From The Marketplace: Bannor Toys – Keeping American-Made Craftsmanship Alive

November 04, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

“We want them to understand that an actual family made their toys, not an assembly line.”

— Stacey Bannor, Bannor Toys

Soon after starting up an in-home daycare in central Iowa, Stacey Bannor realized having a good selection of reliable toys at her disposal was crucial for her business. Growing tired of dealing with constantly breaking toys and safety recalls from toy manufacturers, Stacey set out to put together a collection of durable, educational toys she could be proud to show off to prospective clients.

Stacey’s husband, Jesse, who worked in the home mortgage division of a large banking company, loved woodworking as a hobby. He started crafting toys for Stacey to use in her daycare, using beautiful maple, walnut and cherry hardwoods.

Jesse built baby rattles, wooden cars and trucks, building blocks and some floor toys. The toys became excellent additions to Stacey’s daycare collection, and the Bannors realized there might be others looking for these same types of quality, American-made toys. They decided to turn Jesse’s hobby into a toy-making business.

“Once we realized that there were others out there looking for the same things in a toy we knew we had a shot,” Stacey told The Marketplace.

In a blog post earlier this year, Jesse wrote the following explanation for why he chose to accept the risk of quitting his job in order to start a family business:

“I used to have an office job. It was a pretty god job, the pay was ok, the hours were reliable and decent. Maybe it is because I’m a bit eccentric, maybe it is because I get bored – but it just didn’t feel natural to me to sit in a cubicle surrounded by 500 other cubicles. Not to say that is a bad thing, I also have family in mortgage and insurance and they are every bit as valuable as those of us who do labor or “hands on” work. I just felt a calling to DO and to MAKE and that is why I ended up back in my woodshop.”

Toy Pic 3

The early days of their business were full of ups and downs for the Bannors, quite literally at times. Stacey recounted an experience to The Marketplace that took place right after they’d moved their workshop from their home to a 3,000-square foot warehouse with 20-foot ceilings. Jesse was there doing some electrical work by himself, when Stacey decided to head over to see how he was doing.

“I am so glad we walked down there this day,” Stacey said, because shortly after arriving, she heard Jesse screaming her name.

“So I run out to the workshop part and see him hanging from the rafters and the ladder slid halfway down the wall! After I got the ladder back up and he got down safely, we could not stop laughing about it, thank goodness he has good reflexes and didn’t fall down with the ladder!” she said, adding as small business owners they’re simply learning as they go.

From the outset of their business, the Bannors understood they wouldn’t be the only people out there making American-made wooden toys. They decided early on they wouldn’t let their competition bother them. Stacey wrote the following in their company blog:

“We don’t compete with other wooden toy makers. We just don’t. It’s not who we are and we don’t think it’s a healthy focus for Bannor Toys. Every minute we spend worried about what someone else is doing is time we are not focused on where we are taking Bannor Toys! We aren’t the toy shop who brags about our products or uses fancy words to promote ourselves. We just don’t operate like that and it makes us tremendously uncomfortable. Jesse and I love what we do. We love our customers. We love being able to give back to our communities. We love that our toys make kids smile. We love to think outside the box and try new things. That’s it! (We also love to support other small American made businesses!)”

As new shop owners at The Marketplace by TheBlaze, the Bannors add to the vibrancy and passion found only in the finest collection of small businesses

To learn more, visit Bannor Toys at The Marketplace by TheBlaze.

Five times Glenn had J.D. Vance on his show and where he stands on key issues

CHANDAN KHANNAMANDEL NGAN / Contributor | Getty Images

We finally have an answer to the long-awaited question of who Trump will pick for his running mate, and it's none other than Ohio Senator and friend of the show, J.D. Vance. At the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump officially accepted the party's nomination as the Republican candidate and announced J.D. Vance as his running mate.

