Blog

Introducing Apple Pie – American Made

Americans are becoming more aware of where the things they buy are made. It’s a trend we’re happy to see because Guided Products has always been about American Made Values. Our own products are made in the USA and we support others with the same commitment.

It’s not always easy to find American made products. Being a maker of these products, we’re familiar with the channels available to us and other US manufacturers. Often products that are made in the USA have their prices artificially increased by the channel – so when a consumer is lucky enough to find the products, they can often be overpriced. Made in the USA is being treated, sadly, as an angle and niche.

That sucks. So today we’re proud to announce Apple Pie. An online retailer we’ve built that sells only Made in USA products. Apple Pie has thousands of products, a slick design and the world-class e-commerce standards we know you’ve come to expect as America shoppers.

We hope you’ll come visit Apple Pie with us, but first here’s a little more about it.

Apple Pie is a web store where Americans can go to buy products with complete confidence that they’re buying American and supporting American jobs. We’ve collected a great selection of made in USA brands to feature their products in our store, and we’re adding more every day.

What does Apple Pie sell? Well, a little bit of just about everything any functioning home needs. Fashion basics and accessories, American made messenger bags, cookware, made in USA knives, health and beauty care, cleaning supplies. We’ve even got stuff for your kids and your pets.

What’s it like to use Apple Pie USA? Turns out, it’s a lot like eating Apple Pie, which means memorable, delicious and super easy. When we started building the web site, we kept you front and center, aiming to make it beautiful, really easy to find the information you need to learn about a product, and without any confusing twists and turns.

Shipping is usually free, but if it’s not, all you have to worry about is one low flat rate. It’s predictable and reliable, and some of our products come to you straight from the manufacturer to save time. It’s almost like getting your pie straight out of the oven.

American made products are all about quality, and we just want to make sure we get that quality straight to you, and help connect you with the American workers crafting these beautiful goods.

Ready to learn more? Go check it out.

Oct

2012

Here's to the boldest customers on the block

Photo by Yortw on Flickr

Hello loyal customers, we wanted to take a moment to talk about you today, and talk about one of the things we like best about you. We think you’re bold and ground-breaking, let us explain.

Doing things differently is a big part of the American way, and we’re kind of fans of the American way. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the other early Americans wouldn’t be such a big deal if they had only done something that had been done many times before. They were standing behind their values and putting everything on the line. You, our customers, are like them in that regard.

We don’t think you buy a Guided Product just because it’s the most convenient and simple option every time. That’s only part of the equation. You also choose Guided Products because you can see the shared values, accountable materials and American manufacturing that’s inspiring us over here in Seattle. While you’re not helping settlers establish new homes in the wilderness like Daniel Boone or hopping in a plane to break aviation records like Amelia Earhart, don’t forget you’re pushing the boundaries a little bit too, just by ordering your presentation and office goodies from us.

In a sea of homogenous products, you’re the ones picking the binder that isn’t white or black. You’re the one standing up for something new and different when someone says a white binder is the only one that will work for the project.

The canvas

Picking brown kraft is a bold choice. You’re picking the natural color because it gives you a blank canvas to share your message, and makes an unmistakeable statement. Your choice to be a little different is a bold one, because it’s always easier to be like everyone else. The fearless warriors of the board-room, the library and the studio are striking again.

We see you. Whether you’re distributing your photos to clients, picking up the binders for a board meeting or gathering some recycled journals for taking notes, you’re picking products that stand out. You’re well on the way to making a statement, and our hats are off to you.

We hope you’re feeling ready to do something really expressive with your next project, because you have us feeling all artistic. We’re over here posting pictures of statues and colors. Stay bold friends!

Jun

2012

Guided Products Proud to be Available at Walmart

We are proud / thrilled / pumped / stoked / giddy that you can now find our ReSleeve CD/DVD case on the shelves of over 3,000 Walmart’s nationwide and online at Walmart.com.

Walmart chose Guided and we chose Walmart. If you are expecting some sort of blog post or announcement rationalizing us making our products available through the largest retailer in the world, providing the greatest access possible – you won’t find it.

In the coming months, there will be even more Guided products on even more retail shelves, giving consumers the choice of American Made Values.

Apr

2012

American Made

Here at Guided Products, everything we do is American Made. We are patriots.

Open market systems do not discriminate based on ethics or intentions – that is the role of the consumer. We believe in the consumer more than watchdog groups or regulation.

We are intimate with the unique spirit of industry and entrepreneurship in this country. That spirit still continues to have more vigor and passion here (in the USA) than in any other place in the world.

