Thank you, Uihlein family

At lunch today I read through the most interesting catalog (I am usually reading something)--Uline Spring/Summer 2010 [interactive]. If you ever need to ship, store, wrap, tape, strap, preserve, label, mail or secure something, this is the company for you! Somewhere I noticed that "Uline" is the phonetic spelling of the family name, "Uihlein" and that there are real people standing behind and in the warehouses of these products.

Liz Uihlein addresses the "made in China" problem:

". . . About 20% of what we sell today comes from Asia. This has never bothered me in the past. We all know that many products are not made in the U.S. anymore. What bothers me enormously is American jobs. During most of Uline's history we have scrambled to hire enough people. We learned how to do job fairs. We spent a ton of money on Monster and other career sites. But that was then and this is now.

And so, in this catalog, we've worked hard with some American firms to get a product that's made here versus being made in China. . . [costs more]

It would be nice if the Commerce Department or some government agency would put out some positive news on what can be made right here in the U.S. If we all think and talk about it, maybe we can do better. Also, the playing field is not level; a tennis court is. Personally, I am an American first. I care about American jobs."

Well, Liz, I'm not from the government, but here's 3 cheers for your excellent catalog, products, and your desire to keep Americans employed. The variety is breathtaking, the layout is outstanding, and the indexing excellent.

Also, all that packaging stuff sold at the U.S. postal branches? Where are those made? Just asking.