LOUISVILLE SLUGGER

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Hillerich & Bradsby Co., better known as Louisville Slugger, got its start back in 1884. It began when a furniture maker’s son, Bud Hillerich, used the furniture shop to make a custom bat for professional baseball player, Pete Browning. Two decades later Louisville Slugger signed the first athlete to endorse a bat, Honus Wagner and the rest is history. Today Louisville Sluggers are used in every line up in the major leagues. They use Northern White Ash grown in their Pennsylvania and New York forests. Each year 40,000 Northern White Ash trees provide the timber for the 6,000-10,000 bats produced at the factory every day. That equals 8 million bats a year. The factory mixes tradition with technology, where old school craft meets modern CNC machine. The CNC machine used to make the major league bats is the only one of its kind in the world. From there the MLB…Continue Reading

MATIX CAPITAL COLLECTION

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Matix Design Director Mike Gomez says the Capital Collection is designed to build awareness around the quickly vanishing art of American clothing manufacturing and to shine a light upon the quality produced by those that still take pride in the craft. “It’s surprisingly difficult at this point in time to make stuff in the US,” says Gomez. “There’s just not a lot of factories in existence that can do this work.” Matix VP Brian Dunlap says in addition to using the superior quality of American made textiles, Capital Collection designers went the distance and challenged themselves to source everything, down to the trimming, domestically. “There’s a lot of stuff you see that says Made-In-The-USA,” says Dunlap. “But many of the components that go into these products are actually made overseas. The thing that sets this collection apart is that we’ve gone to great lengths to actually build every trim, every…Continue Reading

FREE TRADE

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the challenges and pitfalls of free-trade, and the unbalanced rulings against the USA by the WTO. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE

KITCHEN AID

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As you drive through the town of Greenville, Ohio and out towards farm country, you encounter two massive plants, both owned by the Whirlpool Corporation. Today our adventure was inside 1701 KitchenAid Way, the manufacturing home to EVERY single KitchenAid Stand Mixer in the world. The KitchenAid plant employs just around 650 workers, one of which I was lucky enough to have guide me through the factory. Sharon has worked at this very plant for several decades, starting out in the paint booth and making her way to various stations involved in the production of the famed Stand Mixer, of which 6,000-8,000 are produced per day. She, as did all of the employees I encountered, talked with a sense of pride and duty when discussing the history, quality and manufacturing process of the 1.7 million KitchenAid Stand Mixers that pass through Greenville, Ohio every year. These employees work on every…Continue Reading

ETHAN ALLEN

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The furniture industry has been one of the hardest hit over the last two decades and North Carolina is ground zero for the US furniture industry. Ethan Allen was founded in 1932 and is currently one of the largest furniture companies in the USA. More than seventy percent of its cherry, maple and alder wood pieces are crafted in the United States. Ethan Allen has six manufacturing facilities including two sawmills, but over the last four years have had to close 2 factories. With the threat of cheap foreign imports, now is as important of a time as ever to support the companies that still make an effort to manufacture in the USA. ethanallen.com

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER

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This week’s interview is with  P.J. Shelley, tour and programming director at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. We about the history and pride that surrounds the iconic wood baseball bats made in Louisville, Kentucky.   Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Louisville Slugger? I am the tour and programming director for the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory and I’ve been here for just over 3 years. I’m a huge baseball fan, so what better than to work for a company who makes baseball bats. I get paid to talk to people about baseball, manufacturing and baseball bats. People really get excited to come here and take a tour of the factory and it pumps people up, so it’s a fun job.   How big of deal is it to manufacture your bats in America, for America’s pastime? It’s important. I think that America’s…Continue Reading

CORVETTE

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the Bowling Green Assembly Plant that assembles the Corvette, an American icon. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE  

WILSON FOOTBALL

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Since 1941 every NFL game ball has been made by Wilson, and since 1955 all of those balls have been made in their Ada, Ohio factory. It is the only football specific factory in the world. The NFL is the only major sports league to make their ball in the USA. With a production capacity of 4,000 balls a day and over 700,000 footballs a year, it keeps all 120 factory employees busy around the clock. Most of their employees have several generations of factory employees in the family, with decades of experience. The above video is episode 1 of 3 for the Wilson Football Factory series. View Episode 2 and Episode 3.   FACTORY TOUR DETAILS: Call 419.634.9901 for all info regarding the Wilson Football factory tour, as details change regularly. Cost: Reservations: Yes, call ahead: 419.634.9901 Tour Duration: Factory hours: Wilson Football Factory 217 Liberty St. Ada, OH 45810 Also, head on…Continue Reading

TELLASON JEANS

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Denim and American culture are intertwined and have been since the 1870s. Built as an industrial work pant for miners and farmers in San Francisco, California and evolved into a staple in everyday fashion by the 1950s. It’s always been a source of pride to have a durable pair of denim manufactured from quality components. Tellason jeans are made in San Francisco with the highly coveted White Oak Cone raw denim from North Carolina and tanned leather patches from the state of Oregon. If you are looking for a quality pair of denim that reflects the industrial history of the USA, then take a gander at a pair of Tellason jeans. The above video was posted by Vertical Online.