There was a time when you would walk the isles of retail stores and find the leading products were all made in the USA. However, since then many of those American brands took advantage of arbitrage opportunities and moved production overseas. The result being the majority of consumer products are made overseas, often with disregard for that product’s end of life (the American landfill).

Today, each consumer product category is dominated by a few players, often the same set of players from category to category. Because of the dynamics of supporting sales on a retail shelf (rebates, slotting fees, merchandising, margin waterfalls), the same players have held court for decades, with little innovation.

It’s time for an American Made brand to exist that has American Made Values and spans categories. So a consumer knows, regardless of the product they seek, that it was made here, with the product’s entire lifecycle in mind and available on the same shelf, at the same price.

To quote one of our favorite commercials, “it’s halftime in America“.

Apr

2012

Same Price

We like spreadsheets. We like that choices are made because of them. Internally we use spreadsheets to make our own choices. When anyone is buying a product, be it a Fortune 500 company, family or individual, the budgeting spreadsheet matters.

If you haven’t heard of the ‘green premium’, you’ve seen it in practice. It is a practice by manufacturers and their distribution channels who believe only certain, gullible people are interested in responsible products. It assumes those people either don’t understand spreadsheets, or don’t value them compared to other factors. This approach is limiting, short-sighted nonsense, consistent with the treatment of a fad market. Worse, this practice trains consumers that products aligned with their values cost more. It guarantees failure in the mass market.

We believe American consumers will choose products aligned with their values when all other things are equal, including price.

Trying to gouge and alienate consumers is poor strategy, as is using guilt and fear tactics to sell a product. Every Guided Product undergoes exhaustive market research to ensure it is priced at or below similar-functioning traditional products on the same shelf and delivers comparable margins to the distribution channels.

Good for your pocketbook, good for our country. Getty’ up!!

Apr

2012

Same Shelf

Just like us, when an American consumer walks into a store looking for ice cream, they go to the ice cream section. Not to the ‘Made in USA’ ice cream section, nor the ‘green’ ice cream section, nor the “I want to save the whales” ice cream section…they go to the ice cream section, you know, where the ice cream is.

There has been a trend in consumer product merchandising that baffles us. As makers of products, we’ve been pitched this trend first hand. You see it in catalogs, physical retail stores and e-commerce sites. It’s when otherwise fantastic product has the death sentence of being merchandised as ‘green’.

To be clear, this means the product is TAKEN AWAY from its core section (where the ice cream is) and moved to another section meant only for those who want the ‘healthy/organic/green/responsible’ lifestyle products for twice as much money.

In many merchandising plans this treatment ensures most consumers, who go only to the core section of products they need, have no opportunity to purchase that responsible product because it’s not on the shelf with the traditional items.

Our distribution partners agree to put Guided Products on the same shelves as their traditional counterparts. We do not want special treatment, we want the same chance everyone else gets.

Same price, same shelf, same function, American Made. It’s on.

Apr

2012

ReBinder Becoming Guided Products

HISTORY

In 2004 ReBinder (then Sustainable Group) pioneered the making of responsible office products with the Original ReBinder. From that instant, making products the right way has been in our DNA. We don’t consider this approach a ‘project’ or a ‘niche market’, it is the only way we’ve ever done it. Today we are announcing our plans for a more broad application of that approach.

BACKGROUND

There are about as many definitions of Social Responsibility (corporate or otherwise) as there are recycled icons, ’green’ symbols and certifications. It’s confusing, it’s not authentic and the entire industry has lost trust and credibility as a result. At ReBinder we have always kept our approach simple and honest – responsible (for us) has always meant: Made in USA, using responsibly sourced materials with consideration for where those materials end up at product’s end of life.

ACTION

We are changing our name from ReBinder to Guided Products. Guided Products is a pioneering, cross-category brand of responsible products that break through the ‘green’ noise and are built with our fellow Americans in mind. The definition of Guide is “One who shows the way by leading, directing, or advising” and “One who serves as a model for others, as in a course of conduct”. We are excited about this new name as it is in perfect alignment with our intentions. There are many categories where change, clarity and leadership are needed – we plan to address them.

In a marketplace filled with ‘green-washing’, diluted claims and confusing certifications, Guided Products will provide clarity, trust and jobs for Americans. Every Guided product will continue to be made the right way, considering environmental, social and economic factors. Guided products will perform the same function, be available on the same shelf (virtual or physical) and at the same price as comparable, less responsible products. Guided products embody American Made Values.

IT CAN BE DONE

Products made in this country can win in the marketplace. They can be price competitive. They can have amazing quality, design and function. And YES they should yield profits for the maker – it is the only way to make the products truly sustainable.

