Alabama Sleeping Bag Maker Among American-Made Survivors

By Sho Chandra
Bloomberg

Entire industries, from textiles to toys, have become almost extinct in the U.S. as manufacturers moved abroad in search of lower costs or got swept away by a wave of imports.

Some products aren’t Made in America at all anymore. Others still are – but by just a handful of small businesses, or maybe only one. They’re mostly surviving by the skin of their teeth in a world where shoppers care more about price than country of origin. Their stories show the challenge of producing at home – as President Donald Trump is pushing for – and also that it’s not impossible.

Exxel Outdoors LLCSleeping bag maker Exxel had about a half-dozen rivals in the mid-1990s, according to Chief Executive Officer Harry Kazazian. Most had moved overseas by 2000 when he and co-founder Armen Kouleyan bought the Haleyville, Alabama, factory. The company is now the largest sleeping bag manufacturer in the nation. “We’re proud that we’re the last man standing,” Kazazian says. “We stuck with it, and it paid off.”

Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article

Tags: ANC

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories