Maine-Based Company Producing Sneakers For Our Troops
In a time when nearly all footwear purchased in the U.S. is made overseas, New Balance in Norridgewock, Maine along with Texas and Missouri are producing running shoes for our soldiers thanks to the Berry Amendment, which requires the Defense Department to give preference to home grown, made in the USA products for military contracts.
Sometime last spring, a $17.3 million contract was awarded to New Balance,according to SunJournal.com. The newspaper state that production of the initial round of 92,000 sneakers has already begun at the largest of three New Balance factories in Maine. That order could be expanded to 248,000.
Workers at the Norredgewock, Maine New Balance plant say they are proud to outfit our military.
The SunJournal.com states Brandon Munroe, one of the 348 workers producing the military footwear at the New Balance plant in Norridgewock, says they put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making this shoe because we know where it’s going and who it's for.