The “Made in America” tag

By Carla Waldemar

The Berry Amendment enacted by Congress requires companies that fulfill government contracts to have the work done in America. “This suits us fine,” says Sharon Asmus of Responder Gear.

“We use fabrics made entirely in the U.S. to make sure the design is perfect and what the field needs, so we don’t have to make changes on a large container load. Plus, we support our products. If there’s an issue, we do replacements, and this policy makes it much easier.”

Katie Bradford of Custom Marine Canvas agrees. “It helps us that this is a woman-owned company,” she says.

“The Berry Amendment is a definite plus, without a doubt,” says Yates Bostic of Graniteville Specialty Fabrics. “Its requirements remain static, not a lot of change.”

SSM Industries’ Steve Smith says, “Anybody in this supply chain wouldn’t be around without it—the work would go overseas. If that ever happened and then you needed to get it back—if, say, that nation became an enemy—there’d be trouble. It’s vital. Plus, our soldiers like seeing a tag saying ‘Made in America.’”

Carla Waldemar is a freelance writer and editor based in Minneapolis, Minn.