ALLIANCE FOR AMERICAN MFG

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Today’s interview is with Steven Capozzola from the Alliance for American Manufacturing. AAM was formed back in 2007 and is a leading advocate and powerful voice in the support of American manufacturing. They have a great news feed on their site that is an invaluable resource for US citizens, and has been for 50 BUILT. The video above is from AAM’s website.   Can you give 50 BUILT readers some background on yourself and how you came to your current position at AAM? I’m the media director at the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM).  I moved to Washington, DC in 2004 to work on trade policy.  I had become very concerned by the ongoing loss of America’s manufacturing base.  I started working at the U.S. Business and Industry Council (USBIC), and learned a lot about trade policy from USBIC’s president, Kevin Kearns.  He’s a great guy, really knowledgeable, involved in the…Continue Reading

PORK BARREL

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the out of control government spending and near record unemployment. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE

DACOR RANGE DR30DI

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Looking for innovative, American made kitchen appliances? Since 1965 Dacor, a family owned company, has been designing and engineering luxury kitchen products that serve as industry benchmarks. They have frequently been the recipients of industry awards and strive to provide paramount service to their customers and industry partners. Dacor’s new premium performing and stylish 30” dual-fuel ” Slide-in range, Model DR30DI, offers homeowners entry into a professional grade range with an unrivaled price-to-performance! This range in combination with their newly introduced Renaissance 30” Epicure raised ventilation system is a natural for an island or wall without the additional vent hood expense. The Dual-fuel range has many distinctive features such as the electronic angled control panel with clock and touchpad for easy reading, six cooking modes, electronic indicator lights, SimmerSear TM Burners with 14” extra wide continuous platform grates, porcelain-enameled spill basins for easier cleanup, digital temperature probe, Dacor’s Four-part Pure…Continue Reading

RED WING SHOES

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Red Wing Shoe Company of Red Wing, Minnesota has a long and proud history dating back to 1905. Providing footwear for American soldiers in WWI and WWII, Red Wing quickly became a household name in the USA. Today they provide top quality work boots that are worn with pride around the world. Majority of Red Wing’s boots are hand-made in the USA. They have four factories across the country in Potosi, Missouri and Danville, Kentucky and two plants in Red Wing, Minnesota. FACTORY TOUR DETAILS: Cost: FREE Reservations: Call Red Wing Chamber of Commerce – 651.388.4719 Tour Duration: 1 hour Factory hours: M & F 10AM RED WING SHOE COMPANY 314 MAIN ST. RED WING, MN 55066 800.RED.WING redwingshoes.com

FLINT & TINDER

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In a market where it’s virtually impossible to find a product made in the USA, Flint and Tinder is trying to make it an option again. With cotton sourced from California, elastic bands from Florida and packaging products from around the country, it’s a worthy effort to the Made in America movement. They are making an effort to increase the 1% of men’s undergarments that are made in the USA, and have recently had a successful Kickstarter campaign raising over $290,000 of their initial $30,000 goal. Their short history and Kickstarter success shows the US market is ready to support American Made. The above video is from Flint & Tinder’s Kickstarter campaign. flintandtinderusa.com

INFINITY SURFBOARDS

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Today’s interview is with Steve Boehne of Infinity Surfboards. Infinity brings a unique perspective to 50 BUILT being a manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler of their products. Steve having been a shaper for 50 years now, and Infinity having been around since 1970, together bring an outlook that spans decades, economic times and technology.   How did you get your start in shaping surfboards and how was the surf industry different back then? I would say that all American Surfboard makers started out as surfers in the first place, and that’s where the key to our success is, that we love the sport. With me, I started out surfing when I was 12 years old and that very same year I made my first surfboard. Within 10 years after that, by the time I was 20 years old, I was shaping professionally, at the same time I was going to college.…Continue Reading

AMERICAN WHISTLE

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the American Whistle Corporation, the only metal whistle company manufacturer in the USA. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE

AMERICAN WHISTLE CORPORATION

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Brief History: The American Whistle Corporation is located in Columbus, Ohio and is the only metal whistle company made in the USA. Founded in 1956 as Colsoff Manufacturing, American Whistle has been operated by the current owner since 1987. The Tour: I had set up a tour appointment with American Whistle employee, Amber Roberston, and she was nice enough to take the time to show me the facilities and explain the process they use to manufacture their over 1 million whistles every year. Amber talked me through the company’s history, how the whistles are made, what they offer and their niche in the overall whistle market. Amber is the newest member of the 9 person workforce at American Whistle, and she has been there for over 5 years! The rest of the crew measure their tenure in decades, not years, a true testament to a great company. Perhaps the most…Continue Reading

