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The Tip is 'Where They're Proud' I recently saw an ad in our local newspaper for a big box home improvement store. Their newspaper ad had USA made products and American flags all over it. Several weeks later, I checked the ad again and sure enough they were still advertising their American made products. It was obvious they are proud to carry products Made in America. Their competitors made no mention of things Made in America. I have been to this store and asked what products are made in the USA? A clerk told me they primarily carry imports. Obviously they are not proud. I now realize you can buy many Made in the USA building supplies, including tools Made in USA and appliances Made in USA., in stores that are proud to carry brands Made in the USA. Here is another example of a store proudly carrying products Made in the USA. I was shopping for men's shoes in a local department store when I tried on three different pairs of shoes. I couldn't decide which pair I wanted so I went out on a limb and asked the clerk, "Are these shoes imports?" The salesman said "yes they are" so I asked, "Do you have any Made in America shoes like these?". To my surprise he said, with GREAT PRIDE, "yes sir, we have a whole line of Made In USA shoes". He brought me the same color and style with the Made in USA label. These Made in America shoes were less expensive, came with a better warranty, and were more comfortable. Looking for companies that are PROUD is simple and can have a great impact on our country. I encourage you to try this some time- just ask. You will love it when you realize you are making a difference that all of us will benefit from. With your help America will be ours again and that is a good thing. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Performance Scrubs During the 1970's, two European companies began experimenting with fabrics that would help keep athletes dry while competing in extremely cold temperatures. This early wicking material was primitive, felt like burlap and carried an odor. However, it achieved the initial goal of controlling moisture. Kirby Best, one of the Performance Scrubs founders, was a Canadian National Ski Team and Bobsled Team athlete and tested the material during his training and competitions during the 70's and 80's. In 2001, Kirby's wife, Anne, was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and was desperate for help to combat the negative effects of her treatment. Kirby suggested she wear his early wicking polypropylene long underwear. The results were amazing. Unfortunately, while this helped manage the night sweats, the garment was both uncomfortable and unflattering. The past three decades have brought a marked improvement to the look, feel and performance of moisture-wicking fabric. Today, the fabric is light, soft and silky, has odor controlling properties, helps moderate body temperature and is available in a variety of weights and finishes. The proliferation of this fabric in the athletic industry reaches every sport, is sold to all ages, and has replaced cotton clothing among elite athletes. The most recognizable brands using this material are UnderArmour?, Nike's Dri-fit?, and Coolmax?. In 2002, working with wicking material provided by Milliken & Company, Kirby started making sleepwear for Anne using this new kind of material. The effects for Anne were dramatic. Following remission from her cancer she decided to continue to develop sleepwear for women and men in the same predicament. Thus Performance Sleepwear was born. The business, based from home and marketed under the DryDreams brand, gradually grew a loyal client base and demand grew for garments made from this new material. Due to the personal nature of DryDreams, profits from this venture have been donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Today, through the iShare! Program, Performance Scrubs is building an organization that helps support the worthy causes of the organizations that help tell the world about the sustainability of Performance Scrubs - a win for the customer, the cause and the company. In 2009 Kirby was introduced to Cullman Regional Medical Center, a ?Top 15? U.S. hospital located in Cullman, Alabama. The CEO of the hospital was aware of the Performance Sleepwear line and asked Performance to design a new scrub and gown for his hospital teams using the specialized fabric. Up to this point the material that Performance was using in its sleepwear line had only achieved measurable popularity in the sports market. Recognizing the need that exists within the medical, dental and veterinary fields, Performance sought to expand its partnership with innovative fabric creator Milliken & Company to explore fully this opportunity. Due in part to the vision and highly skilled team that Performance has created for this endeavor, Milliken & Company, which is a $2.3 billion private company, worked with Performance to tailor its innovative fabric specifically for the health care sector. Testing has revealed that these next-generation scrubs are catching on and medical professionals are dumping their cotton incubators and adopting this next generation line of scrubs. |
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