A few years ago, Kitsbow undertook an incredibly ambitious plan to move to Old Fort, North Carolina, and bring all of their apparel production to the United States, after years of working with overseas factories. And not only did they do just that, but in doing so they trained an entirely new workforce and spearheaded the revitalization of their new hometown, which had been losing manufacturing jobs for decades. So we brought their CEO, David Billstrom, back onto the show to talk about how they did that while weathering a global pandemic; how doing so has been a boon to the brand, their customers, and their local community; and how they hope to be a blueprint for other companies to do the same.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Covid shields and facemasks (2:22)
• Moving to North Fort, NC (7:58)
• The Toyota Way (22:37)
• Domestic manufacturing & efficiency (29:14)
• Revitalizing a community (35:25)
• Employee purchase as a Public Benefit Corporation (50:12)
• David’s Big Idea (57:46)

RELATED LINKS:

• Ep. 20: How the Outdoor Industry is Helping Fight Covid
• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS

• Off The Couch
• GEAR:30
• Blister Podcast

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