American Made - Bold Decision - Powerful Statement – with Dean Wegner – [Ep. 294]

Linda J. Hansen:  Thank you for tuning in today. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host of the Prosperity 101® Podcast, where we seek to unleash the power of employers to reclaim and preserve America by Connecting Boardroom to Breakroom® and policy to paycheck. Employers educating employees about public policy issues that affect their jobs can lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. 

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Thank you so much for joining with us today. I'm so glad to have you in the audience. And I'd like to say a special thank you to our prosperity partners, and those who help us keep the podcast on the air with their financial support.

So if you'd like to become a prosperity partner, please go to our website, prosperity101.com, and hit the prosperity partner link, we'd appreciate your support. And it means more than you could ever know. I'd also like to invite you to join us with our Employers Unleashed™ community.

Join our monthly webinars where we learn ways to positively impact our culture through our businesses. But you can find out more about that at prosperity101.com as well. But now, before I get into the interview and introduce my guest, I have a question for you.

Do you ever look at the label to check the country of origin on your clothing? In the early 1990s, over 50% of the apparel purchased in the United States was made in America. By 2017, only 2.7% was American made. I know every time I choose a product made in the United States, I'm helping to strengthen our economy, and to help provide jobs for our American workers. My guest today is a patriotic veteran who boldly decided to make a positive impact on our nation through his unique business, Authentically American. Dean Wegner is the founder and CEO of Authentically American, a premium veteran owned U.S. apparel brand. A West Point graduate and former Army Ranger helicopter pilot, he had several corporate roles, but with a passion to revive domestic manufacturing, he launched his 100% Made in USA brand in 2017. Thank you, Dean, for serving in the military, and thank you for your commitment to providing American products made by American workers. It's just a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

Welcome.

Dean Wegner: Well, thank you, Linda. I'm so excited to be your guest. And I, of course, know those numbers quite well.

But every time I hear them it just breaks my heart to hear how many jobs went overseas. So thank you for the invite. Looking forward to a fantastic discussion.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, I've followed your company for quite a while. And when we finally met, and I could track you down to get you on the podcast, I was truly excited to do so, because I love to highlight entrepreneurs such as yourself, who have taken their patriotism, their faith, their commitment to excellence in their business, and really created something that is truly helpful for others. And so tell us, what led you to start your company?

Dean Wegner: It's ultimately a longer story, Linda. But, inspiration is what stories really drive entrepreneurs. And for me, I'm a veteran, West Point graduate, helicopter pilot, Army Ranger, and truly love serving this great nation of ours, and take great pride in wearing the uniform.

And when I learned the 3% number, that 2.7, that's all made here, I just made a commitment that I never again want to put a shirt on my back that has a made in China tag or anything, but made in the USA and longer story, but that was ultimately where the inspiration started.

Linda J. Hansen: That's incredible. And, as time has gone on, I find myself checking the labels all the time. And even some of my grandkids, I've taught them to check the labels when we are in a store.

And, they'll say, this one was made in China, or this one was made in Indonesia. And I'll say, well, find one that's made in America.

Dean Wegner: You know, I love that. And I wish more people would follow your lead. And that 3%, that shocking 3% number actually gave birth to our tagline.

And that is where is yours made? It's designed to be provocative, anyone tuning in, I encourage you tomorrow morning, when you put on your new favorite shirt, check the tag. And I'm sure you're going to be shocked and disappointed when you see made in China, made in Bangladesh, made anywhere but this great nation of ours.

Linda J. Hansen: Exactly. And it's hard to find, it is hard to find. And so I appreciate what you're doing by increasing your inventory, increasing your supply of different styles and things that are great.

I know you have a very famous story about some socks. Maybe you'd like to share that with listeners, and they could watch for them next time they watch the news.

