Recently I was interviewed by a home furnishing publication. One of their questions was, “Why do you manufacture your products in the United States?” After thinking for a moment about the best way to answer, I decided to give both an answer and a question. “We manufacture our products in the USA because we think it’s the right thing to do. It creates jobs for our economy. It helps us to innovate other new products, too, since we’re already fully integrated with the manufacturing process. It’s not just about maximizing our bottom line – good business means more than that.”
Then I went on to ask my question, “Why NOT manufacture products here in the USA?” Answer: “There are benefits! We can utilize a ‘Just In Time’ warehouse and production area, allowing us to turn over our inventory many times per year. We can build closer relationships with our suppliers, who, for the most part, operate within a 100-mile radius. We can innovate and make running changes very, very quickly. It’s easy for our customers to get all the answers they need, because it’s our own tight group of employees that designs, manufactures, processes, ships and answers the phone – yes, we answer the phone!”
After the interview was over, I went to check on my son, who had been playing with his Legos, putting the blocks together in different, fun configurations. Thinking about the interview, I smiled and realized that I forgot another very key answer! Manufacturing products in the USA is fun!
Al Contarino
President & Co-Founder
KettlePizza
PS: If you didn’t get a chance to watch the ABC News Channel 5 visit to KettlePizza headquarters, you can check it out here!
