Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Ameriloop help me connect to?
- American Manufacturers
- American Farmers
- American Raw Material Suppliers
- American Retailers
- Customers in America and around the world
- Potential employees
- More income by connecting to other businesses/customers who want to in-source!
Who can sign up for Ameriloop?
American businesses that produce, manufacture, grow or sell American goods and their customers can sign up for our site. Right now, Manufacturers, Farmers, Suppliers and Retailers can have a business profile on Ameriloop. Individual consumers/customers, service providers, sourcing and procurement specialists, municipalities and government agencies can sign up for a consumer membership.
What can Consumers do on Ameriloop?
- Browse and search our nationwide directory of American Companies and Farms
- Post pictures and locations of American Made products, right from your smart phone
- Find Locally made and grown products
- Search our consumer submitted product database
- Post what you need/want to buy American (Individuals, companies, service providers, municipalities, purchasing and procurement specialists... everyone is welcome!)
- Get coupons and special offers from member businesses
- Rate and Review American companies and products
- Search and Apply for Jobs
- Participate in Discussions
- Check out member events
What kinds of products can be found on Ameriloop?
Anything that is made or grown in America can have a home on Ameriloop!
What can Businesses do on Ameriloop?
- List your company and establish a company profile for free!
- Advertise your company and the product(s) you produce in our database
- Utilize our 'Insourcing Needs' database to increase your sales
- Connect with other American businesses to insource components and products
- Connect with customers directly, especially nice for smaller businesses!
- Apply for and receive an Ameriloop Badge and Rating
- Post coupons
- Write and receive reviews
- Post Job openings and receive resumes through our system
- Post Events
- Participate in groups and discussions
Is there a minimum/maximum business size to register for the site?
There is no minimum or maximum business size to register for the site. In fact, we are excited to help as many smaller manufacturers, farmers, retailers and suppliers as possible!
I did not get my initial confirmation email...why?
If you did not get your initial confirmation email, make sure you check your junk mail. Also, make sure that you mark notifications@ameriloop.com as a "safe" sender - if not, you will be unable to register or receive any future emails from Ameriloop.
What is my Dashboard?
Consider your Dashboard your personal Ameriloop Home Base. From your dashboard, you can access all of the features included on the site. For instance: search for goods and products, companies or people to connect to, post goods you produce or need, manage your certifications, connections, coupons, events, jobs and discussions, your dashboard is the place!
Do I need to fill out a Company Profile?
Filling out your profile and all related information is critical to your user experience on Ameriloop. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for you to connect with other companies, customers, appear accurately in proximity based searches (especially good for doing business locally!) as well as advertise what you produce or need.
How do I fill out my Company Profile?
To fill out your Company Profile, simply click the 'My Company' tab at the top of your screen, once logged in. This will allow you to manage your company profile. Please fill in all 'Contact Information', 'Company Information' and 'Description/Details'. Without filling in the required fields, you will not have full functionality of the site. Other forms of Social Media are welcome on Ameriloop; please feel free to enter your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube URLs.
Why do I not have full access to the site?
Most likely because you did not completely fill out your company profile... see above.
What do you recommend for a profile picture?
We recommend a using a good quality photo of something related to your business! A logo, picture of your product would work. It will immediately help potential connections or customers to see what you and your company are all about. To upload your company profile logo picture, go to 'My Company' then the 'Company Information' tab. After the picture/logo is uploaded and saved, it will appear on your company profile page.
I would like to upload pictures of my product, where can I do that?
Click on the 'My Company' tab on the top of the page, then click on the 'Description/Details' tab. Here you will be able to upload 3 pictures of products, staff, or whatever is appropriate for your business. After the pictures are uploaded and saved, they will appear on your company profile page.
Why should I get an Ameriloop Badge and Score?
The Ameriloop Badge and Score is our standardized, 'at-a-glance' rating system for American companies and products. Our badge is an innovative, practical way to let everyone recognize that you are an American company even if you can't put a 'Made in the USA' label on your product. Our badge and rating system let customers know the domestic content, assembly and processing that go into making or growing your product, taking the guess work out and leaving the decision up to the customer. Getting an Ameriloop Badge and Score is an easy way to boost your business and make you stand out from competitors, in America and around the world! The application is a quick and easy process in which you answer a few questions, submit the form and receive an Ameriloop rating and badge.
The Ameriloop badge and rating system is meant to provide businesses and their customers with a generalized overview of how 'centered' or 'focused' the badge holding member company is on the American economy. The Ameriloop badge and related information is intended to assist businesses and their customers make informed decisions about goods made and grown in the USA. All data that is published with an Ameriloop badge has been entered voluntarily into Ameriloop's database by an authorized representative of the member company receiving the badge. Business member ratings are user generated and will vary depending on what information is entered into our system at the time of submission.
Ameriloop does not manipulate or change any data entered, we simply organize it and publish it attached to the member company's profile page. Ameriloop does average the percentages entered by each company. The averaged value is posted in the center of the Ameriloop badge.
