Up front: American made still matters on the Fourth

The fourth of July is just around the corner, and it’s understandable if you’re thinking about baseball games, burgers and a dip in the pool.

But for some people, Independence Day means something a little more significant.Our Conversation this week is with Don Rongione, who runs Bollman Hat Co. in northern Lancaster County. Rongione has been one of the leaders in a group called American Made Matters, which turns 5 years old on July 4. Rongione became involved in the effort because his company had been pounded by foreign competition, a trend that dates back to 2000, when the U.S. granted China most-favored-nation trade status.He started the effort in 2009, and today the group has 280 members, up from 70 just two years ago.For Rongione and his group, July 4 is about economic independence. From 1940 to 1980, the United States became an economic powerhouse on the strength of American manufacturing. From 1980 to 2010, just about all of those manufacturing jobs went away, lost to cheap labor markets, technology and misguided trade policy.There is hope. A recent report from the Reshoring Initiative says the bleeding has stopped – the number of manufacturing jobs coming back to and going out of the U.S. are about the same – but the patient still needs more blood, more jobs.So in between grilling and swimming, take a minute to think about what you can do to support American manufacturers. Have a Happy Fourth.

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More about this reporter

Name: Dan Fink
Position: Business Weekly editor

Profile: Dan Fink is editor of Business Weekly.