When Marc Andreesen, a software engineer and venture capitalist, wrote about building and manufacturing in the United States, we took notice.  He wrote the article around the current COVID-19 shortage of masks, coronavirus tests, test materials, ventilators, negative pressure rooms, ICU beds, surgical masks, eye shields, and even medical gowns.  His point was that we are short on these items because companies in the United States have off-shored this manufacturing, but his point is applicable to much more than just medical equipment.

We can build state of the art factories producing any kind of product, with the highest possible quality and lowest possible cost.  Making and manufacturing most things doesn’t involve rocket science.  We have the technical knowledge, skills, low energy costs, etc..  We would need to lower regulation.  We also have the money as a country, we just need to apply the money towards the investment in the right systems.  As Marc says, we need aggressive investment in new products, in new factories, in new science, in new industries, in big leaps forward.  We need to get all the talent we can on the biggest problems we have, and finding the best solutions.

If we are smart about the way we make things, using technology, and designing business models and processes to be efficient, we can absolutely manufacture great products in the United States.  Gast is proof of that.  We believe you should be able to build a custom home that is thoughtfully made in the United States, for a price less than comparable inventory.  We are doing our part in an industry we know and love.  We are working to bend the escalating price curve for housing, because it shouldn’t be so expensive for Americans to have a great home and the American dream.  More work needs to be done.