The purpose of assigning an average value is to summarize the information entered by a member company. Again, this value is to be used as a general overview of the company, not for a specific product, unless the company only produces one product.
***Ameriloop as well as the general public relies on the member company's honesty when entering answers to questions regarding % US origin of parts and labor. Honesty in the Ameriloop community is essential, if anyone is caught deceiving any other Ameriloop member or the public in general (online or offline), expect to have your account suspended and membership permanently revoked. We are trying to create a positive impact on the American economy and we take this challenge seriously... just in case you are not aware, misleading information regarding unqualified claims of being 'Made in the USA' is a crime.***
All information about products, parts, processing and or assembly entered into Ameriloop.com and claimed to originate or be 'Made in the USA' or 'Made in America' must meet and comply with the Federal Trade Commission standards found here: http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard
Ameriloop members or the general public can alert Ameriloop staff of system abuse in writing at reportabuse@ameriloop.com.
Ameriloop does not certify 'Made in the USA' or 'Made in America' claims. Ameriloop will honor certifications from accredited certification agencies.
What does my Ameriloop score measure?
Your Ameriloop score measures how 'centered' your company is on America and building the American economy. There are various parameters that are taken into consideration when calculating your score. Your company score is only affected by how your authorized company representative fills out the questions. The ratings/comments left by customers on your profile have no bearing on your score.
I have multiple products, how do I answer the questions for a Badge & Rating?
If you have multiple products, with components sourced from multiple countries, fill out the questions using the average of domestic content across your line of products.
For example, if you have 3 products with % domestic content of 75%, 85% and 95%, your answer for origination in America is 85%.
For % American assembly, processing or origination, if you have 10 products and 5 are assembled, processed or grown in America, your answer is 50%. If you need more help, please contact us.
What is the minimum standard to be approved for Ameriloop?
Our minimum standard to be on the site is to have facilities in America and employ Americans. Being that we are in such an outsourced economy, there are plenty of products that are simply not made in America any longer. In order to compensate for this fact, and to help the re-shoring of American manufacturing, we decided to try and make our site available to as many American businesses as possible. Our philosophy is this; the more companies that are using the site, the quicker everyone will be able to find what they need to be 100% American Made!
What Is NAICS?
NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. We chose this system to keep member profiles organized on Ameriloop.
What if I can't find my exact NAICS code?
Not a problem, just pick a category that matches as closely as possible.
How do I manage my in-sourcing needs?
Managing your in-sourcing needs is simple. Just click on the "Manage Insourcing Needs" button under "Your Insourcing Needs" on your Dashboard. Fill in the blanks under "Need" and "Description". After that, just click "Create Need" and you are all set. If your needs change, you can always add, edit or delete your entry(s) at any time. Now other companies will be able to search for, see your need, and connect with your company! It's that easy! If you would like to connect to companies that produce what you need, simply click on the title of your need and the system will automatically input the information into an executable search. Now you can connect with companies that can fulfill your Insourcing needs!
How do I manage my Products offered?
Managing your products offered is quick and easy. Under "Products You Offer", click on the "Manage Products you Offer" button. From there, enter the product name and description, then just click "Create Product" and you are done. Now your product is in the database! Companies and customers will be able to find your product and your company! If you would like to connect to companies that are looking for what you produce, or your 'products offered' simply click on the title of your product, and the system will input the information into an executable search in the Insourcing needs database. Now you can also connect with companies that need what you produce!
Manufacturing is technical, how do I find technical parts?
Yes! Manufacturing can be very technical. The beauty of this site is that it is just as easy to type in and find 'rough cut lumber' or 'fresh eggs' as it is to find 'photolithographic nanotech manufacturing'! If you know what the lingo is for your industry, you should have no problem finding any parts or components or products related to it! If it is made or grown in America, it has a home on Ameriloop!
How does the "Connect with other Companies" function work?
This is the area to search for companies by their name or the owner's name. Advanced search options are also available for this search, such as state and proximity. After you find a company of interest, you can send them a connection request. If your connection request is approved, you can start to message back and forth with that company.
Why are there two types of coupons?
There are two types of coupons for convenience. Some businesses may be better suited for conventional printed coupons to hand in at the time of purchase, while others may do more business online and make better use of a digital coupon. Coupons are easy to generate, just fill in the blanks and you are on your way. Coupons will appear on your profile page under the coupon tab.
If I have a website, can customers get to it from my profile page?
Yes, since we are in the business of helping small business, linking to your site will be a welcome activity. We also provide code for an Ameriloop Badge that you can put on your site for customers to link directly to your Ameriloop profile page.
Did we miss something? How can I contact Ameriloop?
Someone is abusing the site, who do I tell?
We would like to think that no one is going to abuse the site, but we all know it will probably happen sooner or later. Because of this, we have set up a special email for reporting abuse, reportabuse@ameriloop.com. Please feel free to tell us and we will take the necessary actions to correct the problem.