On Wednesday, July 19^th, The White House held a Made in America Certification Event where President Trump recognized brands from across the United States that are aligned with his mission in bringing jobs back to America by manufacturing products in the states. Amongst those recognized was Okabashi – a footwear brand with the capacity to manufacture up to 20,000 pairs of shoes a day in their environmentally-friendly Buford, Georgia factory.

Founded in 1984, Okabashi, is a family owned and operated American-made shoe company with a focus on foot health, a better environment, and a better economy. Through their Georgia-based headquarters and 100,000 square foot production facility, Okabashi has created over 200 jobs with many of their team members staying with the company for over 15 years. Today, two billion dollars of footwear is made in the United States with more than 98% of shoes being made overseas. Okabashi is proud to be apart of that remaining 2%, providing jobs and financial growth to their local economy.

Okabashi aims to create for a better environment by producing 100% recyclable shoes in their environmentally-friendly factory. The Okabashi factory's Georgia location was chosen carefully due to its central location to many population and transportation centers in the United States, allowing the company to drastically limit the fuel necessary to transport shoes and sandals from the factory to consumers. In addition, Okabashi utilizes a closed-loop recycling process to reduce the use of virgin material and to keep old shoes from becoming environmental waste, encouraging their customers to aid in their mission of creating a better environment by offering a discount for mailing back their retired pairs of shoes.

The company recently brought on a female CEO and President - a rarity in the manufacturing world. Sara Irvani, Okabashi's CEO and 29-year-old daughter of the company's founder, has already increased their websales by 500% since coming aboard less than three months ago. Irvani and Okabashi President Kim Falkenhayn attribute much of the company's success to the fact that their drive to create for a better economy and environment in the United States is integral to the brand's DNA - something that their employees, consumers, and buyers are also passionate about.

"I have a strong belief that eco-conscious, responsible manufacturing can flourish in the United States if we focus on consumers and are disciplined in our approach," says Sara Irvani, CEO of Okabashi. "I feel a strong responsibility to grow the company and create jobs for the team who, along with our consumers, are so motivated and passionate about the incredible quality of the product. Okabashi is an authentic American heritage story. We have a box of customer love letters dating back to 1984."