It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZY, Boston's news radio. Well, thank you very much to call a good evening everyone. The red light goes on and we are on the air and it is Yeah, it's a little later here. It's eight oh eight. My name is Dan Ray. I'm the host of the aforementioned at Nightside with Dan Ray. Rob is back in the control room, all set to do a great job tonight for everyone here on Nightside.
No phone calls until nine o'clock. We have four really interesting guests with interesting topics and backgrounds, and so let's just dive right into it. By the way, later on tonight, we will beginning at nine o'clock talk about the hearings in Washington today where Mayor Wu Mayor Michelle Woo with Boston and three other big city mayors were on the hot seat, the verbal hot seat, and we'll talk about that. We get to all of that, but not until after
nine o'clock. Joining us is comedian TJ. Miller. TJ. Miller, Welcome to Nightside. How are you, sir?
I love it.
I love being on Nightside.
I never get to do.
Well. You're working too hard. That's what's going on. You're probably at clubs and stuff like that. You got a tour coming into East Providence, Rhode Island, the crowd Sorcerer Tour. I think I know what those three words mean, but I'm sure there's a theme hidden in those three words. Tell me how you named it the crowd Sorcerer Tour.
Well, I thought it's funny. You know, a lot of people are doing crowd work right now, and I don't really do traditional crowd work. I talk more about the audience and kind of get my material from them, and so I just thought that was a fun play on words. And also, just like you know, it's partly implying like you're going to be a part of the show. So every single time I do stand up, whatever the audience is, they're going to be a part, an integral part of
the show. So every show is different. They're completely part of it. And it's been really, really fun this entire time. It's great.
Now, I've watched you and I've noticed that as a matter of fact, you walk out there and it's very improvished, which is a lot of fun. And you also have to be on your toes and all of that and have some fun with the audience. What percentage of the people at one of your shows is happy to be kind of outed a little bit as an audience member or whatever you you've you've spot something on them or
you ask them a question. And what percentage of people like are kind of covering up and hiding their face when you're trying to get their catch catch their eye.
I can pretty quickly tell if somebody doesn't really want to talk to me or be talked about buying. But I actually say probably ninety five percent of people are sort of exciting the first thing, go oh, what's going to happen with it? But then once they realize all the attention is on them, they kind of like it. I think people like becoming a part of the show. So it's great. And also I'm not like, I'm not like, look at it like stupid out there. Yeah. So I think.
What I'm saying is you're having fun with them, and you're you're you're laughing with them, You're not laughing at them. I think would be a way.
Yeah, And I and I think, you know, I always try and like lift up the ladies and he's the guys a little bit, and it's just really fun time right, It's kind of all in good fun. I really do believe that. I think my audience sort of understands that also and then come to expect it. So some people do sit in the front road just to hope that I'm going to talk about and they'll say that to me afterwards the meet and greet. I wanted to be I want you to make fun of my hair, you know, Yeah, you.
Know there's a there's another comedian who I've seen do a lot of that. Do you are you? And Matt Rife is his last name? Matt Rife close you know what I mean?
I assume yeah, of course, ye, it is Matt right. And he's excellent. I mean he's really, really, really good.
And I just I was what I was wondering at this because I see some similarities in you guys, and uh, I'm just wondering if it's a competitive thing or if it's kind of Hey, he's doing his thing, I'm doing my thing, kind of a new creative comedians. You guys are not jay letoo Johnny Carson, but you're you're very you guys are kind of similar.
I think that's a really really good point. Actually, the Leno and Letterman analogy. Wow, I know talking about that. But he's kind of a fan. He had me on one of his shows that I think maybe is going on nats Wix, and he's sort of he's just really really quick. And I think what happens is there's about ten comedians or so, maybe fifteen, but definitely ten comedians who can improvise an entire hour. Yeah, and I think maybe part of the reason he's a fan is I'm
one of the comedians. But I think he's super quick. There's another comic, Big Jay Oakerson, who he can he can, he can do crowd. He's like David tel David l can do the same thing. But he and I sort of were in this group of comedians and we both agree. And you know, he is very very fast and very very funny. But yeah, I mean I think speaking it's just speaking to Yeah. I think there's no competition. I'm
just kind of like I'm doing my thing. He's doing his, just two very different styles, and you know, I respect him, he obviously respects me.
So let me let me run. Let me run you back in the in the throwback machine here with the time back machine. At what point in your life do you think you sort of thought to yourself, I could I could make a live in standing in front of a crowd and having some fun with him. When did you first think that you could be a comedian, which you obviously are and a very good at.
I think I think about the time that I realized that it was really funny. I just I like making people laugh, and so I just rubbed him in class, and it was into that whole thing and uh, you know, class clown and all those sorts of things. But I think it was much more about realizing, oh, I'm making all these kids laugh some comics ghos because I wanted attention.
I love the attention. I think it was more, Wow, I can really make people laugh and have a good time and be happy, and to that call of my eye. Probably I don't know, in junior high school or something, and then when I.
Was about to real junior high school teachers must have loved you.
Yeah hardly, Yeah, they were they My parents were trying to feed me riddle in and all that stuff.
So let me ask you this. Have you ever had a junior high school teacher show up for one of your shows and say, hey, remember me, I'm missus Smith, I was just a f with great homeroom teacher or something that ever had an experience like that.
You know what, I haven't. I'm closer to my high school teachers. But you're right, no teacher has ever said, hey, you might laugh.
Maybe they're all kind of.
Ashamed, not a shame of they're embarrassed if they were so mean to me. And now I make a living off that very thing.
A couple of other quick questions, I don't get to talk to you know, professional comedians, and people need to understand it is a hard job being an entertainer.
Uh.
Therefore I was radio five nights a week. I don't have to have people laugh. I try to make people think. Uh, and and we engage in some more a little bit more serious stuff. So I'm really enjoying having our conversation with what you here explain to my audience quickly what life is like on the road. I mean, if you're on a tour, you're you're in this city. If you're going to be in Providence, Rhode Island this Friday night and Saturday, will give that a plug at the Comedy
Connection in East Providence. So it's going to be I love it. I love it. Okay, So how how how many months a year, how many weeks a year are you out there working your craft in front of a live audience on tour?
Well, you know, you say, what's it like on the road? I think the I say this. I think that it depends on your outlook. So I think some people and they're like, oh god, it's so hard being on the road. And I don't, you know, necessarily know what to you know, It's just it can be really hard, They'll say. I think if you like traveling and you think it's interesting, and you do it right, like it's a practice enough to get good at it, like a Buddhist practice or something.
And I think, once you do that, I find it really fun. I get to meet all kinds of people, you know. I know more, I really like America. I think America is very interesting, and so I like going all over the country. And then I have really great audiences and it has not that hurt. The only two of things that are hard is it's hard to eat healthy, especially when all the comedy companies serve like fried food,
not all of them, but a lot of us. And you get all that for free, and it's delicious, of course, and it's tough being away from my wife. I really like my wife. She's a very cool individual. It says between those two things that say, that's the hardest stuff, and yeah, the rest of it is just gravy. But it's it's a grind for sure.
Yeah, you know, I'll tell you people don't understand that. They see and they figure it's a great easy life. It's not an easy life. You got you gotta you gotta be up every night when when I start my show and eight oh six or eight oh eight, whatever the time it is. You got to be pumped up. Every show has to be your best show ever because if when you lose that, you're gonna lose the audience.
I don't think you're going to lose that. TJ. Miller Okay, his crowd Sourcer Retort, Comedy Connection, East Providence, Rhode Island. By the way, you're on a Boston radio station where we're heard in thirty eight states. DJ OVERHL No.
This is a great opportunity to range you.
Oh no, no, no problem. Wanted to have you on and uh, we'll have you back at some point if you if you swing through Boston, I we do everything remotely now after COVID, so I'm everything's on the phone, so anytime you want to be back, you give me a call. I I enjoyed the content, thank you.
I mean, I played the Wilber Theater when I'm in Boston, which is, yeah, correct venue. But I have some people go to my show in Rhode Island and they were from ASU. Yeah we went and saw you in Boston. It isn't that an incredible theater? And they go, yeah, but we didn't have the best steeves. We kind of brought late. And you know, we we loved the show in Rhode Island a lot more because it's more like
what you do. It's a smaller venue. You know. We love the you know, the crowd interaction that you have, and yeah, it's like that.
