Here's a (mostly) Made-in-USA office HQ

Mostly made in America

The Alliance of American Manufacturing recently opened a new headquarters at 711 D St. NW in Washington, D.C. (a 5-minute walk from the IBT). Almost everything in it is made in the USA, from the office supplies to the floors.

AAM tells us they used products from 40 companies in 23 states. Some examples:

• The office’s energy star refrigerator was made in by Whirlpool in Iowa.
• The Benjamin Moore paint on the walls comes from New Jersey.
• The Pella windows are from Ohio.
• The InSinkErator garbage disposal is from Wisconsin.

Things they couldn't find in the US: Electronics. A coffee maker. A copier.

The City Paper toured the office with AAM executive director Scott Paul, and reported:

"You can't find phones, video display terminals," Paul said.  "I mean, none of that is American-made." Paul couldn't find American-made computers, either, though that may change following Apple's announcement that it plans to make some Macs in the United States. 

In the kitchen, most of the appliances were American-made, from the Whirlpool fridge to the Uline trash and recycling bins. The longest search was for an ADA-compliant dishwasher, which ended up being a Bosch model (a German company, but American-made) that appears to be several hundred dollars more expensive than some of the foreign-made competition. The one thing AAM couldn't find was a coffee maker. "Not one made in the United States," says Paul. "Zero." 

The copy room is also a mixed bag. All of the copy paper is American-made, as are the fire alarm and thermostat (provided by the landlord, but conveniently homegrown). But not the Canon copier. "Big copiers, no one makes them in the United States," says Paul.

Here are some more Made-in-USA building materials the AAM used: Armstrong resilient flooring and acoustic ceiling tile, Bentley Prince Street carpet, Modern Lighting lights, Leviton switches, Lutron dimmers and Virginia Glass Products glass.

Find out more here.