America

Amanda L. Cole is the editor-in-chief of NonProfit PRO. She was formerly editor-in-chief of special projects for NonProfit PRO's sister publication, Promo Marketing. Contact her at acole@napco.com.

The 2016 presidential election is still more than a year away, but the candidates have been stocking campaign stores with merchandise, such as cell phone cases, T-shirts and pocket-sized Constitutions. Most candidates are touting American-made items, but how much of their campaign merchandise is actually made in the U.S.?

Walgreens CEO Gregory Wasson announced Wednesday that he will step down from his position before the new year, just as America's largest drug store chain prepares to complete a merger with the Switzerland-based Alliance Boots. The company said in a statement that Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Alliance Boots, will serve as acting CEO, pending a board search for a successor. Walgreens Chairman James Skinner will become Walgreens Boots Alliance's executive chairman.

The American-made comeback has strengthened with criticisms of foreign-made products making headlines. U.S. manufacturing offers many benefits, such as job creation, safer working conditions and stricter environmental regulations.

Printing Industries of America filed petitions last week with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in an effort to nullify two digital workflow patents that have been the basis for lawsuits against printing companies. The petitions seek an inter partes review by the USPTO of the patents' validity.

The patent owner has aggressively sought licensing fees from dozens of printing companies and has sued many of them for infringement. The patents broadly address methods for receiving customer files, using a computer network to perform various prepress functions, and creating a plate-ready PDF file.

Walmart doesn't make anything. But the giant retailer could play a part in the manufacturing rebound that is taking place in the U.S. with its promise to buy $50 billion more U.S. made goods over the next decade for its Walmart and Sam's Club stores.

It's a bit ironic, given Walmart's vast global sourcing organization.But the same forces that are making the U.S. a more hospitable place for manufacturing—higher shipping costs and wage rates overseas among them—have prompted the company to reevaluate its sourcing on a variety of products.

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