Collegiate Bead Co. is the only manufacturer of entirely American-made beads designed to fit the popular Pandora and Chamilia style charm bracelets.  The hand-finished sterling silver beads and other products are available for purchase at http://www.schoolbeads.com or by calling (248) 514-9243.

Dave Schowalter, owner of Collegiate Bead Co., knew he had a desirable product and knew that meant his company could create jobs. The son of an Alaskan gold miner, he wanted those to be American jobs, but needed a manufacturing partner who could make a large volume of the high quality beads for an aff ordable price within the United States. Two years and thousands of miles later, Collegiate Bead Co. is poised for rapid growth. It already has added two positions in the Detroit area, and is eyeing as many as 50 Michigan jobs as demand continues to increase. According to Schowalter, Collegiate Bead Co. could double its sales volume to a rate of 200,000 units annually in just the next six months.

Collegiate Bead Co. today announced it has found the American partner it required in jewelry manufacturer Terryberry. Terryberry will produce metal molds for Collegiate Bead Company’s beads, charms and bracelets featuring the licensed logos of more than 120 colleges and more than 20 sororities.

“I never stopped believing I’d find a way to make high quality college jewelry affordably right here in the United States,” Schowalter said. “I could have saved a lot of time and made a lot of money by moving production to China last year. I didn’t want to sacrifice quality or allow jobs that could improve lives here in America to move overseas.”

Utilizing Terryberry’s production capabilities, Collegiate Bead Co. is adding items featuring enameled school colors to its product lines and will expand its offerings to include college charms, sorority bracelets and other accessories featuring the marks of leading American universities and Greek organizations. Production will happen both in Grand Rapids and in theDetroit area.

“I have a lot of admiration for David Schowalter and his commitment to find an American manufacturer who could produce the quality Collegiate Bead Company’s brand required and also be globally price competitive,” said Mike Byam, managing partner of Terryberry. “We are well positioned to assist Collegiate Bead Company as they continue to grow.”

According to Schowalter, growth opportunities for Collegiate Bead Co. could include sports licensing agreements with organizations like the National Football League (NFL) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Collegiate Bead also customizes beads for high schools and community organizations and offers items featuring the names of popular travel destinations.

Top-selling beads to date include those of the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Penn State University, West Virginia University, University of Alabama, Virginia Tech University and Washington State University, as well as sororities Delta Zeta and Kappa Delta.