be produced competitively in America,” says DeMartini. “We are proud of them and how they have helped us to maintain our unique heritage of domestic manufacturing.”

New Balance has five U.S. manufacturing facilities in Boston and Lawrence, MA and Norway, Norridgewock and Skowhegan, Maine as well as one in Flimby, UK. A quarter of the company’s total athletic footwear production is currently made or assembled in the U.S. each year.

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance employs more than 4000 people around the globe, and in 2008 reported worldwide sales of $1.64 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com.

Buck Knives

I just read an article on Buck Knives. Apparently they moved most of their production from China back to the USA. Yeah! I am glad to see a company come back home. Every little bit helps. Good going Buck Knives. To read the full article click here.

Jergens

I can remember when I was a kid (and that was a long time ago) that my Dad would put Jergens lotion on his face after he shaved. I think it was in a white bottle with black writing, from what I remember. I don't know for sure but I don't think they made a lotion for the face at that time.

Nowadays there are so many lotions and creams to choose from, making it difficult to choose the best one for your skin.

Jergens being American Made makes an easy choice for me. They have a great selection. You can even get the kind that gives your skin a tint so you don't have to lay out in the sun. We all know that is bad for us now.

They also make a lotion with those tiny beads in it which makes your skin really soft.
Jergens still sells for a relatively low price compared with other lotions of the same quality.

If you would like to check them out and sign up for free coupons and samples, click here

Letter: Be American, Buy American Cars

Click Here to read this letter to the editor from Florida. It's short but has a good message.

Some Good News

I found this story interesting and wanted to share it with you. Some good news.

"Buy America Victory in Ft Wayne, Indiana
AAM (Alliance for American Manufacturing)field coordinators Rachel Bennett Steury and Michael Mitchell helped push a Buy America Resolution that unanimously passed the Ft. Wayne City Council".
Read full article


Credit for this article goes to Manufacturethis.org and was posted on their site by S Capozzola

Stats

I wish I knew where I could find stats that would tell if the Buy America Back campaign is working. I am so counting on it. Maybe it has been going on for a long time and I just didn't know about it.

I know my son was buying American long before it was the popular thing to do. I am so proud of him. .It just took a crisis in the country for me to realize how important this is. I guess it is one of those things like, "Gee, I could've had a V8".

Anyway, if any one comes along some stats on the Buy America Back campaign, please let me know.

Thanks

Botanic Choice

Botanic Choice is a company that sells herbal supplements and natural remedies. They have been in business since 1910 and have remained in Indiana. They started out by selling from catalogs but now you can find their products in most stores that carry vitamins and such. In the beginning they grew their own herbs but now the company is too big and they have to rely on other growers.

I wrote to them and asked about where their herbs come from and this was their response:
A lot of our herbs are US grown. We do get some products from other countries as well. We hold our herbs to very high standards and all our products are tested for quality and purity on a regular basis.

I hope they are telling the truth because I use their products. So far everything has been good.

You can click the banner below to check out their products and website.

Well, I Am Confused

When I think about bicycles Huffy comes to mind first. I have become very interested in mountain biking and thought I would look up Huffy bikes to see what they have.

When I looked up the company on Wikipedia, it said that Huffy Sports sent everything to China in 1999 but then continued to do poorly so they filed chapter 11 in 2004.

On the Huffy website it says, "Huffy celebrates 30 years as #1 selling bike brand in the U.S. and sells its 100 millionth bicycle" That was 2006.

So where are they made? I couldn't find the answer anywhere. Wonder if there are any other bike manufacturers in the US? I want a mountain bike.

If anyone wants information on how to buy a mountain bike go here

My Mistake And Apology

Thank you Mary for your accurate observation about Mr. Chin, and for pointing out my mistake. I had not looked up this crime, only knew about and "assumed" those 2 men were brought to justice. Actually they didn't get in much trouble at all. They served no jail time, were given three years probation, fined $3,000 and ordered to pay $780 in court costs.
I feel very bad about not looking up my facts before I wrote about it and misleading anyone who read that post.
The point I was trying to make was that it's not the American people as a whole that do these types of crimes, but a few who get carried away. Those few I don't even consider Americans. I consider them idiots.
I sincerely apologize for my mistake.

Disturbing

I do a lot of searching and watching the news for anything that is Buy America Back related. Lately I have been seeing information that says a lot of Asian people are afraid of the Buy America Back campaigns.
In 1982 a man named Vincent Chin was killed by 2 men with a baseball bat and this murder was supposedly over jobs being outsourced. What those 2 guys did was ignorant and I am sure they are paying the price for it now.
Asian people are concerned that we will turn against them for our economy problems. Don't you think if Americans were going to turn against Asians it would have happened before now?

