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The Tip is 'Ask Before You Buy' I went to a department store for a pair of dress shoes recently. The clerk helped me with three different pairs that I tried on. 'The Big Secret' was on the forefront of my mind so I asked, "Are these shoes imports?" The salesman responded that they were in fact imported. "Do you have any Made In America shoes like these?" I asked. To my surprise he said, "We have a whole line of Made In USA shoes." I was able to purchase 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. It's amazing how often this simple Made in US question yields unexpected and often times pleasant results. I now ask this question regularly, whereas before I would not have thought to ask for a Made in America alternative. More often than not, I can find a Made in America product of higher quality and at the same, or slightly higher price. Asking the question is so simple and can make a positive impact, in both the short and long term. Try it sometime. If you are like me, you may be surprised with how many Made in US products are out there. You will love it when you realize you are making a difference that benefits many. 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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