ON DECK

In the coming months we will begin rolling out with our new corporate brand of Guided. We are looking forward to sharing exciting news in the coming months about product availability through new distribution and new product categories. Long live capitalism. Follow us – we are in for the fun stuff.

Dec

2011

There’s Nothing Wrong with Buying American

Last week we tweeted about Seattle’s stance that an advertisement from a non-profit suggesting that people buy American-made products was just too controversial and would not be allowed to run on the metro bus system. As proud Americans making quality products, we were a little disappointed that products like ours didn’t qualify for advertisements on public transit.

Photo by JD Hancock

The good news is that since then, Seattle decided that TAP America’s ad wasn’t actually that controversial, and it’s now allowed to run on the buses. Maybe Seattle realized that most of the people that vote in its elections are in fact Americans employed in America.

Thanks Seattle, for letting people like us who manufacture products, do business and pay taxes in your city have an equal chance to sell our stuff.

Until 12/31 you can get free ground shipping on your purchases of $75 or more of American Made products from ReBinder.

Oct

2011

The Zax of the Green culture

I learned back in south-going school

Up until 11:04 last night, we were in a dialogue with a certain group about sponsoring their initiative. They do cool work, helping teens understand and eliminate the toxic surroundings in their lives. We care a lot about this, given what we do (the replacement of toxic vinyl binders with the responsible ReBinder).

The conversation broke down when it came to reciprocation for the sponsorship. After weighing our options, we chose to decline. We cared enough about the organization and its success to state what didn’t work for us, giving them the opportunity to amend/change if they so choose. They were offering links and a facebook post in exchange for $400/day of free product going out to their teen award winners. Here was our feedback pertaining to what we would get,

“After consideration, the links just wouldn’t be that valuable. The page from which you link has a PR of 0. Your Facebook page has a 6, which is nice, but your links are structured as nofollow most of the time, and even then, the frequency of your updates would most likely keep the page from being crawled. It would cost us about $400 and we can’t justify it.”

Not that $400 is a ton of cheese, but we have steadfast rules on how we spend sponsorship dollars. We’d shared these rules with them months prior. These rules were born from the fact that we compete against well funded, smart, aggressive competition who choose to make and sell toxic vinyl products. We use every dollar we have to kick their asses. So when we sponsor something, it needs to help us do that. We thought this was in line with the goals of this requesting organization. Here is the response from the Executive Director of their organization,

“Wow Brent, Talking about missing the point. Seems like you base life on metrics as opposed to humanity. You should only know how awesome the kids are that are involved in this initiative. But based on your response, I am sure you wouldn’t really care much. Sorry we have supported your business in the past. Your off my radar screen…”

So – to the point:

The Kumbaya economics of most green initiatives don’t work for all parties. If it doesn’t work for all critical participants, then it doesn’t work. Most things that don’t work go away over time. Understanding the participants and what they need is key to any successful, large scale initiative. This piece is missing from most green initiatives.
For people that are all about making love not war, what’s with all harsh, visceral judgement of anyone who disagrees with you?
If you can’t negotiate with people who disagree with you, then you can’t negotiate. You’ll end up stuck on an island, singing your own praises while the world passes you by. Worst part of this, we agreed with her.
Burning bridges doesn’t work out in the long run.
Hubris is unbecoming, grammar is attractive.

Anyone who knows us, knows we love people. We work hard to ensure our children have a great world in which to thrive. And yes, metrics play a key component in being successful.

Perhaps the green culture could use some more metrics.

Oct

2011

Best Keith Price T-Shirt Ever

Best Keith Price T-Shirt

Ok. Fine. We admit it. A few of us are University of Washington Husky Fans. This came across our email the other day and we had to share it.

Who knows how this season will turn out, but at the time of writing this, the Dawgs are 4-1 after having just beaten a good Utah team on the road. Keith Price played with two sprained knees, a sprained ankle and a big smile. Love that dude. So a few of us are buying this amazing Keith Price T-Shirt. We believe it to be the best t-shirt for Keith Price available right now. The Husky shop needs to get on the stick and pick these bad boys up. It’s not a Jersey, but oh well.

Good to note the company who makes this shirt and other comfortable, captivating T-Shirts is Tuxiz. It was co-founded by a former UW and professional baseball player Ben Johnson. Good to see a fellow Dawg and Seattlite throw his hat into the entrepreneurial ring. Go get em.

So – go buy his sweet shirt, support Keith Price and the Dawgs. You’ll need a paypal account, or they’ll need to grow up and add a real checkout at some point .

fyi – this post has nada to do with our line of recycled office products and cardboard cd sleeves…but why not share the love.