Preferential Treatment

The American-made comeback has strengthened with criticisms of foreign-made products making headlines; Team USA's 2012 Summer Olympics uniforms being made in China or last year's garment-factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,000 people are just two recent examples. Many buyers want U.S.-made products. According to Consumer Reports, 78 percent of consumers would rather buy a U.S.-made product if given the choice, with 60 percent willing to pay more for it.

U.S. manufacturing offers many benefits, such as job creation, safer working conditions and stricter environmental regulations. The increased desire for U.S.-made goods also has promoted some companies to begin "reshoring," or bringing manufacturing back to America, according to the April 22, 2013 TIME magazine article, "Made in the U.S.A." While wages in China and other countries remain lower than those in the U.S., rising shipping costs have made manufacturing in the U.S. more profitable in some instances.

Ahead of this American-made wave, some promotional product suppliers have been manufacturing stateside since their inceptions. Read on to learn not only how to please patriotic customers, but also which U.S.-made benefits can satisfy any client.

THE COMEBACK
Both HumphreyLine, Milwaukie, Ore., and Garyline, Bronx, N.Y., have predominantly U.S.-made product lines. Mel Ellis, HumphreyLine's president, and Scott Denny, Garyline's vice president of sales and marketing, both agree: The demand for "Made in America" is returning.

Some clients want products created on home soil, so HumphreyLine's new multi-line representatives are excited to now have a full line. "It means a lot to them," Ellis said. "Reps spend a lot of time chasing problems. And when they're chasing a problem, they're not making any money [and] they're not getting around to see their customers. It's dead time or negative time for them. And the customer is asking for 'Made in America.'"