1993 Bobbin Magazine – A Sports Winning Attitude
A leading performance sportswear manufacturer, HIND Inc. is a working example of successful 100 percent U.S. production. By Susan S. Black (Bobbin Editor at the time), Bobbin Magazine 1993
“ONE YEAR AGO, Greg Hind, the 46- year-old founder and chairman of HIND Inc., made good on a promise that most of his competitors labeled a dangerous business experiment: He finished bringing all of his $30 million-plus company’s apparel manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
In deciding to pull the plug on production in Asia and Latin America, Hind, who has always done a major portion of his production in the United States, had two goals in mind. One, he wanted more direct control over the fabrication of his products, and two, he had a strong desire to create fair-paying jobs for U.S. workers.
Some people told Hind that 100 percent domestic production couldn’t be done, but today this leading manufacturer of performance sports apparel is quieting its critics with these results: Spring sales are projected at 150 percent higher than last spring’s, and jobs have been provided for apparel workers in three relatively remote areas of the United States (San Luis Obispo, CA; Wenatchee, WA; and Hugo, OK.)
Says Hind: ‘People say that they must contract their work offshore to make a profit. But what is really driving these jobs overseas is the unwillingness ofthB great majority of U.S. apparel firms to take on the challenge of manufacturing their products in the United States at competitive prices.’
Like many apparel manufacturing firms, HIND originally went offshore because it was unable to find U.S. contractors for some of its products. But poor workmanship, the lack of quality and inventory control, and, finally, what it considered exploitation of workers, caused the company to reassess its position.
‘I feel that finding opportunities for exploiting labor is basically following the course of least resistance and realistically has only short-term benefits for a limited number of people, as opposed to building a solid base for future expansion of what should be essentially an American industry,’ says an emphatic Hind.”
Download and read the entire April 1993 Bobbin article here >> “Bobbin-1993”
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Additional national stories sharing HIND History can be found here: HIND In The News
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GH Sports is Formerly HIND Performance and is proud to continue the tradition of manufacturing high-quality run, cycle, swim and fitness apparel in San Luis Obispo, California.
GH Sport’s history can be explored here.
If you have a HIND or GH Sports story to share, we would love to hear from you.
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