Check out this video by the NC farm bureau to see a bit of footage of the tour; we have our own video on its way!

Ever since Tom and I started the company we have offered our employees healthcare. We pay for 50% of the individual’s cost and as the years have gone by and rates have increased so have the number of employees who have had to drop out.

We’re getting squeezed from a couple directions. First, we are a very small group; less than 20 people compared to the 100+ employees we had before NAFTA. Second, we are an older group with some serious pre-existing conditions – even a COBRA ex-employee that has health issues in the family is hurting our rate. It looks like we will be staying with Blue Cross & Blue Shield North Carolina, the largest in our state.

BCBSNC is a nonprofit healthcare company but is making so much money on their plans they paid their CEO, Bob Greczyn, almost $4 million last year, a $750,000 raise from the year before. They are planning an 11% rate increase this year. Why not give that excess back to their customers?

I would have no problem with his compensation if this were a competitive market, but in the US healthcare is not competitive. We need to remove the exemption from anti-trust laws the healthcare companies enjoy. Traditional market competition ideals do not apply to an industry that bases its decisions on risk pooling. In our system, the goal of profit-driven healthcare companies is not to provide healthcare, but to deny as many claims as possible to maximize profit. As economist Paul Krugman wrote, “The most successful companies are those that do the best job of denying coverage to those who need it most.”

Unless something is done, healthcare at TS Designs, and thousands of other small businesses, will become a casualty. And we’ll all share in those losses since the health issues will not go away. The number of uninsured will rise, bankruptcies due to healthcare will increase, and healthcare costs themselves will continue to creep higher and higher.

We need a public option to bring competition to the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry and their lobbyists clearly have the bucks to compete with it.

With all the discussions going on about potential changes in healthcare and energy costs on the rise, we at TSD are looking back at how we started working to mitigate those upcoming challenges years ago.

Not a day goes by that we aren't asked why our t-shirts cost more. Our NC-made, organic cotton, responsibly-printed/dyed shirts are about $12/piece versus an overseas-manufactured, conventional cotton, PVC/phthalate-printed shirt at about $8/piece.

Part of the journey to be a more sustainable company is understanding your real cost, to people, planet, and bottom line. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which businesses do not have to recognize all their external costs and consumers don't understand how those costs are ultimately passed on to them. Here's to the hundreds of our clients who have figured it out, and support us with their business.

TS Designs is looking for a full-time sales rep for custom print t-shirts to expand its customer-base. The position will be mostly in-house, with occasional travel.

Requirements:
• At least 4 years sales experience
• Experience with a Green organization
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work with minimal supervision
• Ability to structure customer desires within the framework of production limitations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of and experience with general PC applications including Microsoft Office
• Type 40+ wpm

Preferred:
• Experience selling a custom product

This year’s winner is the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.  Coastal Land Trust works with the state and other organizations to permanently protect Masonboro Island, the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of North Carolina’s coast and host to a vast array of wildlife.

Click here to check out Greenpeace Japan’s website (don’t worry, you can view it in English).

According to Wes, so far this year’s crop is right on track.  Now we just need a hot damp summer, which in North Carolina is a pretty good bet!

If you’re in the area, drop by one of Great Outdoor’s several NC locations and pick up a 100% local t-shirt today!

Go to page 70 to read the article

TSD is proud to announce it will soon be offering the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified econscious value T alongside our other sustainable t-shirt offerings.

The GOTS certification verifies the value t’s 100% organic cotton content and its compliance with fair labor standards.