Buy American Rallys

I read on another website that people are having rallies encouraging people to buy American. Most of the people are laid off workers. At one place they were showing green metal pipes that were made in India. Our Steelworkers should be making those. My son is a Pipe Fitter and he says the imported pipes are "junk". Well, you know that our buildings are being made of imported steel today. How strong do you think they will be?

The Little Things

I was in Target looking for a Wedding card for a friend and Easter cards for family. I picked up one after another checking to see where they came from. Most were from China, but I was delightfully surprised when I found some made in the USA. They were actually nicer than the ones from China. I bought what I needed and felt so pleased that I found American made cards. Oh the little things in life....

Home Made in America

While searching for more Made in the USA products I stumbled onto a website that is so cool. It's call Home Made in America. What is so nice is that it is a directory leading to other peoples web pages where they sell their home made items. I was amazed at all the talent. I was in there shopping forever. If you want to check it out, Click Here.

Working Online In America

I know so many people who have lost their jobs due to outsourcing and what not. I feel so bad for them. I have lately been doing research online to see if there is something out there to help. So far, I have found affiliate marketing. I did buy one program to see what it is all about. It's called My Online Income System. This program takes you step by step into the online world of marketing. Tells you where to go to get information and products, as well as what to do with them. It is very well written and easy to understand. It has multiple resources including a forum where you can get help if you don't quite understand something. At the end of the course they give you many other programs for free that you can use to help grow your business. This is truly something for people who don't have a lot of money to spend and is a beginner. Another perk of this is that you can work right from home. Go check it out.
My Online Income System

I Thought This Was Funny

I was watching the news the other day and saw headlines that said "Road to Hell". I then heard them say that a European President has said they the US is on the road to hell because of its policies and our "Buy American Campaign". I laughed, I guess we are now offending other countries because we want to buy our own products. Gee, we should be ashamed. Ha Ha. I just don't see how buying American products would cause us to be on a 'road to hell'. I am glad it is getting noticed.

I also stumbled on a website the other day where a blogger, who shall remain nameless, says that to purposely buy made in USA products is racist. This person says that is like saying black should only buy from black and white should only buy from white. I don't see the connection there at all. I laughed about that one too.

Keep buying American, we will get our country back!

Hartstone Pottery

This company has an extensive history dating back to the early 1800's to being sold and eventually stopping production in the spring of 2005. The company was reborn in June 2005 and its former employees rehired. They continue to make great strides in producing hand painted, high-fired stoneware products. Many or their designs continue to be collectible. The best part, Made in the USA

Hartstone Pottery

Amazon

I got curious this morning and went to Amazon.com and in the search bar typed 'USA made products'. To my surprise a whole list came up of made in the USA products along with some sponsored links to other websites with American made products. I like Amazon. I don't know if they are an American owned company or not, but I am glad they are carrying US made products. They also carry books about buying American. Good to know.

It's Catching On

Hey, you know, I think this whole idea is catching on. My friend called me the other day and told me that outside her local Hallmark store was a sign saying, 'Many of our products are made in the USA'. I think that is a good business idea. Wonder if their sales improved any? Oh, by the way, Hallmark is an American store.

Bose Sound Systems

Anyone reading my blog must think that all I do is shop. On the contrary. We just moved to AZ recently and therefore need some things. We recently purchased a Samsung 50 inch plasma TV from Best Buy (An American owned company) We could not find a made in US TV. We also wanted a home theater system with a dvd player. We looked at everything they had and nothing seemed to sound very good. We then came along a Bose. Wow, was the sound amazing. It made the other ones seem like toys. I knew Bose was made in the USA because we have an iPod sound dock from Bose. I went to their website and copied a small paragraph about what they say about their company. At Bose, we support our research by reinvesting 100% of our profits back into the company. But it's more than just research. We aim for excellence in everything we do. From the way we run our business to our customer service. From the products to the owner's manuals you'll use to set them up. In everything we do, we truly believe that "good enough" is merely a starting point.

If you have ever owned a Bose you know that what they are saying is true. They are the best sound system to be found anywhere in my opinion.

Obsession?

I find myself talking about buying American to everyone I come in contact with now. When I go in the stores I am constantly checking out where things come from, even things I am not intending to buy. I did see some beautiful candle holders at Lowes last weekend and almost bought them until I looked under the bottom, made in china. So I put them back. Today my husband and I went to Home Depot. We needed a few things. I was very proud of my husband today. When he wanted an air compressor they had 2 brands on sale, a Porter-Cable and a Husky. The Porter-Cable was 10 dollars more but it was made in the USA so he bought that one. We also bought weed-n-feed that was cheaper than all the others, named Vigoro and it too was made in the USA. Maybe I am obsessed but I feel I am doing my part to help make America work.

