We’re the first to admit that many will think we’re trade protectionists here at Local 59.

We’re not.

Fact is, nobody – least of all a small, Michigan-based company creating steel furniture – is going to stop the advance of global trade. That ship has sailed. Instead, we’re interested in sparking people to consider the footprint a business can leave on a community.

If we had written a typical business plan, it would make perfect sense to locate in a larger urban center. More potential customers nearby, more media buzz, more retail opportunity. But, for us, profit margins are just one way we plan to measure our success. Don’t misintrepret – we’re very interested in making money. But if we’re going to invest ourselves in business ventures, we’re also interested in creating something that could impact the people in our community. To do that, we’re using the resources and talents of people here in Kalamazoo to make a great product.

Fact is, the healthiest communities aren’t developed – they’re connected. A few years ago, Kent Elliott, the designer of our furniture, alerted me to the talents of a folk singer named Greg Brown. Kent saw him live a few years ago and remembered his philosophy on community. I’m paraphrasing, but it was something like this.

Brown had been reading about entire suburban areas that were “planned communities” and he had a problem with it. His beef? You can’t plan a community. You have to need a community. The people in the community have to need each other.

We need the metal workers who craft our furniture. They need us to design it and market it. We’re connected.