Opening Thoughts from the President and CEO
January 31, 2012Rich Walker, AAMA President and CEO
Increasing the percentage of American goods used in building a home – such a simple concept with far reaching implications for our economy and the industry. ABC News has covered this in Made in America: A Blueprint for Creating Jobs.
Economist turner builder, Anders Lewendal, believes that if every builder simply used 5% more products that were made in America 220,000 jobs would be created. Hal Sirkin with the highly regarded Boston Consulting Group agrees, “It will absolutely create jobs.”
Lewendal has gone beyond just 5%, he’s building a home in Bozeman, MT, made entirely of American goods. He’s even created a list of building products made in the U.S., and it’s continued to grow.
One of AAMA’s very own, Amsco Windows, has made the list. Of course, we know there are many more of you that would make the cut and would qualify as not just American made, but also manufacturers of incredibly high quality products.
Maze Nails in Peru, IL, made the list. Once the builder began using these American-made nails, he discovered that though a bit more expensive, they don’t jam the nail gun as much. Many people think that American made products are much more expensive or don’t have the same innovations. Lewendal is building the house in MT at only 1% more than any other average home.
This straightforward solution could be the fastest, easiest way to rebuild our economy and put people back to work.
Of course, AAMA is totally behind this idea one hundred percent. It’s in our name! AAMA is solely focused on American fenestration products, and we’re proud of that! Because we are so attentive to American goods, we remain the expert on U.S. codes, legislation and standards. With 75 years of history behind us, we look forward to what the future holds for our industry.
Let us know if you’ve heard of other ideas that could pull us out of this economic slump. We’ll be addressing this and many more issues during our upcoming Annual Conference (February 26-29 in Naples, FL). We invite you to join us in ensuring that American-made fenestration remain the highest quality products in the world.
American Architectural