The New Industrial Revolution is Now!

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A Revolution in the Making

"For big companies, it means a swath of new tools to build smarter, leaner factories and explore innovative new products, materials and techniques that weren't possible before. And thanks to plummeting prices, small companies have access to better, cheaper manufacturing equipment and design tools—giving even one-person startups the chance to create market-shaking innovations."

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal posted an article highlighting the advances in modern technology that can lead to more specialized and advanced production in the United States. Advances that include: large data collection, cloud based measurement, the access  and affordability of 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

This is very exciting to have innovative and creative technology merging to disrupt traditional inefficient (by today's standards) industries. We can even see this in modern companies emerging today.

Take CONSTRVCT, a company who just completed the TechStars accelerator program, and is revolutionizing fashion design, using 3D modeling while incorporating traditional sewing and cutting technique to make each design unique.

These tools and resources are opening up a whole new window of opportunity for American Made makers and manufacturers.

If you have favorite story of innovative companies advancing the American Made industry send us a note.

“The American Made Voice” Featuring: Mrs. American Made

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Leading up to SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY on June 29th, we wanted to feature members of the American Made community; how they got involved and why the American Made community is important to them.

Today SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY introduces to you, Mrs. American Made:

I have a made in USA style blog called Mrs. American Made. I am not a model. I am not a super-duper high-end fashionista. I am just a mom in Boulder, Colorado, trying to look cute on an everyday basis. I photograph my made in USA outfit almost every day and post photos on the blog.

My blog came about as a combination of several factors. First of all, I love clothing and accessories, and making outfits is one of my favorite pastimes. I had discovered these style blogs and started watching a few every day. And my husband and I have friends who recently started an advertising agency, Made Movement, which is dedicated to supporting a resurgence in American manufacturing. One of the ways they do this is the “Made Collection,” an e-commerce site offering really cool American-made goods. BUT I kept noticing that most of the items were geared toward men. And I when I looked elsewhere for cool women’s American-made goods, it looked grim. And wherever I shopped I found so much made overseas.

It was incredibly eye-opening to start looking at tags on clothing. It turns out that only 2% of the clothing sold here is made here. In 1960, 95% of clothing sold in the United States was made in the United States. And it turns out that if consumers spent just an extra 1% on U.S. goods, it would create 200,000 jobs here. And I realized most people are not even aware of what is going on. And it all came together for me: I could start one of these style blogs and feature only American-made apparel so that women could realize that it can be done.

-Ana Bogusky

Thanks to Mrs. American Made for sharing her story and contributing to the American Made community. If you would like to share your story please email us. and if you know a company that you would like featured please  submit their info.

“The American Made Voice” Featuring: MadeinUSABlog.org

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Leading up to SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY on June 29th, we wanted to feature members of the American Made community; how they got involved and why the American Made community is important to them.

Today SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY introduces to you MadeinUSABlog.org :

Alex Kaplan started MadeinUSABlog.org in 2008 after deciding that he wanted to do something about the loss of American manufacturing jobs and the trade deficit.

Ever since I was little I was keenly conscious of where products were made.  I was also particularly proud when I would find American-made products overseas or on the rack of my local store.  As domestic manufacturing has declined, I've become even more acutely aware.  It's also become more of a challenge to buy American.  I believe that if we don't favor American-made products then we will continue to see an erosion in our manufacturing base and in the overall US economy.  

I decided to start MadeinUSABlog.org as one man's attempt to be heard and to lead by example.  I document various shopping experiences where I succeed and fail at buying American.  I detail the tricks I use as well as new products that I was previously unaware are American.  I try to highlight new businesses that manufacture in the US as well as established ones that are either moving manufacturing back to the US or swimming against the current of off-shoring.  There is also a directory of domestically-manufacturing companies and shopping sites specializing in made in USA products. I think that MadeinUSABlog.org is just one more voice in the chorus promoting buying American.  I think that it's making a difference.

Alex Kaplan

Thanks to Alex of MadeinUSABlog.org for sharing his story and contributing to the American Made community. If you would like to share your story please email us and if you know a company that you would like featured use our company submission form.

“The American Made Voice” Featuring: Fashion-Kat

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Leading up to SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY on June 29th, we wanted to feature members of the American Made community; how they got involved and why the American Made community is important to them.

Today SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY introduces to you, Fashion-Kat:

Fashion-Kat is a blog featuring the latest fashions made in America, written by cousins (Kim, Autumn, and Tiffany) of Michigan. The blog was created in response to their personal experience working in the fashion industry, the struggling U.S. economy, and the ABC World News Made in America campaign.