Dean Wegner: Yeah, well, I should share this up front, Linda, because we talk a lot about being a veteran owned company, our pride and everything we produce being American made. But what is really most important as a consumer brand is making sure that we deliver an incredible product experience. You know, whether it's one of our polos, like I'm wearing or a t shirt or socks, you know, it needs to be that wow type experience.

Because if you buy something American made, you're like, that's really not that great. I mean, you're not going to buy it again. And American made loses significance of what it should stand for.

So the specific story you're mentioning goes all the way back to 2018. So one thing we've been blessed with is some incredible national media coverage. And the very first appearance was on Fox and Friends.

And it was all the way back in 2018. And I'll show you, Linda, you saw these at the Ignite Kingdom conference. And for those tuning in audio, I'm holding up a pair of fun patriotic socks.

It's a mismatch. So one pair is red and white stripes. The other one is blue and white stars.

So I was backstage, Linda, and I met then host of Fox and Friends weekend, Pete Hegseth. And I gave Pete this very pair of socks. And a year later, I was invited back. And this time Pete was interviewing me. He's like, Dean, it is so great to see you again. I still have the socks you gave me. They're my favorite pair. And I said, Pete, please say that on national TV. He did.

And Linda, you can imagine the spike in traffic and sales. And I actually love what he said, or I should say what he didn't say, because he didn't mention anything about them being American made. He said, they're so soft, so comfortable.

They have this fun patriotic design. That's why they're his favorite pair. But back to quality, when you have an experience like that, you want to go ahead and learn more about the product.

And you'll read the fine print that says design in Nashville and made in North Carolina. And we proudly produce our products in 11 states. And we have the best darn sock maker in the country. And they produce them for us right here and right in North Carolina.

Linda J. Hansen: That's a great story. I also know that you do custom work, quite a bit of custom work. And when I saw you at that conference, you had some t-shirts there that I absolutely loved.

And we bought some for our grandsons. And if you could explain what those are to the audience as well, because they had a surprise.

Dean Wegner: They do a surprise. And it's another theme along quality and having innovative product. Because a lot of people told me, Dean, well, how do you innovate an apparel?

I mean, since the caveman days, people have been wearing apparel. And 2 billion t-shirts are purchased every single year. So with so much out there, how do you innovate?

And I'll show a quick fun product demo. And it relates to my alma mater at West Point. And there is no greater college rivalry than the Army-Navy game. It is America's game. And it is a bucket list. For anyone that's never been to the Army-Navy game, definitely add it.

Because in spite of all of our shortcomings as a country, Linda, you go to the Army-Navy game, and you will just be filled with this patriotic pride. Everything that's good about our country. But I am holding up one of my favorite shirts.

Can you see that okay?

Linda J. Hansen: Yes. It says, Go Army. For those who can't see the screen, it says, Go Army.

Dean Wegner: Yep. And it is incredibly soft and comfortable, Linda, as you mentioned, since you bought a few for your grandkids. And this one not only is soft and comfortable, but it has a special innovation, our sweat activated.

So think of the heated Army-Navy rivalry, have that in mind. So I'm going to spray it and watch what happens. Can you read that, Linda, what just magically appeared?

Linda J. Hansen: It says, Beat Navy. Beat Navy. Beat Navy.

Dean Wegner: And it was small repeat on the front and then even bigger on the back. You know, two of my favorite words being a West Point graduate.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, and when we were at the conference, it was funny when Kraig, the conference host, said, What does it say on here? And he said, U.S. Marines.

Dean Wegner: Kraig is a proud Marine. And I should highlight, though, Linda, that we don't discriminate. You know, we do have a Go Navy version, which is not real popular with my West Point classmates. But, even our Navy friends. Yeah, just amazing American-made product. And, you and I met at the Ignite Kingdom conference.

And what's really neat is this technology, the shirt we offer is completely custom. So whatever you want printed, whatever you want magically to appear, we can do. And a lot of our business clients and charities, instead of having Beat Navy, they will have their values or mission statement magically appear.

