Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Importance of American Manufacturing – Josh Miller

Josh Miller of “Made in the USA: The 30 Day Journey.”
This Week on The Importance of American Manufacturing:
Meet Josh Miller. Josh is the Producer of the upcoming documentary film “Made in the USA: The 30 Day Journey.” In the film, he will be traveling America in search of finding what it means to be “Made in the USA.”

Q. Please tell us a little about yourself.

A. My name is Josh Miller, I am the Creator/Producer of “Made in the USA: The 30 Day Journey”. While my film is currently in post production, I work as a Records Management Specialist for the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office. However, after this film has been completed I would like to take on filmmaking full-time if fiscally possible. Family always comes first, so as long as I can take care of my wife and family, I’ll keep making films.

Q. Why is American Manufacturing important to you?

A. I think American Manufacturing, along with the workers manufacturing employs is the lifeblood of America. The ability to create and innovate in America is vital, but if the creators and innovators lose the backbone of our country I think we fall apart as you have seen lately. Once we have a strong diverse mix of jobs in this country I believe we will regain the misstep we have recently taken over the past few decades. We must have a strong manufacturing sector along with a thriving service sector to get our country back on track. We must encourage entrepreneurs.

Q. Where did your passion for USA manufacturing begin?

A. When you watch major facilities leave your town in the dust, it really wakes you up. When Century Aluminum laid off over 650 people, including my father in law David Nelson, in my hometown of Ravenswood, WV I think it woke me up to the importance of these types of jobs here in our great country.

Q. Have you expressed that passion throughout your life?

A. Unfortunately no, I was like every young kid in middle school and high school. I had to have the Nike Clothes, Under Armour, American Eagle, etc. This is the tricky part, kids that age do not think or really care about where these things are made generally, so to entice that age group, you need to create a brand that these kids and young adults will desire. Me, being 27 now, I do pay more attention to what I buy in regards to where it is made because I know that will impact the future of our country and my family, but we can’t expect a 10 year old to grasp that concept entirely, so when I speak to the apparel industry directly I tell them they need to make their product “cool” if they want the younger generation to buy it. That’s just being flat out honest. I think that is one thing that will take this movement to the next level, is not pretending that people will gladly buy something just because it says “Made in USA”, the product also needs to meet quality demands. We must outcompete the world and that has been my message that I believe that message needs to be thoroughly expressed to our Congress and our President. They must use their power as policy makers to be a catalyst in this movement. We can’t help the world if we can’t take care of things at home first.

Q. What is your favorite quote?

A. “Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.” ~ Alexander the Great
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It was a great pleasure to have Josh Miller join us this week. I know many folks who just cannot wait to watch his upcoming documentary. Thank you all for reading! Join us next week for another segment of ‘The Importance of American Manufacturing.’

If you, or someone you know, would be interested in being interviewed on the Importance of American Manufacturing, please send inquiries to Logan Beam at logan@allamericanclothing.com

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