We kept asking ourselves what we wanted for our future and what could we do to help our country make a comeback using our knowledge and passions. Fashion-Kat was the result! The blog enables us to share our love of American fashion and beauty with the entire globe. The content, which ranges from local designers to larger well known companies, will always be positive and promote the talented people, products, and communities in which we live. Our goal is to show everyone how easy it can be to incorporate Made in America fashion into your everyday life. We want to inspire people to start shopping with a "fashion conscience" in support of one another. Fashion-Kat is more than just a typical fashion blog, it's an outlet for us to share our love for style, support our communities, and show pride of our country.

-Kim from Fashion-Kat

Thanks to the ladies of Fashion-Kat for sharing their story and contributing to the American Made community. Follow them here.

If you would like to share your story please email us and if you know a company that you would like featured please submit a company here.

5 Reasons Why American Made Companies Should Brand in Person

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As we approach the inaugural SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY we wanted to offer some tips on helping you improve your companies success, especially in person.

So to help increase awareness about the American Made products, art, fashion and more, we are bringing together the American Made community for SHOP AMERICAN SATURDAY at CRAFTED LA

So let's go!

  • Brand Exposure leading up to the event, on-site, and post-event promotional materials, with cross promotional opportunities.
  • Qualified Leads and members of the community approaching YOU.
  • Show and Tell your product and/or service in person to the appropriate audience. The story is one of the most important parts!
  • Build Relationships with potential customers, partners, and other like minded companies.
  • Test Your Products by presenting new items and prices, all while getting that all important customer FEEDBACK.

These are all important aspects to grow you business, but to put a face on your brand? That's priceless.

Thompson Tee Crowd Sourcing Domestic Manufacturing Support

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Via Huffington Post -

Billy Thompson has tried vehemently to keep the entire supply chain of his T-shirt company located in the United States, but doing so is proving harder than he ever imagined.

Launched to the public in January 2012, his Thompson Tee apparel company makes T-shirts with a patent-pending technology that blocks underarm sweat and sells them to customers online through its website ThompsonTee.com.

Thompson says his business is sustainable and has been operating with a profit, but he's struggling to expand. He needs investors to step in to support the domestic manufacturing of his shirts, but he hasn’t been able to find them.

Investors have been reticent to support a company that makes all its clothes in the U.S., where labor costs are much higher than in most garment manufacturing hubs abroad, such as Bangladesh or Cambodia. In fact, Thompson has turned down investment offers that demanded he shift manufacturing operations overseas, he said in an interview with The Huffington Post.

“We don’t want to offshore production,” said Thompson. “We want everything to stay here. We’ve sacrificed a lot.”

Now Thompson is turning to the public for aid. On June 1, he's kicking off a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help expand the company’s operations in the U.S.

“At this point we're in pretty desperate need for growth capital,” said Thompson.

He's looking to raise at least $25,000 to cover materials and labor to launch a new “Classic Tee,” without the added underarm protection, and to introduce black shirts to his line of products. The company promises that for every 2,000 shirts made by Thompson Tee, one American job will be added to its supply chain.

Thompson admitted he could knock down labor costs by at least half if he began making clothes abroad, but he wants to keep the operation domestic.

“I totally believe that you can outsource production and you can do it in a fair and ethical way,” said Thompson. “For us, it’s a specific focus on supporting the U.S. economy.”

Thompson declined to share revenue numbers, but he claims Thompson Tee gets orders every single day from all over the U.S., and his company has sold shirts to more than 30 countries around the world. The product isn't available in physical stores yet, but Thompson said retailers like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Men’s Wearhouse have inquired about selling the shirts.

Apple's Made-in-USA Mac Will Be Built in Texas

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During a Tuesday appearance before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the state in which its Made-in-USA Mac will be manufactured: Texas.

“We’re investing $100 million to build a Mac product line here in the U.S.,” Cook said. “The product will be assembled in Texas, include components made in Illinois and Florida, and rely on equipment produced in Kentucky and Michigan.”

Read more about Apple's Made-in-USA Mac at AllThingsD.

Meet the innovators - Ron Finley

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Through our outreach and connections from friends, we get the opportunity to speak with some great innovators who are driving forces in the growth of community and the American interdependence movement. Ron Finley is one of those people who we had the pleasure of speaking with. Ron and the folks from LA Green Grounds are planting edible gardens in Southern Los Angeles, an area that has been referred to as a "food desert" because of the lack of healthy food choices. Similar to some of the challenges faced in buying American Made products, buying food at chain supermarkets and fast food restaurants is often too convenient to not shop there. In many cases it is simply an economic decision but more often than not, the issue is compounded by lack of awareness and accessibility with regards to the options for food. It is Ron's hope that people will make a more informed decisions and healthier choices if they are engaged and informed. We share this vision and encourage planting, supporting farmers markets and local produce.

He's mobilizing and inspiring a neighborhood to better their surroundings, to lean on and learn from their neighbors and take advantage of natural resources. This is American interdependence.

To learn more about Ron Finley and LA Green Grounds, take a look at these links and watch the videos below.