And what's really neat, since we met at a Christian conference, we've had some churches who will buy them as a baptism shirt. So, washed anew, all kinds of fun messages that reveal that hidden meaning behind the baptism.

Linda J. Hansen: It's great. What a great innovation. And, you have such a contagious spirit.

You have a very contagious spirit. And I'm sure that transfers into the workplace. And one of the things that I have such a passion about is how employers educate their employees about the policy issues that affect their jobs.

You formed your company to make sure that American workers had jobs. And what are some ways that you help them to understand even the larger policy implications that affect your company and how you're working hard to increase their pay, increase their benefits, be able to increase opportunity for everybody that's within your workforce.

Dean Wegner: Linda, I will give credit here to another podcast host like yourself or a podcast guest. Simon Sinek. Because I remember all the way back in May of 1993, raising my right hand and committing to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States.

And I can't tell you the incredible men and women I served with who really took great pride in knowing they were serving our great nation. And as I transitioned from the military to business and ultimately becoming an entrepreneur, I thought, how am I going to inspire my team? How are we in a business that really means something like it did back in the military.

And it was watching a podcast from Simon Sinek because his whole mantra is begin with why. And if you go to our website, authenticallyamerican.us, you would see that we're in the apparel business, but the heart of our mission is our passion for creating American jobs. And I wish every member of our team was here and had five minutes with you because you would hear them echo the same passion the same belief in our mission and how we want to go ahead and support and help grow the opportunities for the American worker.

Linda J. Hansen: You definitely do. And it's very clear on your website. I'm looking here. It's your list of values. It says our values. And the basic acronym of it is US jobs.

And so maybe you can share with the listeners those basic values that you have on your website as what your commitment is to your workers and basically to all the people you serve.

Dean Wegner: So that was credit to our team that said, you know what, we just need a fun way to go ahead and recall our values because we don't want them just to be words on a wall. They want them to truly mean something. And in being able to tie US jobs to our values and what they mean are really something that is important.

And the first one unbridled passion in that spirit. I mean, that is something that, I mentioned, every single member of the Authentically American team, you would hear them echo those sentiments.

Linda J. Hansen: Right. That's great. It says they love, truly love what you do and give 100% at all times.

And the next one you have, stay patriotic. So have a true love for our country and all of its people. And the next one, go ahead.

Dean Wegner: I mean, we all work hard, but this is one of my favorites. You know what, we just need to have some fun. You know, we want to laugh.

We want to celebrate this journey that we're on.

Linda J. Hansen: I think that's really unique because so many people forget to allow their workforce to form bonds and have fun at work. The next one you have, offer candor. Tell the kind truth and admit your failures.

You know, when we can do that in the workplace, I think it's just excellent. And what made you decide on that one?

Dean Wegner: So I think being able to speak the truth, obviously there's a biblical aspect to that, but I think the kind truth is the important part because in any business, especially when you're starting fresh and new from a blank sheet of paper like we did, there's going to be some disagreements. There's going to be some different opinions, but I think it's the kind truth that is really what I respect and appreciate most about that value.

Linda J. Hansen: Mm-hmm. And the next one, be disruptive. You want to talk about that one?

Dean Wegner: Well, we did a fun product demo. So this is one where it's not just your garden variety t-shirt. So it's fun, it's innovative, and it's truly something that is a hallmark of quality in our brand because what I love about that shirt, Linda, I've literally had people say, Dean, no offense, I don't care where it's made.

It's so incredibly soft and comfortable when that hidden message appears. I mean, it's absolutely my favorite t-shirt, and you do that by being disruptive. And there's technology like the sweat activated, but the fact that we have made the intentional choice around American made also holds true.

Linda J. Hansen: Right. And I love that. It said, push boundaries and turn customers' expectations upside down.

I thought that was great. Now you have tried to innovate and take something as simple as a t-shirt and make it extra special with extra special workers that you're truly valuing by your commitment.