Glenn has had Senator Vance on the show several times to discuss everything from DEI to the Southern Border. If you are looking to familiarize yourself with the next potential Vice President, look no further, here are five conversations Glenn had with Trump's VP pick:

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How RFK's example can help our nation in the wake of Trump's attack

Rowland Scherman / Contributor | Getty Images

How did you feel last Saturday when you heard the news that a former president of the United States narrowly avoided an assassin's bullet by a mere few inches? Were you angry at the media for their constant demonization of Trump and his conservative contingency? Did you blame the left for curating a political climate that fostered an assassination attempt?

In his immediate reaction to the news, Glenn pointed us back to a similar moment in American history: April 4th, 1968—the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

"The best speech I've ever heard given was by RFK Sr. on the day Martin Luther King was killed" - Glenn

Robert F. Kennedy, the father of current independent presidential candidate RFK Jr., was en route to Indianapolis when he heard the terrible news. His security team, expecting violent outrage across the country, asked RFK Sr. to turn around and head back to safety. But as Glenn said, RFK Sr. believed in the good in people and demanded to give his speech. He arrived in Indianapolis Park late in the day, and he addressed the crowd of predominantly black campaign supporters.

There were no riots in Indianapolis that night.

The message RFK Sr. gave that night wasn't one of vengeance, hatred, or hopelessness, but of calm and goodness. He appealed to the best in people. He called for people to set aside their differences, anger, fear, and confusion and instead express love and compassion towards one another. RFK Sr. asked for wisdom and the pursuit of justice so that we might be resolute in our unity as the country faces another difficult chapter.

What we need in this country is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.

Glenn has made a similar plea to our nation—a plea for unity and not to lash out in fear and anger. Don't use this time to blame your friends and family who disagree with you politically for what happened or to tell them "I told you so!" Instead, reach out with compassion and grace. This is a turning point in American history. Let's turn it upward, away from hatred and violence and towards unison and compassion.

Remembering Corey Comperatore: The man who died at the Trump rally protecting his family

Allyson Comperatore | Facebook

Fortunately, President Trump walked away from his attempted assassination with very minor injuries. The bullet that wounded Trump's ear could have just as easily ended his life, and his survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Sadly, that miracle didn't extend to everyone attending Trump's ill-fated Pennsylvania rally. Three other people were shot. David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both Pennslyavia residents, are thankfully in stable condition. Corey Comperatore, however, tragically died after being shot while protecting his wife and daughter from the hail of gunfire.

“Corey died a hero."

Camperatore, a 50-year-old loving father and husband from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania leaves behind his daughter Allyson, his wife Helen, sister Dawn, and many other friends and family. Camperatore was a man of service, having spent 43 years as part of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company and had worked his way to becoming the fire chief when he stepped down to spend more time with his daughter.

Corey Comperatore's firefighting gear outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Corey's friends and family have nothing but good things to say about him, and judging by their testimonies, Corey's final heroic act was consistent with how the volunteer firefighter lived his life.

According to many people who knew Compertore, he was a true patriot who loved his country. He was a fan of President Trump. Compertore was very excited to attend Saturday's rally, which he expressed in his last social media post.

Corey_Comper/X

During his speech addressing the shooting, President Biden expressed his condolences to the Comperatore family, stating that "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired.”

Democrat Mutiny? These prominent Progressives and Democratic leaders DEMAND that Biden withdraw

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Biden is still taking hard blows from both sides of the aisle after his abysmal performance in last month's presidential debate. As Glenn pointed out in his post-debate coverage, Biden came across as so incompetent that it has made many Americans scared that, should the country face a major threat, Biden would be unable to respond to it. This includes many Democrats, who are finally admitting that Biden isn't as fit as they have been claiming for the last four years.

Many names have already been suggested as potential replacements for the Democratic nominee, but many people, including some Democrats, don't believe Biden should even stay in office for the election. Here are some prominent progressives and Democratic lawmakers who have called for President Biden's resignation: