Last week, President Trump launched a concentrated “Made in America” emphasis to honor American workers, farmers and innovators in celebration of his campaign promise to “Make America Great Again.”
On July 19, as part of this initiative, I had the privilege of sitting immediately beside President Trump in a White House roundtable with fellow corporate presidents and CEOs committed to making commodities in America.
"America will be first again," the president told the group. "We will once again rediscover our heritage as a manufacturing nation. It will restore the bonds of kinship between our citizens and our communities."
As the inventor of MyPillow, I have been a proponent of American-made products for decades. I do all of my own manufacturing in my home state of Minnesota – 10 million pillows last year alone, and a total of 30 million since creating MyPillow in 2005.
Additionally, I am a proponent of President Trump. I first met Mr. Trump in August of 2016 during which we specifically spoke about everything made in America, bringing jobs back to the U.S. and strategies for reviving the inner cities. I realized right then he would be the best president ever.
Like Mr. Trump, an entrepreneur and business man by trade, I have seen, first-hand, the importance of the “Made in the USA” label. Products made in America can lead to prosperity. Beyond the 1,500 MyPillow employees in our company, thousands of additional jobs are created outside our company, as a result of the sales and distribution networks.
But businesses that leave the United States to manufacture overseas also create a ripple effect in the opposite direction. Let’s take a snowmobile company, for example. If the corporation decides to move manufacturing to Asia, others will follow suit, including the company that make the bolts, the fasteners, the seats and other related product elements.
On the flip side, by choosing to construct products in America, that same corporation is creating an abundance of jobs, many of which are filled by the blue-collar workers that make up this great nation.
I’m very proud that every part of a MyPillow is manufactured domestically – even the cotton, is grown in America. As a business owner, my American-based production allows me to be hands-on and ensure the quality lives up to the promises I have made.
But more than that, it allows me to build relationships with my employees. My call center is right outside my door, not in a time zone across the ocean where English is a second language. My employees are like family. We help each other out. We know about each other’s personal lives outside of the office.
I have a passion to serve my employees. When they struggle, they know they can come to me for help. They know I truly care. Because of this, my employees believe in my company. In turn, each one has a passion for what we do at MyPillow.
At MyPillow, we create careers for individuals, not just jobs. During our meeting at the White House, I realized the president shares that fraternal spirit, and also cares deeply for manufacturers and their employees. The vice president further clarified that is a priority for this administration, declaring, “Made in America is not a slogan, but a mission.”
More importantly, I felt the presence of God throughout my visit to the White House, beginning with the president and among each member of his staff.
I thank President Trump for hosting domestic manufacturers from every state and recognizing the value of the American worker in the sustainability and growth of this nation, and I hope the U.S. business leaders will take note. Indeed, Made in America is going to help make America Great Again, and the industrial and business communities have an ongoing opportunity to play a critical role.