How companies--and societies--used to work

There was a terrific story on NPR today about the Maglite flashlight company and it's founder and President--a 79-year-old man named Anthony "Tony" Maglica. It told how--surprise!--maglite flashlights are STILL MADE HERE IN THE US: Lynn Perry, head of customer service for Mag Instrument, says a lot of people are surprised the flashlights are domestically produced. "They're amazed that we're right here," Perry says. "People think that this product is coming from China. And you tell them, 'No, this is it, we're made in the U.S.A. We're still here.' " In this day of "send it over to China to be made because labor costs are so much lower", it's refreshing to hear about a company still making things here, isn't it? And the reason they are still made here is only because of one man--that same founder, Mr. Maglica. Quoting Tony and the story: "I will not go out of the country if my life depends on it," Maglica says. "There's no reason for it really." He doesn't have a corporate board to answer to. It's not "more profit for profit's sake, come hell or high water" for Tony since he owns the whole kitten-kaboodle. And good for him. Good for us, good for California and the United States. "Tony will be the first one to tell you that had this been a publicly owned company, they would have fired him," Hawthorn says. "They would have thought he was nuts. Maybe he is for continuing to do it in this country when it's so difficult. But there's a lot of us in this company that are very thankful that he did." Maglica says people tell him all the time he could make more money if he stopped insisting on making Maglites in the U.S. And he knows they're right. He just doesn't care. Not only will Tony not move the production overseas, just so he could make more money, but check this out: Mag has never raised the wholesale price on the Maglite. Three decades later they cost exactly what they did in 1979. And here's the core of what companies used to do, that corporations don't and won't do, anymore, in too many cases: What Maglica cares about are his employees, whom he describes as family. Last year, as a result of the tough economy, Mag Instrument lost nearly $11 million. The company had to lay off 200 people. Maglica says it was the saddest thing he ever had to do. "Where are those people going to go?" he says. "There's no jobs. You know I tell you the truth, if everybody will come and tell me 'Tony, you know what, we all quit because we got a wonderful job,' it would be a hell of a relief on me because I won't feel responsible." Maglica feels responsible for every one of his employees — how they're going to pay their mortgages and how they're going to pay for their kids to go to college. And it seems that's what drives him. Humans caring about humans. THAT'S what corporations don't--or won't--do anymore. Link to original story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130197557