Tariffs Stir Hope and Hesitation Among U.S. Small Manufacturers

U.S. Small Manufacturers See Opportunity and Risk in Trump’s Tariffs

The Trump administration’s aggressive tariff strategy is being met with both cheers and fears by small manufacturers across the United States. For some, it’s a long-overdue rebalancing of a lopsided trade system. For others, it’s an unpredictable force casting shadows over hiring plans and overseas customer relationships.

Betting on American Industry

Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore, is enthusiastic. His company makes steel racks and baskets for sectors like aerospace and medical devices, sourcing materials from American states like Tennessee and Illinois. To him, Trump’s tariffs offer a rare opportunity for small U.S. manufacturers to regain ground lost to foreign competitors.

“It’s wildly unfair to the American worker,” he says of the current global system. With more tariff parity, Greenblatt claims he could double his workforce.

It’s a view echoed by the administration, which has declared manufacturing a matter of both economic and national security. Since its peak in 1979, the U.S. manufacturing workforce has shrunk by 35%. Tariffs, Trump argues, will bring back jobs by making it more costly to import goods — pushing companies to produce domestically instead.

But Uncertainty Clouds the Outlook

Yet not all small business owners are convinced. Corry Blanc, founder of Blanc Creatives, which crafts cookware in Virginia, says the uncertainty alone is rattling his customer base.

He supports buying American, but customers in Canada and abroad are nervous. Plus, he says, domestic infrastructure isn’t ready to meet a surge in demand.

“There’s so much uncertainty and not a lot of direction,” Blanc explains. Despite weathering the pandemic, he says the current environment is even tougher.

Michael Lyons, who runs Rogue Industries in Maine, faces a similar dilemma. A Canadian buyer recently cut ties over tariff worries, and while Lyons wants to grow his business, he’s hitting pause until there’s more clarity. “We hold with what we have,” he says.

A Long-Term Vision?

Bayard Winthrop, CEO of clothing brand American Giant, sees the bigger picture. His brand produces garments with U.S.-sourced cotton and sells both direct-to-consumer and via Walmart.

For Winthrop, tariffs are a chance to correct decades of offshoring and revitalize domestic textile production, which has plummeted from over 50% in the early ’90s to less than 4% today.

He acknowledges that the Trump administration’s volatile style fuels anxiety, but urges Americans to zoom out: “We need to be more protective of our domestic marketplace.”

The Bottom Line

For small manufacturers, tariffs offer a double-edged promise. On one hand, they may boost demand for U.S.-made products and reinvigorate domestic supply chains. On the other, policy unpredictability and global retaliation may shrink export opportunities and shake customer confidence.

Whether tariffs mark a turning point for Main Street manufacturing or just another disruptive policy wave will depend on consistency, infrastructure readiness, and global reaction. For now, small businesses are stuck balancing ambition with caution — a tension that defines the 2025 economic landscape.

Share it :

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *