The American Compass Podcast Sharpie's American Comeback with Chris Griswold
Oct 17, 2025
Chris Griswold, policy director at American Compass and author of 'I, Sharpie', tells how Sharpie manufacturing moved back to Tennessee. He examines tariffs, long-term investment, automation that raised wages without layoffs, and how policy and worker voice can steer reshoring and technology toward a high-wage, innovation-driven future.
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I Pencil Overstated The Market's Mystique
- I Pencil's miracle language overstated markets as mystical and beyond policy judgment.
- Chris Griswold argues Reed's essay conflates complexity with unknowability and wrongly implies government must always stand aside.
Knowledge Limits At Micro Scale But Not Macro Policy
- The knowledge problem matters at micro levels but not at macro policy choices like supply-chain resilience.
- Julius Krein's framing shows policymakers can and should decide which industries and jobs matter for national interest.
How Newell Brought Sharpie Making Back To Tennessee
- Newell Brands reshored Sharpie production to Tennessee after tariff and supply-chain risks prompted a $2 billion investment.
- They automated production 4–5x, matched China costs, retrained workers, and raised wages ~50% without layoffs.