Chocolate

This post is especially for Catherine. It was difficult to find chocolate made in the USA. Everyone loves chocolate so you would think there were a ton of chocolate factories here in the states. Well, not anymore. After searching the internet I only came up with one, Ghiradelli. I love their chocolate so I am glad it is made here. They have been in business for 150 years in California. I hope they stay in business here for another 150 years.

BUNN

This one is right up my alley. I love coffee and will drink it all day long. BUNN is a company that makes coffee pots here in the US. You might have seen them in offices and places where they have free coffee. They also have them for the home. They have been in business since 1957. You know you are going to get a good cup of coffee from a BUNN, or at least that is my experience.

Gasoline

I know most of our oil is imported, but some or our gasoline companies are American owned. Even though it is difficult to find American made products you can still find companies that are American owned. I was surprised at the list of American owned gas companies versus non American. Since the list of American is so long, I will list those that are non American. Amoco, Arco, Boron, BP, Citgo and Shell. So I guess we should avoid these. This was the only list I could find and I found it here: howtobuyamerican.com. This website is full of information on American buying.

Refrigerators, Stoves, Washers and Dryers, etc

Yes, all the items listed above are a necessity in our homes. Over the years I have noticed more and more that appliances are trying to be greener and more energy efficient. Today I found that Whirlpool, a made in the USA company, has some great appliances. Their Cabrio washing machine is rated #1 in a leading consumer magazine according to their website information. This coming summer 'Whirlpool Building Blocks' is going to Atlanta GA to build a block of homes in one week. In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity they help build homes that are energy efficient. So their appliances are not only made in the USA they also help build a more energy efficient USA. Check them out at whirlpool.com Here is a list of other American made brands: Amana, Conair, General Electric, Jenn-Air, Kitchen Aid, Magic Chef, Maytag, Roper, Speed Queen, and Sunbeam.

New Balance Shoes

At one time, New Balance were the only brand of shoe I thought were made in the US. Then I heard that only one of their shoes were made here. I was mistaken. I just visited their website and they report that they have 6 factories in the US, so all of their shoes are made here. The question is about what materials are used. If the shoe has more that 70% domestic material is will have a label of Made in the USA. If less than 70% it will have both US and imported materials. On their website they have a listing with pictures of all shoes that are considered made in the USA. Click on: http://www.nbwebexpress.com/madeinusa_nb.htm to check them out. They are good shoes, and the only brand I will buy.

Thought for the day.......

I started thinking that if there was a chain like Kmart and Walmart type stores that only sold products made in the USA that people everywhere would shop there. It could be called, Made in the USA or USA Made. Anyway, something like that. Don't you think that would be great? I think it would be awesome! The prices in the beginning might be higher but, look at the quality you would be getting and the satisfaction knowing you are helping to keep your self and your neighbor working. The prices would eventually come down as they grow in popularity. Now I just have to work on finding a rich entrepreneur to get it going.

Computers, Laptops

This was very hard to find. A laptop made in the USA. Actually the final assembly is done in the US from domestic and foreign components. So I guess most of it is made in the US. They have computers and laptops with all the do-dads that other ones have. Their website, if you want to check it out, is unionbuiltpc.com. Just click on a link on the left and you will see what they have to offer. It has quite a few nice built in features. The prices are comparable also.

Little Tikes

I knew that Little Tikes toys were made in the USA because my son bought a Princess Cozy Coupe for his daughter at Christmas and it had it on its label. I checked their website this morning and sure enough, made in the USA. My son is 32 and when he was about 4 years old I bought him a Cozy Coupe, the red and yellow one. He loved it. I think I paid about the same price then as it is now. Their toys are high quality and durable.

Carhartt

Everyone has heard of Carhartt, especially construction workers. But did you know they also make womens clothes too? Along with boots for the whole family? I looked on their website and saw some cute cargo shorts for women. Price 38.00. Seems a lot but day before yesterday I paid 58.00 for a pair of shorts at the mall. If you go to their website Carhartt.com you will find a listing of retail stores that include Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops that carry Carhartt.

Come on everyone

I have been complaining for a while now about all of our products coming mostly from China. I really noticed it when the economy got bad. I decided to start a blog for all Americans who feel this way too. I would like for people to come here and tell where the best places are to buy American and what products are out there. Example being TV's. Does anyone know what brand or where you could buy an American made TV?
My son tries to buy only American. He may pay more for it, but he says it will be worth it in the long run. Actually he says the products themselves are better quality.
I have recently started looking at where a product comes from, such as clothing. I have stopped buying if it were made somewhere else. It is very hard to find something made here.
If we all pull together we can help our own economy here in the US. I would love to see our jobs come back here. We can do this. So what do you say?