HP SPECIAL REPORT: Good Jobs News from Fulton

This is a Heath Post special report ... In keeping with the Kentucky desk's long-standing policy--If There's Good News Out of Fulton County, We Link to It™--here's a link to some good news out of Fulton County. Hooray for Fulton! Stick with HP for more good news from Fulton County as somebody tells us about it. And, in the meantime, go out and buy yourself and your friends some candles manufactured by the good people at MVP Group International Inc. 

Made in the USA: Hand Tools

I went to the hardware store the other day to get a metric, hex set, and was happy to see that in the hand tools section there were plenty of products still being made in the USA. 

I ended up getting a set made by Eklind Tools out of the Chicago area in Illinois. 

I tend to do my hardware shopping at a locally owned store and my experience over the last few years have tought me that you'll have better luck finding "Made in the USA" hardware products when you shop at a locally owned hardware store, rather than one of the big chains. 

Made in the USA: Arts and Crafts

I have always been amazed at how many artists live among us. Go to a local farmer's market and you'll always find plenty of local craftspeople selling their goods. I have learned as I have grown older that if you are wanting to shop for jewelry for some reason or another you can find very good products made by local artisans. The nice thing about discovering these artists among us is that if you have a vision for something and it falls into their realm of creativity they can make it for you. It's quite a wonderful thing.

Years ago I had an idea for a web site where artists and craftspeople would be able to come and show off their goods and sell them online. Well I dreamed while the people at Etsy actually went out and created the site. You can find your way to all sorts of goods.

I want to give a particular plug to the site Elk & Iron. I have bought some products from them and am very impressed with the quality, and I happen to know the people that run the shop on Etsy so that helps too. It is always is nice when you can help friends and get something you want at the same time.

Made in the USA: Golf Clubs

I am starting to think about my next set of golf clubs, I've had my current clubs for 22 years, and stumbled upon Louisville Golf. Not only do they make their woods in Louisville, but they are hand made. So not only are you getting something made in the USA, but you are also getting something made by artisans. You can check out the process on the video below.



The amazing part is that the price isn't any more than you would pay for something manufactured by machines in China.

This doesn't mean everything they produce is made in house, for instance their irons are manufactured overseas, but it does mean you can get some beautiful well crafted clubs made right there in Louisville.

Personally I'm looking at the SMART ProB.E. Driver, Niblick 3,4,5,7,9,11,13,15 woods, the Persimmon blade 9,PW,AW,SW irons and a STIMP putter.

Made in the USA: Plunger

We've all had moments in our life when we needed a plunger. They are never good moments, but when they arrive you want something that will get the job done.

I was faced with one of those situations last night and as my G.T. Water Master Plunger MP100 easily handled the problem it dawned on me that I should write this product up here on the Heath Post. After all, all G.T. Water products are made here in the U.S.A.

I don't know much about their other products but I do know the Master Plunger I have is the best plunger I've ever had and well worth the cost.

Oh, Kentucky

The Internet is awesome, and this is another example why. Hooray for Jessica Dockrey and Aaron Frasier! Hooray for Madisonville! And hooray for now! 

Good jobs news for Morganfield? 

I think the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is going to be in the news for a good, long while. 

"It looks like we’ll have to have a post office box in another town. Can you imagine how confusing that will be? We’ll have the City of LaFayette with a Herndon address. Does that make any sense in this world?" 

I wonder why the new Clark location was so controversial at the time. 

Here's one that both our made-in-USA and KHSAA-hoops readers will enjoy. Among the new exhibitors at next month's Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2012 in Lexington will be East Bernstadt's Lonnie and Twyla Money, carver and, in turn, painter of wooden chickens and other farm animals. They've been sweethearts since their days at Hazel Green High School, which beat Ashland for the 1940 boys' basketball championship. 

Alaska proud. 

Legislating from the bench in Liberty. 

Volunteers needed. 

Rest in peace, Mr. Hampton, creator and sharer of Uncle Bummy's Sausage.

Made in the U.S.A.: Socks

For some reason you can almost always find socks that are made in the U.S.A. I'm not sure why that is, though it would be interesting to know why that manufacturing base has survived while so many other textiles moved away. In fact I was at Walmart the other day shopping for socks for my daughter and sure enough they had some that were made in the U.S.A.

For the most part though the socks that you'll find made here in the States are high end socks, especially for hiking or running. I became aware of this when we moved to Graham, North Carolina which is right next door to where Wrightsocks are made. They are my favorite running socks and I bought some of their comfort socks for my parents over the years. They are great socks.

So remember when you want to buy some socks, look at the labels and you should almost always be able to find some socks made in the U.S.A. Off the top of my head I'll list a few manufacturers that make very good socks all right here in the States.

Thorlos
Wrightsocks
Fox River

Made in Kentucky: Christmas Gifts

I have not lived in Kentucky since 1994, but I still like to buy gifts made in Kentucky for Christmas gifts.  Here are the main sites I turn to for gifts at Christmas time.  I'm hoping that others will add sites to this list.

