On October 12, 2017, at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Newark, Mitch Cahn, Unionwear’s own CEO and President was the  keynote speaker at the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) Manufacturing Summit.

The CIANJ summit concentrated primarily on enhancing the manufacturing sector of New Jersey. From energy needs and transportation to tax implications and environmental regulations, its purpose was to bring together environmental professionals, manufacturers, lawmakers, and other stakeholders. Why bring all of these people together in one room? To decide what needed to be done to grow New Jersey manufacturing, a candid discussion had to take place.

The hope of those organizing this event and holding it at Newark’s historic Anheuser-Busch Brewery, was that those attending would leave with a deeper comprehension of how our economy and manufacturing are related in the world today. Manufacturing is key—it’s critical. And to grow the sector, some things need to change.

As a speaker at this type of event, Unionwear CEO/President Mitch Cahn is considerably qualified. This individual started what would one day be Unionwear with humble beginnings and a mere 15 workers. Today, not only has he increased his union workforce to 175, but with their help, he has grown the company into one of the only headwear producers still manufacturing in the United States of America.

The man who started out making baseball caps for Barneys New York, Ralph Lauren, Izod, and Gant is now the primary manufacturer of much of today’s political campaign and promotional gear. So successful has Mr. Cahn become that he and his “Made in America” company recently purchased the assets of business accessory manufacturer DLX industries, retaining many of its personnel, as well.

At the manufacturing summit, Mr. Cahn spoke about the fact that business has never been better. There is a slight problem, however, that he imagines many other manufacturing plants are also experiencing: Business is outgrowing the supply of machine operators. It’s hard to keep up. But with a problem like this, he wonders, why are domestic manufacturers being depicted as victims in the national dialogue?

One such recent source of “national dialogue” was an article in the New York Times. The writer portrayed a grim picture of domestic manufacturing, discussing the assumption that owners of manufacturing plants hoped their kids would grow up to find some easier way to make a living! To add insult to injury, the article also strongly suggested that despite all the pronouncements, praises and promises by politicians, they were actually doing little to help the industry.

In this article, the owner of a well-known engineering and plastics firm painted a very “woe is me” picture. While Mr. Cahn agrees that domestic manufacturing isn’t the easiest way to make a living in today’s world, he also notes that many of the problems in the industry are in the hands of company owners, CEOs, presidents, etc. There is a solution to every problem. It is not always easy, and sometimes you have to work at it, but you cannot let the growth of your business be impeded by systemic factors. Thinking outside the box is the kind of ingenuity that allows us to invent products, produce them on a mass level, automate that production, and finally, outsell our competitors.

The planners who put this manufacturing summit together could not have chosen a better candidate to speak. His invigorating words of encouragement and support will undoubtedly boost the morale of those needing it and inspire those fighting the good fight to keep going.

Note: The entire keynote given by Mitch Cahn can be found by clicking here.