Made in America: On a Mission for the U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force is under orders to buy American made for construction jobs.
April 22, 2011 -- The U.S. Air Force is under orders to buy American-made products for construction projects, but ABC News heard from viewers that the Air Force was having trouble finding certain goods.
The Made in America team scoured the country and found what the Air Force had been looking for -- light bulbs made in America.
Sylvania in St. Marys, Pa., is the only place still making light bulbs in the U.S.
"I take great pride in our company that they did stick it out and stay in the United States," said plant employee Kris Anderson.
For Sylvania sticking it out has been no easy feat. The company churned out old fashioned incandescent light bulbs for 100 years until the government announced it was phasing them out because they weren't energy efficient.
Workers feared they'd be out of a job if they didn't come up with a new idea quickly. Their creation, the Sylvania SuperSaver, is a halogen bulb in the old fashioned shape. The new product not only saves energy, but also jobs. If it was not for the new bulb 700 people might have been out of work.
"Our secret is that we just never gave up," said plant manager Chris Sconzo. "If you never give up and you've got talented people you can find a way to survive."
After discovering the Sylvania Super Saver, ABC News called the Air Force, which agreed to take a bid from the company.
ABC News heard from thousands of viewers all over the country, suggesting companies and products that are made in America.
The "Made in America" project started with the Usry family emptying out their home of everything not made in the U.S., including taking 7-year-old Landon's baseball glove that was made in Bangladesh.
After the show ABC News heard from Insignia Gloves in Worcester, Mass. The company is less than a year old and has already cornered the market on custom gloves in school colors. They plan to add 45 new jobs next year.
Although Insignia's custom gloves are a little more expensive they ship in days, rather than the weeks it would take a custom glove from overseas. Thanks to Insignia Landon Usry will have a new glove to play catch within no time.
