Since GSP expired on December 31, nearly 50 companies and associations have added their names to our GSP supporter list. Like those organizations already on the list, the new supporters show the incredible diversity of companies and industries benefiting from the GSP program. Or, conversely, harmed by GSP expiration. For example, the companies:

  • Employ anywhere from 1 to 30,000 US employees. Small businesses dominate, with about 2/3 of companies reporting 12 or fewer workers.
  • Saved anywhere from $5,000 to $3 million because of GSP in 2017, and bigger company ≠ bigger savings. The top “saver” was an SME; while 3 of the top 6  were among those with 12 or fewer workers.
  • Are headquartered in 17 states and 39 different congressional districts. New supporters come from Massachusetts and Florida and Southern California and Washington State – and everywhere in between.

Here are some of the companies that granted permission to share the details of their GSP use:

  • Lawrence & Co. in New Bedford, Massachusetts has 3 employees. GSP saved it $6,000 in 2017 on imports of mica products and leather goods from India.
  • RV Industries in Buford, Georgia has 30 employees and saved $200,000 in 2017 on imports of coconut products from Thailand and the Philippines. RV Industries also exports to both Canada and Mexico.
  • Miami Chemical in Miami, Florida is among the small business with big GSP savings. GSP saved the 12-person company about $1 million on imports of chemicals from India, Thailand, and Turkey.
  • Pioneer Square Brands‘ 110 employees makes it among the larger new supporter list companies. The Seattle, Washington-based company saved $250,000 on imports of educational accessories from Cambodia.
  • Colorado Angler Supply in Aurora, Colorado has 6 employees and saved $5,000 in 2017 on imports of fishing tools and accessories from India. It also exports to Canada and South America.

It’s not just new companies: the International Bottled Water Association and the Society of American Florists both joined the supporter list this month as well.

In short, GSP supporters are as diverse as the products they import. It might be hard to find something that ties these 7 organizations together beyond their support for GSP renewal, which may help explain bipartisan support in Congress too.

But it’s hard to pass any legislation these days, so we’re always looking for new examples of how GSP benefits companies and workers throughout the United States. If your organization benefits from GSP and is not yet on the free supporter list, please take a moment to add it here. We also have an open-ended survey where companies can share specific impacts of GSP expiration here.