METHOD BICYCLE

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Bike builder and designer, Garry Alderman, is behind the Chicago-based Method Bicycles. Specializing in custom steel framed bikes for everyone from racers to weekend riders. If you’re in the market for unique one of a kind bike built for you specifically, you can only get it from companies like Method. Every bike takes into consideration sizing needs, component needs and riding preferences. (VIA TYLER GOURLEY)

STEPHANIE DAWN BAGS

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Today’s interview is with Sticky Rammel of Stephanie Dawn. Stephanie Dawn is a bag company located in Van Wert, Ohio and was created by the American manufacturer, KAM. They have over 750 independent retailers across the country currently carrying Stephanie Dawn bags.   Can you give 50 BUILT readers some background KAM manufacturing and the catalyst for creating the Stephanie Dawn bag collection? Kam Manufacturing, Inc. is a family-owned, family-operated business located in a small town in Northwest Ohio called Van Wert. KAM manufactured highly sought-after quilted cotton handbags for another company for 24+ years until that company took most of their production overseas. When that happened in 2008, as opposed to closing, the family decided to design and manufacture their own brand of handbags and accessories in order to keep as many employees as they could manage. This new line was named Stephanie Dawn after Kim Adams’ only granddaughter at…Continue Reading

AMERICAN STEEL

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the strength and advantages both in work efficiency and cost of the US Steel Industry. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE

WOOSTER BRUSHES

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Wooster manufacturing and company headquarters have been located on Madison Ave, Wooster, Ohio since 1909. Their in-house engineering, production, graphic design and printing departments employ 520. The company is known for their quality and innovative high standards. Milestones noted are the invention of angle sash paintbrushes and a development of cementing bristles to the paintbrush using their “Foss-set” process. They were the first to create brushes of nylon filaments used with latex paints and also first to use synthetic fabrics for paint roller covers, now standard in the industry. Wooster Brush Company has the solution for painting shelves, trim and the challenging ceiling-to-wall angle with their Shortcut R. This award winning brush was introduced in 1999. The brush is full-sized with only a 2 ¼ unique, maneuverable handle. The soft Shergrip TM handle gives more control and comfort. This brush can be used with all paints and varnishes and stains. Wooster…Continue Reading

AMERICAN APPAREL

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Usually for the Factory Tour we feature a video above, but American Apparel has a video for every department and floor of their Los Angeles factory on their website. Grab a bowl of popcorn, kick back and get to know the factory that makes your favorite American Apparel garment. There are 38 department videos to peruse. INTERACTIVE FACTORY TOUR VIA THEIR WEBSITE. FACTORY TOUR DETAILS: Cost: Reservations: Yes, call ahead: 213.488.0226 Tour Duration: Factory hours: American Apparel Factory 747 Warehouse St. Los Angeles, CA 90021 213.488.0226 americanapparel.net

JACK DANIELS – JULY 4

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This week represents a huge part of what our country stands for, and was built upon. Freedom & Independence. Jack Daniels has been doing an American craftsmen series with designers and artists around the country to showcase freedom & independence in their own style and their unique crafts. It’s fitting since Jack Daniels is one of the most recognizable American brands and best selling Whiskey in the world with their sour mash Tennessee whiskey and iconic black label. Jack Daniels has been produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by the Jack Daniel Distillery since 1875. The above video is of Derek McDonald, a traditional sign painter in Berkeley, California. He paints on wood and on the door of a vintage, 1950 pickup truck. According the Jack Daniels website, “The door was later removed from the truck and, along with the signboard, photographed to create the artwork for print ads, posters and large-scale…Continue Reading

SUBSIDIZED

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This week’s wallpaper highlights the challenge domestic manufacturing is up against when foreign governments lure domestic companies with subsidies. Available in 4 different sizes for your computer or iphone. Free to download. Also available as a poster for purchase in the shop. STANDARD SCREEN | WIDESCREEN SCREEN | HD SCREEN | iPHONE

HANDY TWINE KNIFE

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There is not much left to review after watching the video above and reading the details from Best Made Co.’s website. It’s American innovation in a small ring-size package. It’s been around since 1904 and the shear simplicity has kept it relevant in our 2012 world. Manufactured in Upper Sandusky, Ohio for over a century. From Best Made Co.’s website: • Patented in 1912 • Aluminum ring, steel blade • Titanium Nitride coating on the blade for extended sharpness • comes in a three pack (sizing below) “James Caldwell ran a railway mail route from Pittsburgh to Chicago. On the bucking train he watched over his cargo with a sidearm and ofttimes worked a knife to open twine wrapped bundles of mail. This job was a juggling act and so Caldwell invented the Handy Twine Knife: a highly useful cutting tool worn around the finger (any finger) thus freeing up the…Continue Reading