Basecamp Tool to Facilitate Industry-Wide Collaboration on Domestic Manufacturing Issues
Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) has launched an online collaboration tool for its new Made In America Working Group, a subgroup of the OIA Business Advisory Council (OIABAC). The online community uses a collaboration tool called Basecamp to enable members to exchange information, share links to news articles or research papers, provide access to U.S. supplier factory databases, and pose questions to spur discussions among group members.
Any outdoor industry company that currently or is seeking to manufacture products in the United States is welcome to join the working group and online forum.
“OIA is always looking for ways to foster industry collaboration,” said Kirk Bailey, vice president of government affairs for OIA. “This forum makes it really easy for companies to get conversations going and share ideas — with OIA serving as facilitator and organizer.”
This Made in America Working Group kicked off at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in January with a listening session to explore what OIA can do to help outdoor industry companies manufacture or source more products and/or components domestically. The goal of the group is to bring together outdoor companies that make products in the United States in order to provide opportunities for them to support one another in domestic manufacturing efforts and share successes.
This session identified the need for a forum for industry-wide collaboration, with two initial focuses in mind: 1) The requirements for labeling a product as “Made in USA” and 2) Identifying the capacity of American factories to produce some of the most technical products in the world.
“We manufacture all of our products in the United States, so we’re very familiar with the obstacles to domestic manufacturing,” said Carolyn Brodsky, president of Sterling Rope Co. and member of the OIA Board of Directors. “This forum will be a great way for outdoor companies to share ideas, and organize around issues in order to educate legislators about the challenges they face in bringing manufacturing to U.S. soil.”
OIA’s International Trade and Business Program represents the diversity of the OIA membership, including outdoor companies whose products are conceived, designed and produced in America and those companies that utilize global value chains to bring their products to retail markets. From some of the largest companies in the world, to small, family-owned businesses, OIA works to ensure that U.S. federal trade policy fosters and promotes a stable and predictable environment for all outdoor industry businesses, while seeking to lower costs for outdoor businesses and their customers. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org/advocacy/trade.
For more information about the Made in American Working Group or to join the forum, contact Alex Boian at aboian@outdoorindustry.org.
About Outdoor Industry Association
Based in Boulder, Colo., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA supports the growth and success of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers of outdoor recreation apparel, footwear, equipment and services. For more information, go to outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.
Avery Stonich / Outdoor Industry Association / 303.327.3511 / astonich@outdoorindustry.org
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