Tariffs and Belevation Maternity Support
Representatives from US manufacturing sectors traveled to Washington DC recently to lobby against President Trump's proposed $300 billion in increased tariffs on imported goods. But why? One would think that industry leaders would be dancing in the streets about leveling the playing field in favor of US companies.
So, what is the problem? You know the drill. During the past three decades US supply chains have become increasingly dependent on foreign components. This is an issue close to our hearts at Belevation Maternity since we know that complex manufacturing infrastructure can't be retooled overnight.
In 2008, when our families knit design biz was no longer viable due to industry changes, we began the journey of building a brand of pregnancy support undergarments. Without a Kickstarter campaign, venture capital money or a PR firm, ten years later we are happy to report we did it!
Yes, we would have loved help from a publicist or a crowdfunding site, but we were always too broke and busy to make that happen. We had some laughs and shed some tears along the way during evening and weekend work sessions. We didn't hang out with Reese Witherspoon, Richard Branson or Oprah, but once we almost got on the Today Show.
It hasn't been an easy journey, but we needed to support our family. We are delighted that we have created jobs for others too, at the local suppliers where we purchase yarns, construction jobs for those who renovated our NC facility and jobs for the skilled employees who we work alongside everyday.
This Little Engine That Could tale was not a sexy story about a mom with an invention. We have been in the textile business our entire careers. Through our ingenuity and determination we are told by many that "we have created the best expectant and postpartum shapewear on the market today."
We are extremely proud that effective 2019, every aspect of the process of making Belevation's Maternity and Postpartum garments is now being done under our own roof in central NC. Belevation always believed that jobs could be saved utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques, paired with a commonsense approach.
We proved that the future can be bright for US companies, supporting American employment without utilizing foreign components, with no tariffs required.
More on this topic from McKinsey & Company.com:
Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation
