I’m a second generation American born in Brooklyn New York. Since I can remember, My father would always tell me what it was like for him being raised by immigrants from Germany. He being the first generation born in this country for our family. He would tell me about the stories of his parents and how they worked hard to read and write English and to become Americans themselves. Yes they still kept their German traditions, but they wanted to be part of the melting pot that was America. Of course it wasn’t easy for my Grandmother who had a very hard accent. While my father was young there was this conflict going on known as W.W.II. It wasn’t a good thing having German parents and growing up in Brooklyn during W.W.II. My father as well as his parents were proud to be living in the United States. So much so, my grandparents became American citizens.

American pride still runs deep with many Americans. I myself hold this country in high regards so much that I will stand at attention wherever I might be if I hear the National Anthem. I will never let the country’s flag touch the ground. I fly the flag in my yard everyday and lower it to half-mast during remembrance days. I’ve always own an American made car and try to buy “Made In The USA” products when it possible.

Unfortunately, our federal government has made it difficult to continue to find items that are still made in this country. JAG Wholesale does what it can to supply American made products, but more and more it’s getting harder. Two companies that I get merchandise from are American based companies, but because of the regulations that are imposed on themfrom the government, they’ve move the manufacturing part of the company overseas. Duck USA and STAG USA are the two companies that moved the manufacturing to China and Pakistan respectfully. If it wasn’t for my knowledge of the product that I received from them for years before moving overseas, I would have probably not done business with them because of them being considered (by many) a foreign company. The powers-that-be in the companies made it a point to still deliver the same good quality that they have for years. Keeping an eye on the products has help them continue to bring great knives while keeping the price reasonable for the American consumer.

Over the years I’ve stay involved in inspecting all merchandise delivered to JAG, helping to maintain the quality my customers have come to expect. Many of the product that JAG stocks are now made overseas and for that reason I feel compelled to check out everything.

I am still as patriotic as most Americans, but I have come to terms with the way our government has changed the way America creates jobs. The manufacturing industry has nearly stop in this country and we are at the point of exporting more in than we import out to other countries. I will continue to assure our customers that the product we offer to them are good product at a fair price.
Check out our product line and see for yourself.

If you spend any time online searching for knives to purchase, you know there are way too many brands, styles, colors and sizes to choose from. By just looking at the pictures online doesn’t really give you a good idea of the quality of the knife. You’ll know if you’ll like the aesthetics of the knife, but you’re not just buying a knife for it’s look are you?

If you are, then you just may be taken to the cleaners and find out that the knife you bought looks nice, but it’s made of poor materials and less than acceptable quality craftsmanship. Especially if you purchased a stag handle blade. Stag handle knives are beautiful because of the unique design each one has from any other. Stag handles are made from antlers. Making each one different in minor details, but the blade itself is the same. I own a couple of stag handle knives and the handles may be about the same size, but that’s where it ends. If you haven’t seen a stag handle knife before, take a look at the few that I have listed here on this website.

The manufacturer I want to spotlight in this post is Stag USA. They craft beautiful weapons with a one-of-a-kind look, you won’t find anywhere else. The blades themselves are crafted in Pakistan by quality blacksmith that create two great looking blades. The blade shapes are each different and are available in two different designs, the plain blade and the Damascus blade. The plain blade has a clean look to it with the Stag USA logo stamped right on the blade. The Damascus blade is an etched blade with a great looking design to it. Each blade is made from stainless steel

Once the blade is finished, it’s ship to the United States for the handmade crafted handles to be attached to the blade. The handles are harvested in the United States, mainly the Pacific Northwest. The raw material is trimmed and cut, then sorted, taking into consideration the curvature, diameter and the natural character of the antler. Each antler will vary in color and surface character, which is why like I said earlier, it gives each knife it’s own look and style than any other. With the handles 3/4 tang design along with hidden pins and epoxy, the handle and blade have a permanent bond to hold up to whatever job you put it through. Each knife has a brass guard to protect you from your hand slipping up the handle and onto the blade.

If you’re looking for a blade that is of good quality and crafted beautifully, Stag USA knives are the answer.

These days, many more entrepreneur minded people are taking the leap of faith and starting their own business. Why? Because the job market is not what it used to be in the U.S. The internet has taken over and little companies can have a huge appearance on the web. I know of many companies that are on the internet with a large presence, but have less than ten employees. In some cases, less than three. I have already made connections with business’ outside of a hundred mile radius of my city. I’ve shown the customer an appearance of being larger than I actually am. And when you think about it, do you really care how big the company is as long as you, as the customer, is treated fairly and with respect and above all, felt like your business meant a lot to them? I rather deal with smaller Mom&Pop/local business. I feel I get treated better than doing business with a franchise or chain type companies.

The economy isn’t what it use to be and who really knows what kind of condition it will be in comes 2013. Unemployment is currently sitting at 9.1%. Many Americans out of work have also given up on trying to find a “job”, so instead they are venturing out into their own business. A way for them to take control of their lives and make a name for themselves. In doing so, smaller business’ are experiencing the effect of entrepreneurs willing to go the extra mile for their business.

I know how I want to be treated when I’m the consumer, so when I conduct business, I put myself in their shoes. Giving them the product they want and service they need to successfully run their business. All my customers have my cell phone number and they know they can call me for reason. I don’t want them to have a problem and wait for me to stop by or to contact me. it’s what I would expect from a supplier, so why wouldn’t I treat them the same way?

If you’re dealing with a supplier who doesn’t seem to be there when you need him or he/she won’t return your calls, then maybe it’s time to find some other distributor/supplier to do business with.

In my last post, I spoke about how many things were no longer made in the USA. Even though that is the case, it doesn’t mean you can’t find quality merchandise made elsewhere. Over the last few decades, the federal government has been chasing or assisting companies to move manufacturing overseas. In doing so, these countries have been growing as well as improving on things that they make and ship over the the United States. American pride is stronger than ever here. Many people won’t buy things overseas, but let’s be for real, there isn’t much these days that isn’t made overseas. What is still made here is priced quite high because of the labor cost and the taxes imposed on the company by the government.

Let’s look at one of the product lines that I’ve decided to carry for my customers, DuckUSA knives. The name itself is misleading, but I tell all my customers upfront where my products are from. I can not do business properly if I’m going to lie by saying these knives are made in the USA. I looked for information on DuckUSA online, but to no avail, I couldn’t find anything other than the huge amount of people selling DuckUSA on many websites including eBay. What I thought was cool is the fact that every one of these sites are charging 25% or more for the same knives that I sell at retail pricing. My wholesale pricing is even better than that.

What I can tell you about DuckUSA, is the quality of the knives at a good price. I know you can go ahead and spend twice as much for the same type of knife with the name Buck, Cold Steel or even SOG.The question is, Are you really getting the quality of the knife when you pay $100 or more for a spring assist knife? Probably not. I’ve owned many knives over the years and have own high priced name brand knives made in the USA as well as the less expensive ones from overseas, After a few years I haven’t really noticed a difference between the resilience between the two brand. I take pride in what I own and I take care of my equipment. As with anything in life, if you take care of it and maintain it, the tool/equipment will stand up over the years.

DuckUSA makes a quality product and will hold up beautifully over the years if you do what needs to be done to it, just like you would with any other knife. I’m sure you don’t go out and buy the best weapon (pistol or rifle), to not have to maintain it. Don’t you clean and oil your weapons on a regular basis to assure proper working condition? So why wouldn’t you do the same for your knives?

Check out the line of DuckUSA knives I currently carry with more on the way.

I’ve been working hard on finding products of quality at a great price to pass on to my customers. It’s not as easy as one may think when you consider the types of products I supply to them. It’s reached a point where most everything that we consume in America is made overseas. Many of them are of inferior materials and/or assembled poorly.

I supply convenience store, gas stations, and small mom-and-pop business’ with many different products that range from knives and sunglasses to skull caps and caps. Those products are not made in this country any more on a large scale. It’s cheaper to make those products in countries like China, Pakistan and Thailand. As with any product, a big part of the cost is in labor. We all know that workers outside of the United States are paid less than American workers.

But that doesn’t mean that the product is not of good quality. Yes, like I mentioned earlier, many of the products are inferior. That is why I personally inspect and handle any item I consider offering to my customers. Quality assurance is necessary if you want to grow and stay in business. That’s why I’m able to grow my market share. Many of my competitors are not looking at what they provide to their customers. Their concern is how much can they make on each item at that moment. My way of thinking is to increase my revenue over time, not to make a “quick buck”.

I love what I do, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing it. I get to go out and meet people who have a need that I know that I can fulfill. Providing a product that their customers will continue to purchase with confidence. One of the biggest things to do for success is to have you customers trust you and the product/service you provide. I watched many new business’ fail because of failure of doing that exact thing, so why would I follow their lead? I’m in it for the long haul. I want to be able to one day turn the reins over to one or both of my daughters.

One hurdle I find myself jumping lately is the growth of American pride. I see many customers frown on products that are not made in the USA. I think that’s great since I too have a lot of love for this country and it’s people. When I talk to these customers and listen to their concerns about product from overseas, I hear their pride for America come through. Let’s be for real though people. The government isn’t doing the right thing and it’s mostly likely we will never see those “jobs” come back. As for the ones that are still here, I buy from them when I can. Our economy isn’t stable and people are looking to save their hard earned money, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be shopping in WalMart. We need to find quality product at a fair price, no matter where they are made.

For more information on the products that I can provide for your business and customers, please contact me at billyakerman@yahoo.com. please make sure you write product service in the title of the e-mail.