Editor's note: This blog is in response to "Support Changes to the Buy American Act," published on Sept. 12.

I am the CEO of a California Certified Small Business, a micro business, by today’s standards. Architectural Woodworking Company (AWC) is a 50-year-old, premium millwork contractor located in Monterey Park, CA. At our height, we were a union millwork manufacturing shop of 95 men and women, with a profitable sales volume in 2007 of $12.5 million dollars. Unfortunately, our total sales last year were under $1.8 million and AWC currently employs only 20 dedicated employees.

As you are aware the great recession has hit the construction and the United States’ manufacturing sector the hardest; several of our local competitors have ceased operation or gone out of business altogether, thereby laying off thousands of hard working Americans.

Recently, AWC bid on a prominent local project, for the State Courthouse at Long Beach, CA. AWC’s millwork bid was $8,628,338. We placed second, underbid by Beaubois of Saint-Georges, Quebec, Canada. Regrettably, 75 percent of this project will now be purchased and fabricated outside of our U.S. borders.

In researching Beaubois’ website, they perform $65 million dollars in annual volume; numerous projects they have completed are our local, state and federal projects, funded by state and federal tax dollars. Beaubois’ materials and fabrication are performed outside of the U.S. borders, directly robbing our economy, American businesses and workers of potential opportunities.

State and federal funds and our local manufacturing jobs are continuing to be outsourced off shore, to Canada and Mexico; including these major core infrastructure projects with no potential end in sight. This catastrophe continues to cause thousands upon thousands of manufacturing jobs to be eliminated throughout the country. AWC’s loss of this courthouse project alone will cost the County of Los Angeles’ and the State of California’s economy $6,471,254 dollars of purchased goods, fabricated materials and jobs for 85 American workers, at our facility. NAFTA has failed our country; destroying our local economy, pilfering skilled jobs, closing manufacturers’ businesses and their support providers they rely on throughout the United States, for far too many years.

We understand that our country may enter a second stage in this unparalleled recession and there is a potential Jobs Bill currently with the U.S. Senate and that they intend on initiating an American Job’s Act. AWC and other industry professionals are in desperate need for the additional prerequisites for a concentrated domestic content, local manufacturing and an American labor requirement in order to bring employment back to the United States.

Stop this treasonous outsourcing of our American jobs, and our vital recovery tax dollars. Manufacturing is at an overwhelming standstill and many Americans we know disparately desire the ability to get back to work.

Please help us!

Vincent Barazza is the CEO of Architectural Woodworking Co.in Monterey, CA. The company traces its origin back to 1919, and offers pre-construction services, value engineering, veneer layup, millng, assembly, finishing and installation services of its high-end architectural products. For more information visit awcla.com.