Working in a factory is as American as apple pie. I once made Lawn Boy lawnmowers (Outboard Marine, Galesburg, Ill.) before going to college, so I do appreciate the fortitude it takes to do factory work. If I’d been the owner or foreman rather than the piece worker who was moved from station to station for breaking rates and refusing to “kitty” extra pieces, I’d still probably be employed in manufacturing. I love the smell of moving parts (eau d’ oil) and the factory environment, which is as fascinating to me as an underground ant tunnel. Watch one – it’s addictive.
Also, I liked my co-workers. We got in the habit of having breakfast together at 4 a.m., and we knew quite a bit about each other’s lives. I was young and naive and so lucky that an old lady (32) took me under her wing. Senie warned me which other ladies had “attitudes,” which men were wife cheaters (“avoid them or you’ll have a wife waiting for you after work one day”), and which foremen thought they owned you. It was an “I’ve got your back” camaraderie common to factories and prisons, but I didn’t feel imprisoned – even after spending eight hours a day in a building with no windows … and whistles to signify breaks, lunches, and time to move a line again.
My dad was a time study engineer for 30 years for McGraw Edison, loyal to the factory and the “Made in the USA” stamp his entire life. It was, for me, not a career path but an adventuresome way to make good money between “professional positions” that paid half as much. I realized that I would probably eventually be canned for butting heads with a foreman, but it beat de-tasseling corn, the only other job I’ve ever done that is harder than factory work.
Focus on Made in Dane
So with all of that said, you’ll have some idea of how excited I am that in April, IB will be featuring “Made in Dane” products, taking me (and you) inside some of the factories located in Dane County. Many innovative specialty-use products, and also household-name products, can claim to be “Made in Dane.”
So here’s a shout-out that I’ll be seconding in my printed column this month: If you would like IB to showcase products you have a hand in producing, send our editor a high-resolution photo and a 150-word description of what the product is. Deadline for consideration is Feb. 25.
When you tell people where you work and what you make, do they say, “Wow, I didn’t know that was made here!?” In the April IB issue, we want to share your pride that yes, it IS made here!
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