While buying American-made products is one of the best things you can do for our manufacturing economy, here is a list of three other things you can do to help.

1. Check “Made In” Labels as Much as You Check Brand Labels

I’m a marketer by trade, and I know the power that brands can have over consumers. Corporations capitalize on this fact to increase their bottom line, which by itself is not harmful. However, many famous companies have hid behind their brand equity while quietly offshoring manufacturing.

No where is this more prevalent than the clothing industry. Iconic American brands like Levi’s, Chuck Taylors and Ralph Lauren have moved virtually all manufacturing overseas. We now make less than 2% of the clothing we consume here.

In 2012, vow to check “Made In” labels as much as you check brand labels. Start weighing where and how a product is made as much as you weigh the fancy name.

2. Encourage Your Kids to Consider Manufacturing Careers

There are over 600,000 manufacturing jobs currently available and a severe shortage of people that have the skills fill them. A recent study showed that 67% of manufacturers surveyed are having trouble filling positions and concluded that “These results underscore the tenacity of a worsening talent shortage that threatens the future effectiveness of the U.S. manufacturing industry.”

Many of us have misconceptions about manufacturing jobs.  The truth is most manufacturing jobs are both high-tech and high-pay. Machinists and welders are in high demand, and can make a starting wage of $25 to $40 per hour plus benefits.

Luckily, manufacturing jobs are starting to overcome their negative stereotype. Organizations like SMEEF and Gold Collar Careers are working to steer kids towards manufacturing. Additionally, passionate people like Chris Tag of Defy Bags and Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn are helping to make manufacturing cool again. These guys have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of making products that they believe in, and their zealousness is inspiring, highly addictive and enhances the concept of making something with your hands in ways that corporations and foundations simply can’t.

3. Break Your Addiction to Cheap Stuff

Sadly, our desire for a sweet deal often overpowers other important considerations, primarily product quality. Big box stores take advantage of this, as evidenced by Walmart’s $2.84 waffle iron Black Friday Special.

Walmart was also happy to sell you a coffee maker for $9.84, a stand mixer for $18.92, a pair of jeans for $7.97 and a set of bed sheets for $6.88. These deals are absolutely amazing, but not so much so when you consider how long these products will last.

If my grandma were alive, she would attest to the fact that a well-built stand mixer or waffle iron should last for a lifetime. Sheets and jeans should last for years. The product life cycle of the cheap Walmart alternatives measure their life cycle in weeks.

If we continue to buy the cheapest alternative, that’s what the retailers will give us. This will put increasing pressure on American manufacturers to offshore production. When offshoring alone won’t meet our low-price demands, that’s when they cut quality. It’s a vicious cycle, but one we can easily help to reverse by passing on ridiculous deals for inferior products.

On Black Friday, Walmart offered waffle irons for $2.84. It was one of their many door busters, which also included a $9.44 coffee maker and $18.92 stand mixer.

It’s amazing that we can get a waffle iron that cheap, considering an ala carte waffle at the local Waffle House costs $3.20 (including 15% tip). Heck, a box of frozen Eggo’s costs more than $2.84!

So how and why does Walmart sell waffle irons for less than the cost of a single waffle?

It takes a lot of corner cutting and vendor squeezing to get a waffle iron on the shelves for $2.84. Walmart has a long and well documented history of driving their suppliers to reduce prices, resulting in shoddy product quality. However, at these low prices, quality is pretty much irrelevant. If it breaks, you can just buy another!

As Stacy Mitchell details in one of her recent articles on Walmart on grist.com, it’s in their business strategy to offer products of such low quality. “Its growth and profitability rest on fueling an ever-faster churn of products, from factory to shelf to house to landfill.”

But what’s the harm in buying a $2.84 waffle iron?

Simply put: buying junk like this harms manufacturers that are trying to build better products. Mitchell writes “As Walmart takes over an ever-larger share of the global economy, companies that favor a more durable and sustainable model of production are squeezed to the margins. The business press is replete with tales of storied U.S. brands, like Levi’s, which held out against Walmart for years before finally giving in, moving overseas, and figuring out how to make a $10 pair of jeans.”