It's you know what TJ is like watching a game at Fenway Park. I don't care if you're if you're not a baseball fee and you love the intimacy of Fenway Park as opposed to some of these other stadiums where you need to set of batailers to to see uh, to see home plate. TJ enjoyed the whole Thank you much. My friend enjoy East Providence, Rhode Island. Okay, we'll have we'll we'll we'll talk again. I think you and I got a connection here. I was on the road a
long time as a TV reporter. Now I'm not on the road, but I'm kind of envious of your ability to get out there and meet people. That's what. I'm very much like you in the sense that I enjoy people, and that's real important to my success and as certain it's important to yours as well.
So I gotta agree. Yeah, the irony just really quickly, Guarany is I'm very you know, envious of you because you sort of it's not at all a nine to five, of course, not even close, but it's a it's more there's more stability, and you get to kind of be in the same place for longer. I don't envy that your audience is silent, you know, I think that would be very difficult. But I really always say, because I'm a voiceover guy too, you know, I did bigger how
to train and drag and all that stuff. I really respect radio because you guys are essentially improvising. Yeah, you have guideposts, but you're improvising for hours you know.
Yeah. Well, but TJ. Once at nine o'clock we blow open the phone lines and we have people calling from all over the country.
And that would be so fun.
Oh absolutely, I have people. You name a state, you name the city, and I give the name of someone I've maybe never met him or her. But let me tell you there are people you know. You know, some of my my most loyal fans are people in Florida, Laurie, and Idaho. There's a whole bunch of people all around the country that you know, and so there's some similarities as well as some dissimilarities. Tej and I enjoyed it
a lot. Best of luck in from peas Father's Rhode Island at the Comedy Connection this Friday and Saturday night. Thanks so much, my friend. We'll talk again.
Great, thank you.
All right, we come up. We're going to talk about this month, amongst others, is National Ladder Safety Month. We'll be back. I think everyone will understand that one really easily. We'll be back right after this one night. Side Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Night Sin Studios i WBZ News Radio. All right, Well, March, of course is the beginning of spring. Spring training baseball is underway for real flowers in some parts of the
country start to spring. But it's also just as importantly National Ladder Safety Month. With me is Mike van Vree. He's the director of product safety and engineering with a major US ladder manufacturer. Let's get that one out of the way. What is your major US ladder manufacturer. Let's let's make sure you get credit here.
Mike, Well, Dan, thank you so much for having me. I am I'm with lous Ladder in Louisville, Kentucky.
I've been to Louisville, Kentucky. It's a beautiful city. Red Sox used to have a long, long time ago, a Triple A minor league baseball team in Louisville, Kentucky.
And those Triple as seem to change affiliation.
I've noticed.
Yeah, they do. They change a lot. No, I'm taking you back to like the fifties and sixties when they were in Louisville and then they were in Minneapolis and Toronto, and they move around a lot, trust me, But ladders don't, except when I try to climb up one. What's the biggest thing. Obviously, we know you should never walk under a ladder particularly on Friday the thirteenth. But what's the
biggest safety tip you can give people? Because look, people are going to use ladders, you know that as well as I do. And it can be dangerous once you're off the ground.
But that's it. The energy potential energy, as we say, when you're at elevation.
Yeah, So what's the big thing is that that people don't sit the ladder on firm ground and they get on the ladder and the third step up, boom, there they're flying through the air. What what can you tell people that will other than let the professionals do it? Like most guys, wives will say get off the ladder. You know that's my wife yells at me. But hey, you got to change a light bulb on an exterior light, I'm going to use a ladder. What what dance could we take get from you there?
There's there's quite a few things that I could I could certainly talk for a long time on the subject. I've I've worked in this industry for a while so have have seen, uh seen quite a few things over those years. But you know, you bring up the footing of the ladder, having it, having it set properly on firm, solid ground, level ground, and that's that's I'm absolutely a consideration. I think one of the one of the things that I, I guess I try to highlight whenever we think about
ladders and ladder safety is well. People sometimes make fun of the labeling on ladders. It is uh. It is covering those base and reminding people of things that you probably know but can certainly help you to avoid getting yourself into trouble. And so I definitely recommend paying some attention to those to those warnings and instructions. A ladder is a tool like many others, and and people kind of have an expectation that it's just a ladder and I should know how to use it, and generally you
do that. There's some I guess just to hit some steps maybe to take when you're when you're getting the ladder out. I can I can certainly run through a few things to consider all ears well, you know, I guess these are again all things that are on the ladder. And I'm not going to, by any means try and regurgitate all of that. But there's really four key points.
You want to choose the right ladder. You want to inspect it once you have chosen it, you want to make sure that it's in good working order, that it hasn't been inadvertently damaged by somebody else, for example, And then you need to set it off properly. And the final thing is to use it safely. And so just kind of running through each of those just a little bit, just very briefly. On the selection, you want to make sure that you are choosing the ladder that is going
to work best for the job. Is that a step ladder, is that an extension ladder, a leanable ladder? And then what material is it made out? If you're working around electricity, you want to be sure you're using a non conductive fiberglass ladder. Aluminum is a great material if you don't
have electrical hazards to worry about. And then you want to make sure that the height of the ladder is going to give you safe access, and that the load capacity is appropriate for the weight of your weight and any tools, equipment and such that you might be using.
So one thing about a step letter, even if it's like a six foot step ladder, never be dumb enough to go to the top of the ladder instand a top the ladder because.
Well, it's good. Good to hear you've gotten that message. Yeah, we certainly have had for many decades now labels on the top step and the top camp not to stand on those And people ask me why is that, And the reason is because you can lose your balance. That portion of the ladder structure is there to give you support.
So whether that's holding onto the ladder with your hands or whether that's leaning into the ladder, bracing into the ladder with your legs, your body, that sort of thing while you're working that that is there so that you're not just balancing on your feet alone, and so you don't want to get too high.
That is so so important. Hey, Mike vanvrie, I enjoyed the conversation National Ladder Safety Month, and it's called Louisville Ladder. Yeah, I know, I certainly am familiar with Louisville Slugger, but now I know someone with Louisville Ladder and I like that. Thanks so much for being with us.
Thank you so much. Dan, You have a wonderful evening, you too.
Mike, have a great weekend coming up. All right, we got the news coming up when we get back on top of doctor Tracy Woodriff. She's a professor of reproductive Sciences at the University of California at San Francisco, and we're going to talk about somethings really that's important. Black plastic cooking, spatchuelas and all of that. They have high levels of flame retardants, but they can be somewhat dangerous.
We'll get into all of that with Professor Woodriff right after the break here at the bottom of the hour. My name's Dan Ray. This is Nightside. By the way, get the new and improved iHeart app. I've got it, and you can also get it on presets, So you make your first preset WBZ, which means anytime, any place, anywhere in the world. You can listen to us three hundred and sixty five days a year, twenty four to seven. Coming back on night It's Night Side with.
Boston's news Radio.
Thank you, Nicole. We're about to introduce you to doctor Tracy Woodroff. Doctor Tracy Woodruff, Welcome to Nightside. How are you?
I'm good?
How are you were great?
You own University of California at San Francisco, Professor of Reproductive Sciences, Beautiful City, San Francisco, and there's recently as sometime in January, it's the rain finally stopped out there. You guys were getting delused with it last week and.
We were, but it's beautiful right now, so we want to come visit us.
Oh yeah, my daughter's out there, so that's why get get out that way. So I'm going to talk about the problem with black plastic utensils. When we say black plastic utensils, we're talking about the things that people use with at the stove when they're cooking materials I assume, and they're they're plastic. And what's the problem.
Well, right, we're talking about spatulists, slotted spoons, even the sushi trays. So this black plastic, a lot of it is basically recycled from old electronic plastic and that has
these toxic chemicals and it's called flame retardant chemicals. And so this is one of the challenges is that they have you have your electronics, you know, you're black cord on your floor in your TV, and they say, oh, recycling is so great, but again, get recycled into these these new these new products like flotted spoons and spatulasts that have toxic chemicals in them, and then when you're using them, say you're using them to flip your food, whatever food you have in your pan, it can lead
some of those toxic chemicals. So that's why with all.
