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The Tip is 'Don't procrastinate' For years I've been buying ink jet cartridges from a big box office supply store. These cartridges were made overseas and labeled with the well-known brand of a large American printer company. One I remembered a local store that advertised quality cartridges. I had traveled by this local store hundreds of times but never stopped. This time I stopped at the local store. To my surprise I discovered that they carried the cartridge I needed and it was a Made in USA cartridge. Made in Chicago, to be precise, and it was half the price of the imported ones I had been buying for years. The quality is exceptional and they last longer too. Who knew? After that experience, I make a point to stop at every store I can. By doing so, I've been finding more and more Made in America products. Occasionally the clerks don't know the country of origin; this can be discouraging but finding the origin information yourself isn't difficult I've come to realize. Believe it not, there are actually a number of computers made in the US including laptops made in the USA. When the label is not visibly displayed I use the other Made in America buying tips to help me find Made in US. If the store doesn't carry what you are looking for, use Made in America Secrets to find it and tell the manager about your experience at their store. If enough people are asking for Made in America products stores will begin to carry them. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Green Toys We believe the world would be a much better place if everyone said please and thank you, cell phones didn't ring during movies, and all toys were fun, safe, and made from environmentally friendly materials. Since it's probably no use holding our breath for those first two, we're concentrating on the toys. Green Toys Inc. makes an awesome line of classic children's toys constructed from recycled plastic and other environmentally friendly materials. This helps reduce fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improving the overall health and happiness of the planet. Robert von Goeben - Co-Founder, Products Way back in the pre-Green Toys era, Robert was the founder of Propellerhead Studios, a leading Silicon Valley design studio specializing in electronic toys and games. At Propellerhead Studios, he worked with many major toy companies, including Mattel, Radica and Wild Planet. Before that, he was the founder and managing director of Starter Fluid, a seed-stage venture capital fund backed by institutional and corporate investors, including Compaq Computers and the University of Chicago. Robert's career began in the entertainment industry where he started and managed the online division at Geffen Records. Robert has an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA in Mathematics from the State University of New York. Bonus factoids: Robert holds two U.S. Patents in the field of toys and games, and plays a mean set of drums. His all-time favorite toy is Bing Bang Boing. Laurie Hyman - Co-Founder, Marketing Prior to starting Green Toys, Laurie worked as a marketing executive for several online consumer-marketing companies, including most recently Ingenio, a pioneer in combining the power and ubiquity of the Internet and phone to connect buyers and sellers. Before that, she was the first member of the marketing team at Webvan, where she managed relationships with some of the world's largest consumer packaged good companies, including P&G, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Kraft, General Mills and Pillsbury. Laurie also served as the director of marketing at Goodcompany.com, one of the Internet's first online social networks. Laurie has an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA in Business from Indiana University. Bonus factoids: Laurie is a certified public accountant, bakes incredible brownies, and has run the Los Angeles Marathon. Her all-time favorite toy is Gnip, Gnop. Steve Markey - Sales Having seen a potential professional soccer career in England cut short due to a tragic lack of ability, Steve entered the toy industry over 20 years ago. He has served in a variety of senior sales roles, including Director of International Sales for Ertl Europe, International Sales Director then Director of National Accounts for OddzOn, and VP of Sales for both Wham-O and Sprig Toys. Steve was born in Manchester, England, and is armed with a degree in French and Spanish from Leeds University. Bonus factoids: Steve is a terrible cook but an awesome dishwasher. He has completed six triathlons but has no intention of attempting a seventh. His all-time favorite toy is Subbuteo. |
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