America in 2026: Jobs and Onshoring Are the Only Conversation
The SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland brought together over 5,500 participants from more than 100 countries. We went expecting to pitch our model. What we found was a country in the middle of a genuine national conversation about where jobs come from and who gets them.
Onshoring is no longer a policy talking point. In 2026 it's an operational priority across every level of US government. State economic development officers aren't just looking for traditional factory investment. They're looking for partners who can create local employment quickly, using the workforce infrastructure they already have, without waiting years for construction or permitting.
That describes CleverPak's model exactly. We don't build factories. We bring commercial work from global brands into existing workforce facilities: correctional enterprises, disability employment programs, veteran services and community workshops. The work flows through our AI-powered platform. The jobs are created locally.
The Conversations That Mattered Most
Our most significant discussions were with UNICOR, the Federal Prison Industries program that employs workers across the US federal prison system. UNICOR operates one of the largest and most established correctional employment networks in the world, and the alignment with CleverPak's model was clear immediately. We route commercial assembly and kitting work from global brands. They have the workforce, the compliance framework and the operational infrastructure. The conversation was substantive and we expect it to continue.
Beyond UNICOR, we had direct discussions with economic development officers from multiple states. Each conversation reinforced the same theme: they want partners who bring work in from outside their state rather than just moving jobs around. That's precisely what CleverPak does. Our customers are global brands with work to outsource. Our facilities are local programs that need steady, meaningful commercial employment. We are the coordination layer in between.
Why the Timing Couldn't Be Better
The current trade environment has accelerated onshoring timelines across almost every industry. Brands that relied on offshore contract packaging and fulfillment are actively looking for alternatives with shorter lead times and less exposure to international shipping disruptions.
At the same time, the US has some of the most established correctional and disability employment infrastructure in the world. Programs like UNICOR, AbilityOne and state correctional enterprises employ hundreds of thousands of people and have capacity that commercial brands could use, if the right coordination layer existed to connect them.
CleverPak has been building that coordination layer since 1990, initially across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The US is a natural next step. SelectUSA confirmed that the appetite is there on both sides: brands that need onshore packing and fulfillment capacity, and workforce programs that need real commercial work to sustain employment.
What Comes Next
SelectUSA was a discovery trip as much as a pitch. We came away with a clearer picture of which states are moving fastest, which programs have the most relevant capacity and where the regulatory landscape is most favorable for our model.
We're following up directly with the contacts we made, and continuing to develop our US market entry strategy. If you're a US brand looking for onshore assembly, kitting or packaging capacity, or a workforce program interested in accessing commercial work through our platform, we'd like to hear from you. Contact the CleverPak team to start the conversation.
Watch this space. CleverPak in the United States is coming very soon.