Of the regulations we have here with the EPA and oh yeah, the food, the Food and Drug Administration, how did this one get by everybody. I'm going to go downstairs and throw out some of my plastic spatulas. But what our conversation is through this is serious because it says that as I understand that some of these they have flame retardants, which is great, but the flame retardants have been found, as I understand it, to reduce children's IQ. That might have what happened to me, But when I
was young, I don't think they had plastic materials. But boost cancer rates, contribute to thyroid disease. There's some pretty serious implications here.
Yeah, I know it is serious. And the sad reality is, I know everyone thinks they go to the store and the chemicals that are using these products have been tested by the government, but that sadly is not true. It turns out that the laws are actually not doing the job they're supposed to be doing. To make sure that all these chemicals, like these flame retardant chemicals that can cause things like cancer or lower IQ have been tested, identified by the government and then made sure not to
be in our products that we buy. But that's not the way the laws set up in this country. It's really like we're kind of the guinea pigs here. So why the study is so important because it shows, Wow, we really need to upgrade what we're doing in terms of making sure that when we use these materials, they're not, like you said, making us less smart. I guess there is another way to think about it.
Okay, So here's my question, A couple questions, and I just we don't script this stuff, as you probably realized by now, it's all questions off the top of my head. Is there any country in the world of which you are aware that actually is ahead of us on the curve here? I mean, I'm assuming it's kind of a chicken and egg question. If they don't test this stuff first and say, oh, yay, you want to use some black plastic, be our guest. Absolutely, we love that stuff.
You're gonna love it. Or are the countries around the world that are more hip to this stuff and they're going to say they may be using that stuff in America, but we want no part of it.
Well, let me just say some of the chemicals that were found in here were banned, not all of them, but some of them have been banned because way now they're toxic. But the problem is there's a couple of things. One is, not all the toxic chemicals have been banned or evaluated. And then the second thing is it doesn't just because their band doesn't mean all the use is Like again, recycling plastic is like I've been told, oh,
that's a solution or a plastic problem. But the problem is it can get recycled into new products, but then we then basically put on you know, contact with our food, and then we end up eating it ourselves.
If you're going to recycle black plastic in a snow shovel, not likely going to be gnar and on the snowshovel anytime soon.
I mean, well, I hope not.
But you would think that somehow, some way, the all all of these these agencies and government agencies are going to protect us, which you know, I hope they do. When I go to the store, I hope the food and drug administration has some idea about what they're doing from flying on an airplane. I want to make sure that the FAA people, particularly the controllers, were awaken the
control tower. It's crazy to think that in this day and age that this stuff is still a problem and it's up for scientists like you to point out the issue. Do you get pushed back from the either you know, from the plastics injury industry, or is there a pushback from, you know, the companies that are selling these I think the companies that are selling these are the big stores that all of us know about, you know, Walmart and Target, all places that most of us go, and we assume
that when you buy stuff there it's it's safe. How does this what's the dynamic that that allows this to happen? Is what my question is. They should have gotten to that question quicker.
Yeah, but there's a lot to unpack. There isn't there. So I think the first thing is a lot of the plates, like you go to your retail store, but they don't want to sell toxic chemicals right then, don't want to sell toxic chemicals in their products. But they're a victim also of the way that the chemical manufactures they make, the chemicals they control a lot of a lot of the ways that you know, they've influenced the laws in the United States in terms of how fast
they're working to evaluate the toxae these chemicals. They can hide some of their chemicals behind what they call confidential business reasons, so that the government has a really hard time getting companies to give them the actual data they need in order to identify toxic chemicals before they're used in products and then get onto our shelves. So the system is not set up. And I know it's kind of amazing when you hear this, because you think, well,
isn't everything regulated in the United States. No, these these chemicals, and sadly there's four thousand of them chemical companies can use in you know, all these different products, and we know they're using them, and we know we're exposed to them, and we also know they've not been fully tested for safety or regulated.
So I'm not.
Sure that's going to change right away. Since the cut's being proposed to the federal agency it's supposed to do this EPA, and the people they're putting in charge at EPA come from the chemical industry, So I think we're in for a rough ride on related to toxic chemicals.
Anyway.
Well, you know, it's funny when in the middle of the summer some little traveling circus or amusement park comes to town and sets up shop and they got a ferris wheel. Most of the time you're gonna say, I think I'll pass in the ferrist wheel because I have
no idea when I was last expected we get that. Okay, But I can remember in the sixties and seventies when when some of these big companies, you know, they would they would do these advertising campaigns we are developing progress through science, those phrases that you wow, we got progress and it's through science. What's they cot be a problem? There?
Sounds to me like a lot of problems. I really enjoyed our conversation, doctor Tracy Woodriff, and hopefully everybody tonight is going to go and find their black plastic utensils, spatulas, et cetera that are being used to cook. And we get some downstairs I know have melted because they I get again, Yeah, that isn't even worse. They look worse. Thanks so much for your time. I do appreciate it.
Uh to take the time, and a lot of people are going to probably act upon the information you provided tonight. So for that, you've done a good deed. I appreciate it so far. Thank you, doctor Teresa. When we get back, we're going to talk about trade wars. What's going to cost Americans. I think there's a yng a yang to this. To be honest with you, my guest is Lance Thrailkill. He's a manufacturing expert and CEO of Print three D Technologies. We'll talk with him. I think there is a yang
and a yang to this. I don't know where he's going to come down on it, but we'll talk to him right after the break here on Nightside. Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World night Side
Steos on w b Z News Radio. Well, we've heard a lot of talk about trade wars in the last few weeks in the left, particularly the last few days, also tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada with US as Lance Trailkill, he's a manufacturing expert and CEO of Print three D. It is a print three D technology, so printed, I guess you you pronounced it Printed technologies and all metals,
fabricated fabrication, Fabricating. What is print Printed Technologies? Are you you guys doing all the three D printing and.
All that, Yes, sir, yeah, so we're printed. Yeah, you had it right. Printed. It's a little play on the print. Three D Printed Technologies is a three D home building business. We've developed a automated three D home printing system and that has been designed. It's it's owned by All Metals
Fabricating as fifty percent equity holder in that business. And we're trying to tackle affordable care, our affordable housecare, our house housing rather sorry, and disrupt the archaic construction industry that's been building things the same way for one hundred years. But okay, tariffs, it's really more applicable to All Metals Fabricating. Sorry,
so yeah, because we import. We don't directly import, but we buy, along with every other manufacturer in the United States, is fully dependent on imported raw material from uh, you know, all over the world, so directly directly impacting us immediately and has been for since since Trump originally tweeted about the TIFFs going into effect on Super Bowl Sunday.
Okay, so, so your company, All Metals Fabricating, give give us an example of what you're importing and from where that goes into the h into the three D sort of. It sounds to me like you're doing sort of producing housing that's that's affordable for people. Correct.
Oh yeah, Well let me back up a little bit. So Printed is just a subsidiary one one customer of hundreds of customers of All Metals Fabricating. So All Metals Fabricating is a contract manufacturer. We do sheet metal machining, powder coating, and electric mechanical assembly. And what that means is we can take a sheet of metal or you know, a block of metal and make it into just about
anything and we'll build the print. And so we to answer your question directly, we you know, we, along with all other manufacturers, we buy from distributors, domestic distributors that get material and from international mills all over the world. And so you know, the mills in the United States. There's only four aluminum mills in the United States and not enough steel mills either to even support a fraction
of United States manufacturing. And so the United States is completely dependent on international mills to that they sell that they then sell to US distributors.
Okay, so is it possible that the tariffs might encourage more companies to invest and build mills here in America. I mean, we know that we've lost a lot of the car manufacturers. I think there's some that have actually left the States and gone to Mexico. And of course, of course we import a lot of cars from from South Korea, from from Japan. We bring a lot of cars into this country. It wasn't that way fifty years ago,
because there's all American made cars. I guess one of the benefits of the tariffs, according to the Trump administration is it will it will I guess, encourage put it in courage things to be manufactured here. Is that?
Yeah, yeah, that's the narrative. Is the narrative is correct. So to take it back to the original minute, you know, his previous administration when he was in office, I think you know, they had a big, huge plan to you know, make three or four new mills in the United States, which once again cannot even support a fraction. Mills have been you know, we've been for decades and decades and
decades been getting material from overseas. So while yes, the the idea, just even the narrative of this American made and restoring that pride has brought a lot of business and restoring efforts in terms of the manufacturing, but in terms of the mills, this would take a long, strategic, decades long plan, uh, with you know, congruent administrations that being on the same page about that, and hundreds of hundreds of if not a billion dollars or more by
billions of dollars to actually be able to support United States American manufacturing. And so what ends up happening is the international mills mark the material up. They say, we're not paying this. You guys are paying this. We're passing it along and by the way, we're not going to
reduce our margins, so they pass on. Now, you know, if it's twenty five percent tear, if they're passing on twenty eight thirty percent because they're not going to let their margin go down, then it goes to the US distributors. They're not going to let their margin go down. So by time it gets to the manufacturers, it's you know, forty percent thirty five forty percent at least, and it really so then which we pass on to our customers.
