March 9, 2023
Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics was invited to attend the Made in America Product Showcase that happened last week at the White House.
The showcase highlighted one company from each of the 50 states. Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics was chosen to represent South Dakota. The company joined others like Jack Link’s Beef Jerky of Wisconsin and The Wiffle Ball, Inc. of Connecticut.
CEO Robb Peterson and his wife, Jodi, who also works at the company, traveled to Washington, D.C. where they met with Cabinet members, White House staff and Vice President Mike Pence during the showcase.
The event was held in the East Room of the White House. Company officials attending the showcase were allowed to explore the public rooms on the main floor of the White House before the event started.
Peterson said Vice President Mike Pence stopped by the booth twice to visit and hear about the company’s story. Because Pence’s son is a Marine, he expressed an appreciation for the company’s products and mission.
“He was pretty impressed with the story because he came back a second time and actually shook our hands again and said, ‘Hey, thanks again because this is really important work,’ so we were pretty excited about that,” Peterson said.
President Donald Trump was unable to attend the full event as scheduled, but viewed the booths and addressed the companies as a group at the end of the showcase.
A primary product of Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics is boot soles for the military. Peterson thinks that the company’s patriotic attitude and commitment to American-made manufacturing contributed to their selection.
The event allowed the company to network and build relationships with other businesses. Peterson recalled stopping by the booth of a shoe manufacturer, picking up a military boot and seeing the stamp on the sole that meant it was manufactured by Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics.
Peterson gives much of the credit for the American-made vision and reputation to the company’s employees.
“I think we have a successful business and a great story to tell because of the employees and the team that we have,” he said. “It’s American workers putting out a great, quality product and that can’t be stressed enough.”