“ What ’ s really cool is that now manufacturing is more democratized ; people are making solutions for their own problems .”
— TANYA MENENDEZ , MUIR ' 09
MANUFACTURING MATCHMAKER Sociology graduate Tanya Menendez , Muir ’ 09 , ( above ) and partner Matthew Burnett ( opposite ) created an online hub to connect independent makers with American manufacturers . Photos courtesy Maker ' s Row .
TANYA MENENDEZ , MUIR ’ 09 , is revolutionizing American manufacturing . Maker ’ s Row , an online company founded in 2012 by Menendez and partner Matthew Burnett , has quickly become a go-to source for the maker movement , connecting DIY artisans to professional manufacturers throughout the United States . From design , materials and samples to production and packaging , Maker ’ s Row gives entrepreneurs — like Menendez herself — a safe place to start .
You could say Maker ’ s Row arose out of sheer frustration . Menendez had left a job at Goldman Sachs to help Burnett manage sales and operations for The Brooklyn Bakery , a leather goods line he was getting off the ground in New York City .
A hit with retailers , including Nordstrom and Henri Bendel , the business needed to expand , but the pair couldn ’ t find manufacturers that fit their needs . After a particularly grueling day spent literally going door to door to find an appropriate factory , they had an epiphany — a onestop online site where they could look up manufacturers , identify who could suit their needs and determine which ones were more reputable than others . “ We want to break down the barriers to entry for those who want to manufacture items in the U . S . A .,” Menendez explains . “ Access to domestic manufacturing should not be this difficult .”
The premise of Maker ’ s Row is simple : U . S . manufacturers are listed in a website directory , available to search by paying
“ makers ” who have their own product ideas . Dedicated , searchable profiles allow entrepreneurs to match themselves with , say , the best supplier of denim based on location , cost , quality or a number of other factors .
Makers , in turn , can create their own profiles , helping factories find them in a reciprocal fashion . Menendez said Maker ’ s Row fulfills a need in the marketplace , completely transforming the way goods are produced in the U . S . “ We ’ ve seen many more original products come to life ,” Menendez says . Over the past year , they have had more than 2 million designs come full turn and seen a tenfold rise in the number of factories catalogued on the site , with representation of more than 10,000 U . S . manufacturers . “ What ’ s really cool is that now manufacturing is more democratized ,” she says . “ People are making solutions for their own problems .”
WHEN MENENDEZ discovered that many first-time business owners simply don ’ t know where to start with their investment in manufacturing , the company implemented the Maker ’ s Row Academy , providing email courses in production , sourcing , the making of a first sample and quality control . “ The biggest thing we realized we needed was to provide the education ,” she says . “ We ’ re teaching people not just to make a product , but to make a business . I think [ the Academy ] reduces the barriers ,
because it helps a person get over the initial hump of being scared to enter the field .”
And that translates to helping a lot of creative people . “ Entrepreneurs are more likely to be an entrepreneur if they have at least one friend . We ’ re often that one friend ,” Menendez says .
While many of their members are first-timers , the company has discovered that even larger , established businesses were having issues finding companies to work with . Maker ’ s Row was the place where Playboy went to find help for a recent rebrand , and Burberry , Ralph Lauren and Ikea have all performed sourcing through the website .
Menendez , who completed her degree in sociology at UC San Diego in just three years , says one of the key takeaways is learning how to be not only a consumer of information but also a maker of information . This is precisely the premise behind Maker ’ s Row — using information to connect others . And for their efforts revitalizing domestic manufacturing , in 2014 Menendez and Burnett were named to Popular Mechanics ’ “ 25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream .” In 2015 , Menendez also landed a spot on the “ 30 Under 30 ” list from Forbes .
“[ At UC San Diego ] I was able to have the flexibility to do research and create my own ideas ,” she says . “ That was really helpful in thinking of entrepreneurship . It ’ s not just to have an idea , but to have an idea and to see it through .”
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