Uh So we don't make anything for consumers, but we make the B to B. So our customer being other businesses, is you know, having to eat that cost and pushing back on us and cutting our margins.
Yeah, and I understand that. But again, if from the perspective of the national economy, this may impact your industry adversely, but it would help, uh, certainly the the automotive unions around the country. If a lot of these car companies that that have fled the fled the United States and gone to Mexico, if all of a sudden that say, hey, let's get back to let's get back to America. I mean there's I say this sort of a yang.
And a yang here totally absolutely with everything and and and what you you keep talking more about the car manufacturers and so the mills is a different thing where that's the raw materials that's coming in.
Yeah. So I just think that that's what I'm saying. What I'm saying, Linz didn't mean interrupt it. People can understand that now in terms of the stuff that's being brought into the country, that's a longer problem. You've you've articulated that, really, well, how did we lose all of these mills in the first place. I assume that one
hundred years ago, we were manufacturing this stuff here. I mean, because the ability to ship stuff, you know, from halfway around the world is a lot probably cheaper today and more easily easy to accomplish than that was one hundred years ago. What what prompted all this stuff to go out overseas anyway?
Yeah, I mean, you know, the old mill jobs were dirty, you know, hard jobs. Now they've moved more towards automated meals, so you know, it is a lot more attractive, but it's still you know, not a very attractive job. So I just think that's in part that you know, and also just it's as it became a global economy, became more competitive to get the material from other countries. So it's kind of a double play there. Let me let me just back up and say, you know, I am
a conservative. You know, you got to take the good with the bad. So in the last you know, in his previous administration, we had our four best years ever, you know, prior to last year. And so you know, while these negatively impact US, I do think there's a need for tariffs, especially on China. Absolutely pro tarif. I'm China, we don't get any of our where we get very little of our material from China, none of it directly.
And in other industries you know, I'm just speaking from a manufacturing standpoint, which in other industries like semiconductors for example, that that's been a huge push that we've now start, you know, manufacturing semiconductors here and so that's a great thing.
Do you know where semiconductors used to be manufactured. They used to be manufacturing in Puerto Rico and there was there was a law passed in our Congress in nineteen ninety six Republicans and Democratic Democrats together push that stuff off shore. Here's my question, what about what about doing some carveouts for your industry. Can't you get to the Trump administration say hey, look, you're hurting us more than
you're helping other people. Give us a carve out here, and you know, you do whatever you want, but give us a little bit of a break or maybe eliminate the tariffs in your particular industry.
Well, that's certainly what we're hopeful for, at least that a minimum, you know, would like to see. You know, the Canada one originally came out and then he rolled it back. So a lot of you know about forty percent of US aluminum comes from Canada, and so would definitely like to see that loosen. I think a lot of the the tariff around that is due to you know,
letting fetanaohl come in the country. A lot of the steel comes from Eastern Europe, and so in past he ended up eventually exempting a lot of these you know, countries, which I think will happen, and that's our whole part of the problem is honestly that the mill, the United States mills have a large lobby presence in Washington, and what they do is they use this as an opportunity to jack up their price and so which really is
extremely frustrating. This second that the second that these Trump tweeted about that even the US mil started increasing their prices, So that that's the frustrating part.
But nonetheless, Lin's I'm probably more empathetic to your situation than you might realize. And maybe we'll talk again a few weeks from now. As this this story seems to develop, lyn'ce thrillkill with the other printed technologies and also all metals fabricating. Thanks thanks, Linnce, I appreciate your time and your patience with my questions.
Thank you much, thank you so much to appreciate you.
Ulcome, You're welcome. We come back on to talk about Michelle Who's trip to Washington today. It will be it is going to be a fun ride the next few hours. Stay with us.