Dean Wegner: Obviously product experience is super important to us, but equally important to us is delivering an incredible customer experience.

Linda J. Hansen: Exactly. And, working with like-minded organizations in terms of some of the things you support outside of the regular commercial jobs too is just incredible. The last one, selflessly serve.

Serve your customers, community, and team, and give back in your own way. Could you expand on that a bit?

Dean Wegner: Well, I'll highlight one unique thing we do, Linda, and this was an intentional choice day one because we believe in giving back because a very intentional choice we made day one was to have two pricing tiers. So if you are a for-profit business, you're Pepsi, J&J, any for-profit business, you know what, we charge you full price. But if you are a church, you're a nonprofit, you're any organization like Wounded Warriors, Tunnel to Towers, clients like that of ours, we're gonna do it at cost.

So there's the difference between the two. And we have helped hundreds and hundreds of charities and nonprofits build their brand, raise some money, and ultimately help them fulfill their mission.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, it's true. You can never out-give God.

Dean Wegner: Amen.

Linda J. Hansen: And generosity always pays. So I appreciate that. A lot of companies don't do that.

And especially someone, I think, committed to American manufacturing, you're already showing that, yes, you obviously have to care about the bottom line, you have to make a profit, but you're already showing through just the simple values of your company and the formation of your company that that isn't your main mission to make money. Your main mission is to truly impact our nation positively and help the American worker.

Dean Wegner: And Linda, I'll highlight one more way because we met at a conference and we have product there and it's a great way for people to experience our product firsthand. I hope your grandkids love the shirts that you bought. But another thing that we do is anytime we go to an event and we're exhibiting or I'm invited to speak, we will bring product and we will sell it.

But it's not designed to be a sales event, but it's just another opportunity for us to serve and give back. So we always donate 20% of our sales, not profit, 20% of sales. So if you just bought a few t-shirts for your kids, you bought some socks and you spend $100, there's no funny math going on. You know that $20 is going back to the host organization or a local charity or veteran non-profit that they designate.

Linda J. Hansen: That's incredible. And I wish more people would do that. That's just a great way to really live out your values.

And that's a good example for your employees too. As we talked before about making sure employees understand how these policies affect their paychecks, like the policies regarding manufacturing, regarding tariffs and imports and everything else. What would you say to employers?

I asked this a bit before, but what would you say to employers who are afraid to talk about those things? With their employees.

Dean Wegner: I think it really boils down to Linda being true to who you are and what you believe in. And the fact that only 3% is American made, it was a bold decision to make that intentional American made choice when only 3% is American made. But when it's something that you truly believe in, when it's something you're passionate about, that's an opportunity to hold true to your convictions and what you stand for and what you truly believe.

Linda J. Hansen: So good. And before we close, I want the audience to get to know you a little more. Tell us about maybe where you grew up and I know you're very athletic and your family is very athletic.

Tell us just a little bit more so people can get to know you.

Dean Wegner: Well, priorities for me, Linda, align with God, family, country. And very specifically in that way, they're listed in that order of priority. And my Christian faith is first and foremost in my life.

And family is incredibly important to me. So literally just, let's see, it'll be next week. So August 27th, my wife, Kelly, and I will celebrate anniversary number 32.

Linda J. Hansen: Congratulations.

Dean Wegner: And Linda, you're just getting to know me and I'm a lot to put up with. So incredibly thankful for her love and partnership. Kelly and I have been blessed with four amazing kids. So we have two daughters, 28 and 25. We have a 22-year-old son.

He's a junior now at West Point. I played hockey at West Point. He's an Army hockey player like his dad, just much better than his dad.

And then we still have one at home. We have our 16-year-old son we adopted from Ethiopia.

Linda J. Hansen: That's a beautiful story. And I'd love to have you back sometime and we could hear the story of how you became adoptive parents. That would be really- Another powerful story.

Dean Wegner: I'm very blessed with an amazing wife and an incredible family.

Linda J. Hansen: That's great. So if people want to get in touch with you, how should they do that?

Dean Wegner: So if they want to connect with me personally, LinkedIn is always a great spot to go. But our website, authenticallyamerican.us is another great location to go. And I should share this, Linda, because I know a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of business owners tune in.

And we had to make an expansion this year because you mentioned how you always like to check the tag. Unfortunately, there are not many people like you that do that. And what I found is, although we are passionate and believe in the American worker, we also had to make sure that we are having a growing, sustainable, successful business.

And we actually launched a second company this year because 90% of our revenue is custom. And we serve thousands of businesses, charities, and other organizations. And what I found is they valued the customer experience.

They valued the veteran owned and having one sole supplier more than American made. So I'll give you one specific example. We would have clients say, Dean, we love your T-shirt. We love your socks. We want those in a new employee kit. But we would also like a backpack and a steel tumbler.

And for years and years, Linda, we would tell them no, because none of that's American made. And we would literally send away millions of dollars of business. And we made a choice this year to go ahead and launch a second company.

So AAW Solutions, now it's the parent company of Authentically American. So we're the exclusive distributor of Authentically American. But now we can listen to our clients and better serve them.

So if you still want to lead with American made, you want a fun sweat activated T-shirt, or you wanted fun custom socks, we of course can always do that for you. But now if you needed a lower cost T-shirt, if you needed items at the only place they're made, a Yeti tumbler in China, we can still source that for you. So kind of the reality of business is you've got to hold steadfast to what you believe in, but ultimately you need to have a successful and a sustainable business.

And that was the choice we made. And that really allows us having AAW Solutions as our parent, allows us to go ahead and serve our clients, but then hold true to the integrity of our brand, Authentically American.

Linda J. Hansen: I think that's a really good example of how we can try to make an impact while we're living with the reality of what is. Because, like I told you, I check the labels on clothes, but I know that what I'm wearing right now wasn't made in America. And I tried, you try to buy the things at a price point you can afford.

I shop around, all these things and sometimes it just doesn't work. And so I really want to speak to the audience and say, you might be a business owner, a business minded individual. Maybe you have the entrepreneurship bug in you and you are willing to take the leap and start developing products like those tumblers that can be made in the US.

And we can bring so many jobs back to the United States. We see the reshoring happening in manufacturing. We can see right now, I know that it hasn't been fully realized in terms of the jobs and economy, but we can see the reshoring happening.

The car manufacturing, the coming back, so many other manufacturing opportunities coming back onto American soil. So that will grow. And so hopefully, maybe there's somebody listening right now who says, I would like to make sure that people don't have to go to these foreign countries for these simple promotional products or something.

So maybe they could reach out to you for encouragement and you could partner with some of them and see if we can get more of these entrepreneurs to build American companies and pretty soon that will be the standard instead of the things we buy from overseas.

Dean Wegner: Love the way you're thinking, Linda. And this is the whole rising tide theory because you know, when more and more people are doing it, the tide's rising and all boats are gonna be floating higher.

Linda J. Hansen: Absolutely. Well, I know time is up. So do you have any other closing comments before we close this episode and wait for another one in the future?

Dean Wegner: I just wanted to say thank you, Linda. Thank you for what you're doing. You are a powerful voice and a champion for the American worker and for, you know, godly men and women who wanna lead the right way in the workforce.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, thank you. It's an honor to have you on the podcast and to be able to share your company with the audience. So thank you.

Dean Wegner: I appreciate it. Thank you.

Linda J. Hansen: Thank you again for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101® podcast. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please, subscribe, share, and give us a great review. Don’t forget to visit Prosperity101.com to sign our Employers Unleashed™ pledge, to access our entire podcast library, or to discover resources for use in your workplace. Let us know how we can serve you. Contact us today at Prosperity101.com.