Gethsemani Farms:  When I lived in Lexington I loved to take trips up to the Abbey of Gethsemani, and so I always find it fun to buy gifts from their farm shop.  Their fruit cake is always a big hit.

Maker's Mark Gift Shop:  Another big hit are the bourbon chocolates from Maker's Mark.  I have never given these to anyone that they didn't rave about how much they enjoyed them.  Over the past few years they have expanded their online store to have all sorts of items.

Berea College Crafts:  Living in Lexington is a lot of fun because you can run off to Gethsemani one day and hit Berea the next.  I love going to the Berea store on campus, always find it a lot of fun, and then to head downtown and see all the stuff there as well.  A trip to Berea is a must around Christmas if you live around Lexington.  Luckily I can still order stuff through the Berea store online.  One of these days I'll be rich enough hopefully to buy some of their furniture, but for now I will have to be content with some of their lower end products.  Fun wooden toys and beautiful ceramics are always a fun way to go.

The National Quilt Museum:  If you live anywhere around Paducah, KY you must go visit the National Quilt Museum.  It is one of the best museums I have ever been to.  A very well run establishment and they sale very attractive items in their gift shop.  Money goes to support the museum which is a good thing and they have very nice products.  I'm not sure where they are manufactured, but you do get a good feeling for helping to support the museum.

Kentucky Proud Market:  I just stumbled upon this site and thought I would add it to the list.  Any site that has an ad with Joe B and Denny on the front of the site can't be all bad.  They carry mostly foods and beverages.  So if you're looking to buy some Ale-8-One this is the place to go.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill:  Another wonderful place to visit when you live in Lexington is Shakertown, and they have a wonderful gift shop.  Some of the items they designate as being made in KY, others, well you might want to call them to find out where they are made.  Still it's a fun online site to visit.

Kentucky State Parks:  Sad to say for those of us who live outside of Kentucky we cannot shop the state park gift shops online, but if you live in Kentucky and you want to buy some nice Kentucky made crafts then check out your closest state park.  These shops have wonderful local crafts, and you get to visit a beautiful state park in the process.

Made in the U.S.A.: Stocking Stuffer

My wife was also looking for a stocking stuffer and realized that Barrel of Monkeys, by Milton Bradley, had a Made in the U.S.A. sticker.  It's not too expensive and it's a classic game, so it should make a great stocking stuffer. 

One thing I'm always disappointed by is when you look at a product online, either through the company's site or through an online retailer and cannot tell where a product is manufactured.  Seems to me if you are Milton Bradley you would proudly say this product is Made in the U.S.A. if for no other reason to allay fears people might have of the product being made in China with lead paint.  It could be that they don't have a set manufacturing point and so they can't say where the product you are going to purchase was manufactured so I would suggest as always checking the label to make sure you are buying a Made in the U.S.A. prodcut. 

Made in U.S.A.: Potty Seat

So my wife was out shopping for a potty seat the other day, so that we can start training our daughter, and she came across this seat Made in the U.S.A. sold at Bed Bath and Beyond.  It's manufactured by Ginsey Industries, Inc.  Like many companies out there today they have products manufactured all over the world, and the majority are manufactured in China, but if you are looking for a padded toilet seat, they seem to have most of theirs manufactured in the U.S.

Made in the U.S.A.: Outdoor Seating

So this week I was looking for a nice, folding, outdoor chair.  The problem I ran into was a common one.  I could find no chairs made in the U.S.A.  So what to do? 

My next step is then to always look for a product made by a country that democratically elects their government.  In this case I ended up purchasing a couple of chairs made by Lafuma.  These chairs were manufactured in France.  Some would argue that you should at least get a product who's parent company is U.S.A. based, but I think that is incorrect.  Our factory workers should be able to compete much easier against factory workers in France, than those in China.  And my message to the U.S.A. companies would be that I won't buy your product if you choose to ship the manufacturing to China.

I have to say too that these chairs are amazingly comfortable.   

Made in U.S.A.: 12" Non-Stick Skillet

It was a sad day recently when I realized that I needed to replace our big non-stick skillet.  It's been getting heavy use in our house for the past ten years and was a great skillet.  As always I set out to find a replacement that is made in the U.S.A. and happily I did find one. 

It is made by Nordic Ware.  Nordic Ware is based in Minneapolis Minnesota and has been producing cookware for over 60 years.  I got their 12" Pro Cast Saute Skillet along with their 12" Universal Stainless Steel Lid. 

I've bought some of their stuff in the past, like a bunt pan, and have been very happy with them, so hopefully this skillet will be as loved by me as my last one. 

Not 100% of Nordic Ware's products are made in the U.S.A., so if that's important to you I'd look for them in a cooking store and check where the product is manufactured.  For instance their 12" Universal Glass Lid is made in China.  Shame they couldn't have found a U.S. based manufacturer to produce those lids for them.