Real American Jobs and Economic Stimulus :: Bert's All American ...

by
Bert Waisanen
Bert’s All American Market
Littleton, Colorado

Here’s a suggestion: Walk up to your favorite economics expert and ask him or her, “Where will the jobs come from?”  It seems no one, not even a Nobel prize-winning economist, seems to have an answer.  They are more likely to know what costume Lady Gaga will wear at the next awards show.  Well enough of that.  Here’s the answer: When we start making things again, we’ll create and retain good jobs.  When Americans build and create and develop, we directly expand our economic base, the base from which local incomes and jobs emerge.  That’s why it matters so much who is producing the goods and services.  Americans are already great at buying stuff.  Now we need to return to making stuff as well, for the good of our economic well-being.

No one is going to fix this economy for you, so why not do something about it yourself? Get motivated to get something started.  Americans of all backgrounds have made things happen before.  Ever heard of Rosie the Riveter?  During World War II, there were amazing women who realized what was at stake for their country, and they stepped up to learn how to build machinery for the war effort.  They put aside the daily life they knew and picked up a rivet gun and built airplanes and ships.  They did it because they wanted a better future for themselves and their families.  Isn’t what you want now?

History has shown that to the producer goes the wealth.  We are not producing as much as we used to.  Other developing nations are the producers and the USA is the consumer.  But we can’t consume our way to prosperity.  The way we diversify and rejuvenate the American economy is through making widgets, building the infrastructure we need to support economic growth, using creativity and technology in product development and providing new services.

For example, I have developed a new retail storefront called Bert’s All American Market.  At first glance, it looks like a neighborhood fresh food and grocery market in Littleton, Colorado.  And while it is indeed exactly that, it is actually much more.  It represents a new model for taking some concrete steps to retool our economy.  The “All American” in the store name means just that: items offered for sale in the store are Made in the USA.  From the peaches and tomatoes to the meats and seafood to the bath items and household cleaners, we support the local and regional businesses that make the products that are on our shelves.

If a product was manufactured, grown, prepared, or processed in the USA, it was done so by workers and managers in your community.  It generated incomes and business revenues in your community.  Plus it stimulated other business activity and supporting services in your community.  Bottom line, it contributed to sustainable jobs near you, instead of the wealth being wired overseas through the purchase of imported goods.

In our own case, we work to find and stock top quality Made in USA products in our market and sell them to our customers.  This approach then generates new orders for more products from local and regional suppliers, which is good news for those suppliers.  From the consumer’s standpoint, the more consumers decide to purchase local products — to vote local with their hard earned dollars — the more they are contributing to economic growth and job creation where they live and work.  All this can be replicated across the country.  It’s not rocket science, it’s part of the core fabric of generating economic growth.

Make no mistake, I am all for international trade and am a great admirer of the peoples and cultures of other nations.  At the same time, trade by definition is a two-way street, and the US is on the short end of the stick these days, with too much being imported and not enough being exported.  Until that unbalanced way of doing commerce changes, the best economic growth policy right now for the people living in the USA, for people in your own community, is to focus more on making things again wherever it is feasible.

So what are we waiting for, fellow Americans?  It’s time to get off the fence, pursue that dream and starting making a product, building a structure, developing a service and creating an experience.  If the banks won’t lend you any money, fine.  Start without them.  Find a way.  If you have a new business idea, take the next step.  Do some research.  Talk to a trusted expert.  Work to move it forward.  Or, if you represent an existing business, make an effort right now to direct more of your purchasing dollars to local companies.  It’s easier than you think, and may even be more efficient.

At Bert’s All American Market, we’re reaching out to find and work with local producers, artisans and growers to offer the food and merchandise our customers want.  In our view, the more that efforts like these are replicated around Colorado and in other states, the faster we can get the economy back on track.  For real.