Mar 18, 2020 3 min read

COVID-19 is a wakeup call. If you’ve ever doubted whether you – as one person – can make an impact, you now have tangible evidence.

As this global pandemic is teaching us, lack of solidarity and cooperation are becoming dangerous. Someone must take the lead and be the calming voice that America needs. That someone is us, my friends. All of us living and working in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Why, you ask? Because now, more than ever, “Made in America” matters.

Once upon a time, we made things here – big things, important things. We were the greatest industrialized nation on Earth and our region was the heart and soul. Our manufacturing capabilities drove innovation and made us a strong, independent nation. That independence fed our families and wrapped them in a blanket of security.

But it seems we don’t make anything in America anymore. Our entire economy is dependent upon goods made elsewhere, particularly China, and it makes us vulnerable. We need to change that by making more here.

The problem is, we have chosen to be cheap. Since the late 1990s, American manufacturing has been on a steady decline. Many American companies have moved their facilities and jobs to countries where labor is cheaper, such as China and Mexico.

Made in America is about much more than jobs. There are environmental benefits as well. Products made overseas have a higher carbon footprint than American-made goods. Goods made in China or India must be shipped all the way across the ocean to reach American stores, burning fossil fuel and spewing out greenhouse gases with every mile they travel.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we carry a huge responsibility for the rest of our nation. We have been given the resources, technology and ability to lead America back from dependent consumer to independent producer.

This isn’t an advertisement for the natural gas industry. This is about us. This is about business and community development. It’s about essential human needs, like processing of our food to ensure its safe, fabrics for our clothing and pharmaceuticals to protect our health. All are processes dependent upon natural gas. The resource that will empower the next great generation of Americans. The one that will change the world.

Continued development of this resource ensures the ability to expand our own manufacturing capabilities. It gives us the opportunity to collaborate with existing American suppliers and bravely explore new technologies. We can create an American-made supply chain that will compete in the global marketplace. We can make our American families stronger. American-sourced family-sustaining-jobs, the lifeblood of a resilient economy, will be the vehicle that brings our communities back to life.

The local and regional impacts on jobs and community development, and the national impact on our independence and security will be profound. Look around. The COVID-19 virus has stopped America in its tracks. Look at where we are, where we want to go and what kind of country we are trying to build.

Let’s get back to working the way our parents and grandparents did. This is our time to be bold and lead.

Jamie Protin is founder and principal of The Protin Group in Belle Vernon.

To submit business-related columns, email Rick Shrum at rshrum@observer-reporter.com.