While it’s depressing to see all of the cheap junk that floods the newspaper circulars and internet pop-up ads around the holidays; I am encouraged by the manufacturers that have said “no” to compromising on quality.

One manufacturer in particular comes to mind: Lodge Manufacturing of South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Their cast iron cookware is the only product that is currently offered both on MadeHereMadeWell.com and in Walmart stores around the country. And you’re not getting a watered down version at Walmart; it’s the same skillet in their stores and on our website.

Lodge has been able to resist the constant pressure to offshore their cast iron cookware line. They’ve been making it here since 1896, and employ over 200 workers in Tennessee.

Sadly, they do not make waffle irons. I’ll save my $2.84 for when they do.

1. A Motorcycle Jacket Good Enough For Brando

   

   Every motorcycle enthusiast inevitably pictures themselves hitting the open road on their Hog, wearing a cool motorcycle jacket like James Dean or Mr. “Wild One” himself, Marlon Brando. Well, what if you were to give the biker in your clan the very same leather motorcycle jacket favored by…James Dean and Marlon Brando?

   That’s right. These silver screen icons wore motorcycle jackets from Schott NYC and you can too. Made in the U.S. since 1913, Irving and Jack Schott obviously must’ve believed they were making something great because they named their first jacket Perfecto. From there, Schott began producing bomber jackets for US Air Force pilots and woolen pea coats for the US Navy.

   With its Military, Industrial, Urban and Denim line, Schott NYC has become famous across the world for quality, durability and strong character. After all, it’s easy to feel like an icon when you’re wearing one.

   Note: While not all of Schott NYC’s products are made in the USA, its easy to find the ones that are, using the “Made In USA” list on their website.

2. A Trike That Lasts For Miles and Miles

   

   Remember your three-wheeler tricycle when you were a kid? You’d race down the sidewalk with it like a speed demon. Nobody dared get in your way. That is, until something on the trike would need to be repaired or replaced from all the wear and tear.

   With the Dirt King, tricycles have come a long way. Literally.

   Not only is Dirt King made here in the U.S., but it’s one three-wheeler tricycle made to withstand every rough and tumble playtime session your child can dish out. Plus, Dirt King also makes ultra-durable carts and wagons. Most of the parts have a lifetime warrantee with pieces that are virtually indestructible.

   “My son is now 17 and we still have the Dirt King to pass on to his kids – our grandkids.”

   “Dirt King is like the Harley Davidson of trikes.”

   “It won’t tip over like the cheap bikes made overseas.”

   Do these sound like the kind of things a parent would say about a frail, wimpy bike? Not likely.

   Go big. Go rugged. Go for miles. With the Dirt King.

3. A Hat Made For Their Personality

   

   Heads come in all shapes and sizes – something that the people at Optimo Hats always take into consideration. From their home base in Chicago, it’s their goal to provide a hat that feels customized for every customer.

   “Great,” you say. “I’m not in Chicago. How am I supposed get a hat that’s made for the person on my holiday shopping list?” Simple. We give you the Optimo phone fitting. Tell Optimo what kind of hat you think the person would like based on the styles you see on the website as well as the person’s facial features and how they tend to dress. Not everybody can pull this kind of remote fitting session off with ease, but Optimo’s Graham Thompson is just that good and has learned from some of the best hatters in the business.

   One customer loves the fit of Optimo’s hats so much, he says, “I’ve been known to go jogging in my fedora.”

4. Hours of Play that are Kind to the Planet Too

   

   In their imagination, children dream that they’re saving the world just about every day. But why just dream about it? When they’re playing with Green Toys, they’re doing great things for the environment (even if they can’t actually spell “environment” at this point in their lives). That’s because California-based Green Toys uses products made from 100% recycled milk jugs, with no BPA or Phthalates (we’re pretty sure your kid can’t spell that one either).

   But hey, we’re here to give your child some fun too, right?

