My story isn’t all that unique. When I grew up, here in Ohio, my father supported us by working in a factory.
About 20 years ago his shop offshored.
He had a difficult time getting back into the workforce because, like his previous employer, many of our local factories either shut down or relocated.
Since then I’ve been struggling to figure out how all this happened.
How could someone who went to work day in and day out; a guy you’d want to grab a beer with, became suddenly obsolete. My dad, like many others out there, was the backbone of our economy but had lost.
But..again.. How could this have happened?
After reading Micheal McKeldon Woody’s book, “American Dragon,” I came to a simple realization. Too many small suppliers and job shops were outbid by manufacturers in faraway lands. It was the domino effect. Once enough of the supply chain‘s smaller factories left our area, the larger ones were the next to go.
This is not me being xenophobic or “anti-China” but since my dad lost his job I’ve had a hard time with the idea that every person; regardless of country, deserves a job. It ultimately does more harm than good to blame other countries, be xenophobic, or “anti-China”, because like my dad, everyone does deserve a chance to contribute.
Despite the history, I think we’re in a good spot now.
We’re in a good spot mainly because we have a strong future to focus on. And second of all because we learned something about working with suppliers with uncertain output. At the time, offshoring jobs was not a bad idea. Our businesses helped jumpstart other economies and gave us cheap parts for a few decades. But now… we’re not in the same place we were previously in. Now we have a better understanding of the quality that comes from lower-cost parts and a keen awareness of the negative effects that a lack of manufacturing jobs had on our local economies. Now we have much better working environments, incredible technology, and a new, eager generation who could earn a great living working in a modern shop like yours.
What I’m asking you to do is this:
Just take a look in our list of manufacturers. If you can’t find one of your favorite job shops in there, then let me know. I’ll make sure they make the list and get seen by other businesses so their factory can thrive and keep delivering quality production, quickly and continue to serve our communities.
