If you're like most Americans who want to help foster growth in our economy by supporting American companies and products with their consumer purchases, your focus is on patronizing companies that are creating, producing, growing, or selling products in the United States.
But how can you get clear and complete descriptions and characteristics behind all of the companies that claim that they make things in the USA so that you know which ones to support and that you know for sure that your consumer spending can truly have a powerful and positive impact on the U.S. economy?
The fine folks at Ameriloop know that buying American often involves much more than just the final point of assembly or manufacture of a given product. That's why they have gone the extra mile to request more-specific details about domestic producers, such as:
- Number of products produced
- Percentage of parts originating in the U.S.
- Percentage of products assembled in the U.S.
- Percentage of U.S. processing of products
- Percentage of business ownership by U.S. citizen or U.S. business entity
- Percentage of employees that are U.S. citizens
Ameriloop was founded two years ago as a social insourcing community to connect American farmers, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers with American customers and consumers. The goal at Ameriloop – and it's a great one – is to help clear the confusion about various companies and products that are on the minds of many Americans who are seeking ways to do business here at home. That way, we keep our dollars within our national borders and we all benefit from national economic activity.
Unfortunately, there has been so much emphasis over the past several years by certain organizations on helping companies learn how to outsource their production overseas. It was downright maddening to see other Americans profiting from teaching and persuading other Americans to fire their workers, put them in unemployment lines, and replace them with cheaper labor overseas. That's why it's refreshing to see an organization like Ameriloop turn that around and give businesses and consumers the tools and information they need to make informed choices on insourcing in a way where all parties involved can benefit.
The Ameriloop online badge and scoring system provides transparency and brings out much needed details, like the answers to the bullet point items above, about American products and companies. The answers are averaged together, resulting in a score that is helpful to American consumers and companies that want to make informed business or purchasing decisions at a glance.
Membership on www.ameriloop.com is absolutely free, regardless if you are a consumer seeking business information or a business looking for consumers who want what you've got.
Signup is quick and simple. Businesses and consumers can create a profile in minutes. Everyone is welcome. From local to national, if it is made or grown in America, it has a home on Ameriloop! The more companies and consumers that sign up, the more we can work together to bolster the American economy.
More and more businesses these days want to produce closer to where most of their consumers are located. And since the United States represents a lucrative market with a wide diversity of consumers both willing and able to spend (on American products in particular), this presents another reason for businesses to look for ways to insource rather than outsource. That's exactly where Ameriloop comes in. They provide the platform and all the essentials so that interested businesses and consumers can make it happen!
The benefits of signing up with Ameriloop are extensive. If you sign up as a consumer, you'll be able to browse the nationwide directory of American companies and farms, post pictures and locations of American-made products, find locally grown and made products, search the consumer submitted product database, post your "Buy American" wants and needs, get coupons and special offers from member businesses, rate and review American companies and products, search and apply for jobs, participate in discussions, and check out member events.
If you sign up with Ameriloop as a business, you'll be able to get full connecting, messaging, and company profile capabilities, advertise your company and products, post what you would need to increase the domestic parts content of your products, search insourcing-need databases to see if your company can provide a need to match what someone else wants, see if your company provides a product that is currently outsourced, post job openings, write and receive reviews, participate in group discussions, and post events and browse other member events.
By the time you read this article, my own business Consumer Patriotism Corp. (doing business as How Americans Can Buy American) will be listed on www.ameriloop.com. After seeing all of the potential Ameriloop benefits, it's an easy decision to make for both patriotic business and patriotic consumers.