   Green Toys has all kinds of products to supply hours of smiles. Blocks and stacking toys for babies and toddlers. A dump truck for your little Construction worker. A fire truck for the child who fancies themselves a future Firefighter. A dish and cookware set for your budding mini-chef. And more.

   Considering they’re reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions during playtime, we’d say you’ve got quite the talented little tyke.

5. Enlightenment Before The Next Home Project

   

   The handyman in your family is prone to tackling some projects around the house that take him to dark places, from the attic to the basement.

   Do you want them venturing into the unknown with a flimsy flashlight? Of course not. So give them a full-fledged beacon that’s easy to use, powerful and completely rugged for the job ahead – the Maglite.

   While practically every supplier of flashlights manufactures the majority of its flashlights outside of the country, Mag Instrument has proudly chosen to keep all of its production here in the U.S., including its engineering staff in Ontario, California.

   Outsource? With this kind of quality on the line? Not a chance.

   Take the sleek Maglite XL50 flashlight, for example. It features an adjustable LED beam that ranges from “High Power” to “Energy Saving” to “Emergency Safety Strobe.” And it has Intelligent Energy Source Management that actually monitors the balance between brightness and power usage so the Maglite adjusts on the fly.

   A flashlight smart enough to actually prolong its own battery life? This is no ordinary beam you’re giving as a present. It’s a technological marvel.

Need a few more? From Lodge Cast Iron Cookware to Kennedy tool boxes to Timberworks Toys to Defy Bags, we’ve got many options that are creative and built to last many, many holidays from now at Made Here Made Well.

And if you have suggestions for great gift ideas from companies that are made here, let’s hear them! We could all use some suggestions for the people on our shopping list.

It sounds simple enough but even I know that finding gifts for the person who has everything is a challenge in itself, let alone a gift that’s made in America.

Which is why I’m proud to present the best of all worlds: Gifts that are made here, made well and made to potentially inject some much-needed life into the American economy with every purchase.

1. Stocking Stuffers Check out Channel Craft’s toys, games and puzzles. Dean Helfer, Jr. started this company in 1983 from the back of his van and now operates a 70+ employee manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. It’s not the kind of cheap merchandise you might find at a discount store or worldwide chain. Channel Craft’s products are the stuff of many a road trip to entertain your kids before they ask “Are we there yet” for the 500th time.
2. For the Handyman: While Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. has offshored their cordless power tools, all of Milwaukee’s corded Sawzalls are still made here in the USA. I have a number of great tools, but nothing puts a smile on my face like my Sawzall. There’s just nothing that cuts through wood faster or has a longer blade life. And this is not a trick statement – Milwaukee manufactures its Sawzall blades in Greenwood, Mississippi. But at least that’s still here in the good ol’ US of A.
3. For the Fashionable Sports Fan: Drawing from the rich tradition of American sports history, Ebbets Field Flannels of Seattle was founded to make historically-accurate reproductions of athletic clothing. Their wool flannel baseball jerseys, authentic fitted wool baseball hats and other vintage sports clothing bring the quality, beauty and craftsmanship of mid-20th Century American athletic garments to a 21st Century public. Be sure to order early for the holidays, as many of their offerings are made-to-order.
4. For the Audiophile: We don’t make electronics here anymore, but we do manufacture some amazing high-end speakers. If the audiophile on your list has been truly nice this year, a pair of Zu Audio speakers would do the trick. Zu boasts that it has the “purest sound made in America.” I think they may also have the best looking speakers in America too. Go to their website and picture a pair of Omen Bookshelf speakers sitting in a den somewhere in your house. HiFi looks and sounds as awesome as it ever did – supplied from Ogden, Utah to dealers across America to your eardrums. The first letter in audio is Z.
5. For the Chef: Many pots & pans are still made here in the US, but for something truly unique, check out Cut Brooklyn’s Chef Knives. We always think of knives in terms of infomercials that show them cutting through everything – but what about how it’s balanced? How durable it is? How beautiful it looks? Cut Brooklyn’s Joel Bukiewicz thought of all that. Really. He spent 5 years and went through hundreds of prototypes to arrive at the stunning Prospect 240 knife. How many knife manufacturers can say that kind of thing? No matter how tonight’s dinner turns out, this insures there will always be a work of art in the kitchen.
6. For the Tough & Rugged: Just because you have a tough job, does that mean you can’t have a comfortable shoe? It’s a good thing Minnesota shoe merchant Charles Beckman didn’t think so at the turn of the 19th century. Ever since, his Red Wing Shoes have been delivering exceptional work boots that stand up to anything the conditions of a corn field or oil field can dish out. That said, you don’t have to be a miner, logger or farmer to appreciate the combination of toughness and comfort offered by Red Wing. Their products are still primarily made in the USA, at plants in Potosi, Missouri, Danville, Kentucky and two plants in Red Wing, Minnesota. Just make sure you check the labels before purchase, as they do manufacture some boots overseas.
7. For the Self-Propelled: Bowery Lane Bicycles are hand made in Manhattan with American steel. Which is no small thing, considering 99% of all bikes in the US are not made in America. Rather than assembly lines run by machine, Bowery Lane makes every bike by human hand. They weld it, paint it, assemble it, pack it and ship it from New York. And believe it or not, they’ve kept their prices for any city dwelling cyclist very affordable too.
8. For the Musician: Played by Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and countless others, Martin Guitars are hand made in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Martin has been family owned and operated for over 175 years, producing over one million instruments that look and sound fantastic – from acoustic guitars to ukuleles. As you can probably guess, with a company that’s been around since the time of President Andrew Jackson, they know how to make a product that lasts an awfully long time as well.
9. Get Rid of the Winter Chill: When you’re curling up with a good book (or should I say, e-reader) by the fire, it’s good to be wrapped in a blanket from one of the finest manufacturers in the country. The Minnesota-based Faribault Woolen Mill Company is one of the only fully integrated woolen mills still in existence today in America. From blankets to throws to scarves, everything is made with the highest quality material and guaranteed to last through one Winter after another.
10. One More Stocking Stuffer: It goes down stairs and is fun for a girl or a boy. That’s right, who could forget the classic Slinky? The original Slinky has been made in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania since 1964. However, keep in mind that the Slinky Dog and many other Poof-Slinky toys are made in China.

Need a few more? From Lodge Cast Iron Cookware to Kennedy tool boxes to Timberworks Toys to Defy Bags, we’ve got many options that are creative and built to last many, many holidays from now at Made Here Made Well.

And if you have suggestions for great gift ideas from companies that are made here, let’s hear them! We could all use some suggestions for the people on our shopping list.

Well, let’s start with just $3.33 each.

Here’s what I mean: Not long after we storm the shopping malls as we regularly do each year on Black Friday, we’re going to do some spending. A lot of spending. In fact, according to American Express, this holiday season Americans will spend an average of $831 on gifts.

Well, this year, holiday shopping comes with the potential of a beautiful win-win with our gift purchases – it can help get our economy back on track if we spend for our loved ones with a purpose. That purpose being that if we direct even a small fraction of our holiday spending towards products made in the USA, we will help to start putting our neighbors back to work.

If you’re wondering how reading the label on what you buy corresponds to a job recovery, consider this: Moody’s estimates that if every American spent an additional $3.33 on American-made products, it would create almost 10,000 new jobs in this country.

I don’t know about you, but that statistic blows my mind. We’re going to be spending on things for our kids, our grandkids, our friends and more. I don’t expect every cent of that to be on an American made product, but surely each of us has at least a little over $3 we can spend on something that’s made right here, don’t we?

I know the next line you’re going to say – “Yes, but so many things are made overseas. Where am I supposed to find great American made products in all the hecticness of the shopping season?”

Glad you asked. On Black Friday, I’ll post 10 Made In The USA Holiday Gift Ideas to give you some excellent places to start. Whether you’re looking for toys, apparel, speaker systems or more, I tracked down the kind of options that can help you deliver a gift that fits the special person in your life and make you feel great about buying American made.

Naturally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our own options here at Made Here Made Well. Everything on our website is, of course, made here and made well. There are a lot of great gift options to choose from.

For the cook in your family? Lodge Cast Iron Cookware
For the handyman? Kennedy tool boxes and chests.
For your kids? Timberworks Toys and Hoosier Bats.

Which makes it all the more easier to shop inside once in a while instead of fighting the crazy crowds outside for every last item.

Come to think of it, that last little advantage is worth $3.33 in itself, isn’t it?

I got to thinking about this the other day while I was risking my life walking through my family room. If you have young kids like me, you’ve got a sea of primary-colored plastic toys that you could easily step on and break. As I was making my way through those shabby-made toys, strewn across my beige carpet like a crime scene, I had a bit of realization:

Being “Green” is Great.
But Why Isn’t Durability More of Our Goal Too?

That’s the new challenge before us.

It’s fine and admirable to strive to make things incredibly well. But how we define “well” is somewhat up for discussion. Looks are fine. Having less of an environmental footprint is fine. Yet if it’s a product that doesn’t hold up for more than a few years, can we say it’s impeccably made “well”?

It appears manufacturers have focused so much on being green for the here and now that they’re not always thinking about how long that environmentally-friendly product can remain.

Yet, on top of all the amazing advances in green materials, green production technologies and green packaging, I believe we can have the best of both worlds – green AND durable – and should challenge ourselves to provide both in what we make.

Somewhere between the plastic jungle and my thinking about durability, I was led to Timberworks Toys. Like me, Timberworks Founder Chris Heston is a Dad who also believes in making products that are durable. It’s what inspired this master cabinetmaker to create a line of handmade wooden toys that his kids would play with for years and then hopefully pass on to their children as well.

This fine craftsmanship and lasting durability means Timberworks Toys won’t be discarded anytime soon. That surely is a very good thing for the environment. Including the environment in my living room too.

Check out the full line of Timberworks Toys we carry and sell right here at MadeHereMadeWell.com.

Learn more at www.SMEEF.org

Without looking at labels, the first pair of boots I picked up was a pair from John Varvatos. A great looking pair indeed. For those of you that haven’t heard of John Varvatos, he’s an American fashion designer. A fashion icon, really. Born and raised in Detroit. Worked for Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein before starting his own label. You may also know him from his Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” commercial.

The first thing I noticed was the price: $350. More than I wanted to spend. The second thing I noticed was the “Made in China” label on the tongue.

That got me thinking. I understand the economics of a company making $50 boots overseas. But $350 boots? There has to be a viable economic model for having your $350 boots made here in the USA, Mr. Varvatos.

There is more than a little “Red, White and Blue Washing” going on with the John Varvatos brands. They go out of their way to tie themselves in with Americana: Rock & Roll. Naming a brand “John Varvatos Star USA”. Chrysler commercials.

Here’s a novel marketing idea for bolstering up your red, white & blue credentials: let’s make the boots here. At your own plant or a company that makes them for you, I have to imagine that there is a way to make them here profitably.

I ended up walking out with a new pair of Red Wings. Made with pride in Minnesota.

Next time you go into your local big box hardware store, take a quick stroll down the tool aisle. If it’s anything like my local big box hardware store, I’m sure that you’ll find that many of the tools are made overseas.

Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against globalization. My father was born overseas. I’ve lived overseas for a couple of years. Owned Japanese and German cars. Worked for and with international companies.

What gets me about the big box store tools isn’t simply that they aren’t made here; it’s that they aren’t made well. Sure, you can get a giant set of sockets for $40, but I’ll bet that the chrome will be flaking off after a weekend of hard use.

This seems to be a race to the bottom. Purchasing agents at the big box stores are finding ways to cheapen products, for two apparent reasons:

• To bolster this quarter’s profits, without regard for the long term impact
• For planned obsolescence. If the product wears out in a couple of months, you’ll have to come back and buy another. And another. And another.

This is one of the many reasons I started MadeHereMadeWell.com. The manufacturers we feature on our site don’t know the meaning of the words “planned obsolescence.” They make products that you’ll be proud to use for a lifetime. And then pass on to the next generation.

Just like my grandfather’s tools.