When making windows at the Quaker Window Products' factory in Freeburg, robots do the heavy lifting as panes of glass are carefully sandwiched together and inert argon gas is inserted into the windows.
Humans do less strenuous things such as removing glass panes from machines, building window frames and checking seals on frames.
Quaker takes pride in its Missouri-made products and the people it employs, said Bill Sifflard, director of marketing and communications at Quaker.
"People don't realize we've got 1,000 people making windows over (in Freeburg) that get shipped across the country," Sifflard said.
Quaker is one of about a dozen local companies to participate in a fledgling marketing program that encourages consumers to buy goods made in Missouri. State leaders hope the program can create interest in locally made products and investments in economic development opportunities. Local manufacturers and retailers hope the program will provide a small boost to sales.
During his 18-month stint as lieutenant governor, Gov. Mike Parson created Buy Missouri to promote Missouri-made products.
"Missouri produces hundreds of quality products, yet most Missourians do not know they are made within our borders," Parson said in a statement. "The Buy Missouri program is intended to give much-needed recognition to these products."
As a state senator, Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, introduced a bill marking the second Saturday in October as the beginning of Buy Missouri Week. Former Gov. Eric Greitens signed the bill into law June 1.
Now as lieutenant governor, Kehoe plans to travel around the state to events promoting Buy Missouri this week. Kehoe said the week will be used to draw more attention to Missouri-made products.
"Hopefully it will have some residual effect after people hear about it and learn about it that it will continue to help build the program," Kehoe said.
Over the winter, Parson's office invited about 120 companies to participate in Buy Missouri. Parson's press secretary, Kelli Jones, said his staff wanted to build a database of products made by Missouri companies. Kehoe said he hopes people will find the website and at least consider buying Missouri-made products.
Fifteen companies from Cole, Callaway, Moniteau and Osage counties currently participate in Buy Missouri, including Quaker Windows.
Companies can enroll for free at buymissouri.net. A handful of business groups including Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Retailers Association and Missouri Grocers Association support the program financially.
To enroll, employers must enter their name, headquarters, a description of their business and how many people they employ. The state screens products to make sure the majority of inputs in a product are made in Missouri. Companies based in other states or countries can participate if they produce products in Missouri.
"We make sure they're in good standing," Kehoe said. "We make sure the product they're saying is made in Missouri is actually made in Missouri."
Kehoe did not say how the rules of the program are enforced after a company is approved to participate.
Finding a bump
California, Missouri, meat producer Burgers' Smokehouse also participates in Buy Missouri.
Steven Burger, president of Burgers' Smokehouse, said the program is not necessarily a selling point for the company. Many Burgers' products sell as private-label products or get sent out of state.
Still, Burgers' products sell at most grocery stores in Missouri, such as Hy-Vee and Gerbes, Burger said. An in-state marketing program could be useful in catering to that audience. As with many marketing programs, Burger and others reached by the News Tribune said quantifying a bump from marketing programs can be tough.
"With anything you do, it's kind of cumulative," Burger said. "Sometimes a consumer may come across a banner ad or see a product in stores."
Sifflard from Quaker Windows said Buy Missouri serves as a good marketing tool to find residential and business customers in Missouri but that Buy Missouri also will help Quaker reach a different audience.
The maker of commercial and residential windows announced plans last week to build a $65 million plan in Eldon that eventually will employ 300 people.
Jefferson City had an unemployment rate of 3 percent in August. As it is, Quaker cannot find enough people to fill jobs in Freeburg. Sifflard hopes Buy Missouri will help the company reach more employees.
"It's a great opportunity to tell them that they don't have to move to St. Louis or Springfield to find a good-paying job," Sifflard said. "It's just a great way for the state to help us get our message out."
A symbiotic relationship
Carrie Tergin, who owns Carrie's Hallmark Shop in Jefferson City, held a Trapp Candle in the store at 117 E. High St. last Tuesday, talking up the Missouri-made product.
Most of the products in her store come from factories outside the country, Tergin said. While Kehoe and others said the program is designed to directly benefit manufacturers, retailers also will benefit from people shopping for locally made goods.
"Our job as retailers is to promote and highlight local manufacturers," Tergin said. "We have a broad mix of companies, but our job is to highlight Missouri."
As Buy Missouri grows, manufacturers will largely become dependent on retailers to tell consumers which products participate in Buy Missouri.
Stickers and placards with the Buy Missouri logo are being printed, said Ray McCarty, president of Associated Industries of Missouri, a Jefferson City-based trade group that represents businesses and manufacturers around the state.
McCarty and others said manufacturers often do not know which products will be sold in which state, so retailers likely will need to promote Buy Missouri products by setting up displays and placing stickers on products. Tergin, McCarty and Burger acknowledged this is a hurdle.
David Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association, said the organization will help manufacturers if stores can benefit by promoting Buy Missouri products.
"Every retail (store) is going to have their own marketing plan," Overfelt said. "It's just like back to school sales help drive traffic."
As the program ages, McCarty, Kehoe, Overfelt and others said, Buy Missouri could pay off for Missouri businesses. As Buy Missouri week commences, the work continues to tell people about it.
'There's not a lot of resistance," Kehoe said. "It's more about just building awareness that it's out there."