I came across an ABC news article about a man in Bozeman, Montana that caught my eye. The article is about a man who is an Economist turned builder. Now this story doesn’t seem that unique, however, upon reading further, the man’s selection of materials is. He is constructing his houses entirely from American- Made products. In other words everything that goes into this house, he has researched to make sure that the product was actually made in good old USA. This is something that other professional contractors, like me, should take note.
Now why is this so interesting? He claims that if every builder bought just 5% more American- Made materials, it would create an additional 220,000 jobs! I don’t know about you, but if someone told me that if I made a conscious effort to run my business by purchasing only 5% more American-Made products, the US economy could greatly benefit; I would say that’s a win-win opportunity. The economy wins because this is a new job creator, and I win because it becomes an opportunity for me to educate clients that we are doing our part to help the economic recovery. Wouldn’t you as a homeowner, thinking about doing a remodeling project to your home, align yourself with a company that has that kind of thinking and commitment?
The Stan Better Family of Companies has committed itself to this task. We are now researching our suppliers to determine how best to achieve this goal. We are also working with our subcontractors to help them become involved in this effort. Our ultimate goal is to be able to provide you, our customer, with as many American-Made products as feasible. Unlike the “Green” movement which concentrates on recycling and energy conservation which all can add substantial upfront costs to the project, American-Made is a no brainer that only adds about 2% to the overall cost.
We all should try to do our part in this economic downturn. If you agree with this thinking, I would encourage you to apply this principle to your own home or business. It could be as simple as making sure your school or office supplies are purchased from companies that manufacture products right here in the USA.
This is not somebody else’s problem or just Washington’s problem to solve; it is collectively our problem to solve. The Stan Better Family of Companies is committed to do its part and together we will get through these tough times.
If you are interested in looking at the article, here is the site: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/s011/10/how-to-build-a-made-in-america-home/
The site also lists the products he used for his project and the state it is produced. The list can be found at:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Business/Made%20in%20America%20List.pdf