American-made: Will it be a fit?

OWOSSO, Mich. – Fed up with the declining Michigan economy and lack of available work, John Hankerd went into business for himself.

And he vowed to help Americans retain jobs that are usually outsourced by selling only 100 percent American-made products in his new clothing label: UESAY, pronounced U-S-A.

The 40-year-old Elsie, Mich., resident was once the manager of a Gateway computer retail store. Six months after he purchased a new home, the store closed – leaving Hankerd without a job and a limited income.

“I knew things weren’t looking good at the store, so I started printing shirts in the garage,” he said.

In 2004, John and his wife, Sue, moved their T-shirt printing business out of their garage and into a store in downtown Owosso. The couple mainly sell T-shirts to schools, university students and individual customers.

Frequent requests for American-made apparel sparked an idea.

“If people want to support American work and American workers, then I should give them that choice,” Hankerd said. “When I go to the mall, I can’t find anything American-made if I wanted it.”

The Hankerds cleaned out their savings and withdrew everything from their 401(k) to create the line.

Last month, they launched their UESAY clothing line – consisting of cotton and cotton-blend T-shirts, sweatshirts and pants.

They’re made by Americans using only American products – everything from the cotton for thread to the ink used to stamp the trademark logo on the front, even the instruction tag sewn on the inside.

“When people see the name, they will know that 100 percent of the labor and materials used were from America,” Hankerd said.

Sue Hankerd has been along for the ride, hanging shirts on the laundry line to dry before the couple could buy a proper dryer.

“It’s been a struggle, but we’re hanging in there,” she said. “Right now all of the money goes back into the business.”

The couple have four children – two sons and two daughters – ages 8 to 17. And the business is a family affair.

“All four kids know how to print shirts,” she said. “My oldest daughter remembers holding screens for her dad while he did shirts.”

While most companies outsource jobs for cheaper labor, John Hankerd said American-made goods aren’t much more expensive.

“I make about 20 percent profit on American-made shirts and about the same for the foreign-made shirts,” Hankerd said. “We don’t make more because it’s foreign; we just charge less.”

Sue Hankerd said she’s proud to support Americans with the clothing line.

“There’s too many people outsourcing. We need to keep our jobs here,” she said. “We need to promote our country instead of everybody else’s.”