by Julie Reiser

Buying American is just the right thing to do for our country! Our company, Made in USA Certified, couldn’t be more thrilled with the renewed focus and energy on all things “Made in America” or “Made in U.S.A.” This has been a long time coming, and the timing could never be more critical in terms of our country’s survival and competitiveness on the global stage.

It all started when my husband and I had a dream back in 2004 with a vision for a magazine that would tell the inspirational, all-American stories of the American manufacturer. We hoped to inspire the hopes and dreams of others and ignite the American spirit within our readers. We told the stories of great American entrepreneurs both big and small–their humble beginnings, their challenges and triumphs. We saw early on, with our very first issue, that we were like salmon swimming upstream against the massive current of globalization and outsourcing. We heard over and over how we were crazy and that no one would be interested in companies manufacturing in the U.S., and worse—because they were a dying species—we would have fewer and fewer stories to tell.

But, as American entrepreneurs, we were not easily derailed from our dream, and the more we heard all the reasons it would never work, the more we thought of all the reasons why it would, and why it was important.

However, a surprising thing happened within the process—and most entrepreneurs will tell you that—it is through the process you tweak your idea, figure out the holes and modify your plan. As they say, “ Innovation is the mother of necessity” - and so it is. If the United States is going to “out innovate” and “out compete” the rest of the world, it is critical that we are doing something, making things. That will be the only way new innovation will sprout and take root.

Our innovation was the fact that, out of all the hundreds of U.S. manufacturers we interviewed for stories, editorials and advertising, we consistently heard the same complaints. Companies felt that not only did they have to compete unfairly with outsourcing companies, but also that they had to compete against American companies making false claims of being “Made in USA” that there was no oversight, and that there was a lot of confusion around what “Made in USA” actually meant and the qualifications around the claim.

Often times, in every obstacle/challenge there lies an opportunity. So, as we listened to the challenges of the U.S. manufacturer, we saw an opportunity not being currently served in the marketplace. Hence, Made in USA Certification was born in 2008 and we have now, through a lot of hard work and perseverance, grown to be the nation’s leader in third party, independent verification of the “Made in USA,” “Product of USA” and “Service in USA” Certifications. Made in USA Certified conducts a proprietary supply chain audit process that verifies that the company’s claims meet or exceed those of the United States Regulations.

U.S. companies who have taken the critical and honorable step of becoming Made in USA Certified immediately set themselves apart from their competition as they have proven to be 100 percent transparent about their supply chain, work force and vendors. They have allowed an independent firm to come in and audit their supply chain with total transparency – and we think that says a lot about a company.

As a mother to six boys, wife, consumer, and business woman, I think it is important that when we are talking about “Buying American” that we truly are supporting companies that fit that profile—that the dollars we spend on these goods and services are kept here in America and go to provide valuable and necessary U.S. jobs to Americans with companies that are legitimately “Made in USA.”

America needs Made in USA Certified; she needs you – the consumer. You, as consumers, have more power than you realize. You can choose every day to purchase products “Made in USA” or somewhere else—and each one of those choices has a consequence. The consequence may not be felt immediately, but, as we are seeing now with our country’s economic meltdown – with cities, states, people going bankrupt, losing their homes and livelihoods – at some point we have to stop and face the music of our choices, as we are doing today.

The good news is we can always choose today to be better, live better and make better choices. We can always reinvent ourselves and the way we approach our lives. There is no better day than the present to make better, stronger choices that will leave a better world for our children and our grand-children.  Let’s learn from the lessons of our past, and pledge to do better for our country and ourselves.

Invest in our country, invest in ourselves and our children’s future—there is no better time than the present! Let’s turn this trend around together, united we stand, with the fire of our American spirit burning so bright for the world to see.

Now is the time to “Buy American,” support our country, U.S. jobs and manufacturing. We are the greatest country in the world, and we will “out innovate, out build and “out compete” the rest of the world—we just need to get busy...so, let’s get to work America! God Bless America!