We want to thank all the companies that gave statements for our hearing submissions to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees. Both included comments from about 3 dozen companies on the pain caused by continued GSP expiration. You can download the House submission here and the Senate submission here.

In addition to the comments highlighted the other day, here are some of the other company statements found in the submissions:

  • Bruce Marlin, Purchasing Manager at Circa Corporation in San Francisco, California: As a rare, surviving U.S. manufacturer of leather goods, it is essential to us that GSP be renewed. Our competitors manufacture primarily in China and India, and we need as level a playing field as possible to remain viable as a U.S. domestic manufacturer.
  • Donna O’Sullivan, U.S. Sales and Customer Service Manager at Janice Girardi Designs in Stone Ridge, New York: The non-renewal of the GSP has cost our company over $90,000. Unfortunately, we’re not able to raise our prices to compensate for the duties we’re now paying because it’s already challenging to stay competitive in this economy. We’ve had to lay off a few people because of this and it’s vital for us to have the GSP renewed.
  • Cathy Korndorffer, Chief Operating Officer at Chantal Cookware Corp in Houston, Texas: We are a small, privately owned company in the housewares industry. We struggle every year to compete on a global scale with huge conglomerates and every penny that our product cost increases counts. We have not laid anyone off because of GSP non-renewal, but we cannot pass this along to our retailers.   What happens? Our employees do not get raises. There is no money going into their 401K plan. There is no Christmas bonus. There is a reduction in our medical insurance contribution from Chantal. Is it painful? YES!
  • Daniel Hamilton, President of Vortex Optics in Middleton, Wisconsin: If GSP is renewed with tariffs refunded, we could purchase new equipment needed for our US manufacturing plans, move forward on building plans for expansion, and hire additional employees. All of the money would go right back into the local economy.

Just because you missed the submission deadline doesn’t mean we don’t want to tell you story. If you’re willing to be profiled on the Renew GSP Today site, then drop us a line. At a minimum, we need your name, company name, and location, but the more details you can provide, the better!