While many US industries continue to face stiff
competition from overseas, a significant number of American
based companies have made it their mission to keep
manufacturing at home while employing a skilled American
Work force.
I like that.
We're privileged to work with one such company.
Joining us from Georgia-based Norcom manufacturer of paper
products for schools and home offices nationwide, are Hal Ron,
the company's president, and Dee Andrews, the director of legal,
environmental and corporate affairs.
Good morning.
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you for having us.
I'm glad we're talking about paper products.
I am a paper woman, I love it, I believe in it.
Forget reading on the computer.
A book.
Agreed?
Agreed.
Dee, let me ask you this, I've done my research and I know
you're one of the driving forces at Norcom when it comes to
promoting sustainability.
Tell me the passion behind that.
We believe, at Norcom, that consumers should not have to
make a choice between price and planet.
And, fortunately, paper is one of the truly sustainable
products, unlike oil, we can make more.
In our country we plant two trees for every tree harvested,
and if there were no demand for forest products, we would have
no forests.
In the 1950s, we had about 5 million planted forested acres.
Now we have 197 million forested acres.
Wow.
The trees in the forest are important to remove carbon
dioxide from the air and clean it.
And, also, within our own operations, we monitor and
measure and report our water use, our electric use, our
greenhouse gas emissions.
We are sustainable forestry certified, which means that you
can purchase the paper we buy with confidence, because it
meets strict sustainability criteria.
And that's really important to talk about, Hal, because so many
people are just misinformed, and I don't think they've done their
homework when it comes to paper.
We just talked about it a few seconds ago, how children learn
more with paper, writing things down.
It's not going anywhere is it?
No, and it's not in conflict with the rest of society.
Paper is renewable.
Paper continues to be the leading form of educating our
children, and paper continues to be the form that most of the
people in this country can afford to buy.
You know in the last 20 years we've seen so many American
companies, businesses kind of give up their sizable market
share to foreign companies.
Tell me what your company is doing to kind of change that and
be different.
Well we, at Norcom, fought back hard.
We continue to invest in new technologies, new equipment,
hire great people, keep their skills high and when necessary,
we've taken legal action to make sure that foreign countries and
foreign manufacturers are playing by the trade rules, as
far as fair trade goes in a free trade world.
Which is very important.
I know for a fact that your company, Norcom, produces many
paper products for schools and offices.
With all the competition out there Hal, how do you stay on
the cutting edge?
Well, again, it's mainly technology.
We do research in terms of the market, but we continue to know
how important paper is.
And when it comes to back to school, since we are approaching
that, as a mom, I'm always looking for something that is
good.
What should moms be looking for when it comes to supplies?
Well, I think two things.
Sales.
You're not going to find these products less expensive at any
other time of year, and then like Norcom certified products,
because we also have philanthropic component where we
support children throughout the nation, with school supplies,
and parents can feel good about buying them.
They are sustainable and high quality.
And with that quality, Hal, how does your company keep the costs
less, or maybe the same, because again, the competition is
fierce.
Well, the competition is fierce, but we've been able to compete
through reinvestment.
We've been been able to compete with our partners, and paper
mills or box plants that support that we're all in this together
and we all want to continue to be US manufacturers.
You're sold coast to coast?
We are.
We're sold in every state.
And for our viewers to get more information, where can they go?
To NorcomInc.com.
And if you'd like more information on today's segment
visit us at TheBalancingAct.com or share with us, get a little
social if you will, at Facebook.com/TheBalancingActFans
(music).