A Better Way
To Freedom




BWI was the first company in the North America to import Freeset bags, and we continue to have the strongest presence and drive behind this line. 

More about us:

Vision

®®  Better Way Imports will promote the glory of God through operating a business which seeks to advance the people with whom we associate.

Mission

®®  Better Way Imports seeks to improve the livelihood of many individuals through marketing in North American the unique gift and accessory items, and durable goods produced by companies with similar Vision in developing countries.

Values

®®  We will use practices which are based on Biblical principles. 

®®  We will be good stewards of our God given abilities and resources so we can give back to our team members in the global community.

®®  We expect a reasonable return on invested energy and capital which corresponds to the risks we take.

®®  We have intentionally chosen to work with producers in developing countries.  We believe fair trade works, yet we recognize the need for long-term sustainability.  Therefore our partners will be treated fairly, giving respect to their individual culture.

®®  We recognize individuals are vital to our success and seek to ensure each one we work with is dealt with honorably.  

Life Verse: Jeremiah 29:4-13

Verse 7 'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.' 

 Hebrews 11:13-16
(excerpts from vs 13 & 16)
(13b) ... having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth ... (16b) they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them

A BETTER WAY TO FREEDOM

In the last 50 years, billions of dollars in aid from around the globe have poured into poor countries.   Despite the amounts spent, most of the aid has proven to be a very temporary solution to the problems of poverty at best.  At worst, the money has been absorbed by the corrupted governments of the poorest societies, actually providing funding for the oppression of their own people.  There must be a better way and, of course, there is.  James Shikwati, Director of the Inter Region Economic Network in Kenya gives a unique perspective on the needs of poor and how to solve them.  His views perceptions of problems and solutions were not developed in a rich country but by growing up in one of the poorer nations on earth. He writes,

A happy and prosperous society must incorporate virtue in its work in order to be sensitive to what its actions do to others. Virtue alone cannot feed hungry people, however; what can is the productivity and entrepreneurship that are spurred by the exchange of commodities. Entrepreneurship cannot thrive in a system where the laws are not applied uniformly and without exemption.

Totally ignoring the abilities of poor countries to creatively solve their own problems, developed nations have nurtured a culture of dependency. Wealthy nations prefer giving aid to poor countries instead of giving them an opportunity to trade.

Poor countries should ask themselves why rich nations prefer sending donor money to opening markets for their goods. The mentality that trade will kill the poor is a notion that has been perpetuated by wealthy nations that prefer to sustain the poor in poverty. To argue for aid to poor countries and to oppose trade liberalization in both the wealthy and the poor nations is to argue for stagnation. People should argue for more open trade that will reduce conflicts in poor countries and, over time create wealth and interdependence.

It does not help the poor to divide the world into consumers and producers; every group has something to trade and must be given an opportunity to do so.

In the summer of 2000, Bill Leep, the co-founder of Better Way Imports, took a trip to Bangladesh.  The purpose was to evaluate a business in Dhaka, the capital city.  This business, Dimensions, sells and services generator sets which are needed to compensate for unreliable power due to the poor infrastructure.  Dimensions was started 10 years earlier by a couple from New Zealand.  Their plan was to help the local peoples of Bangladesh by providing dignity through meaningful work verses giving them a handout.  The concept made a significant impression on Bill. The living conditions in Bangladesh also left an impression.  The thought of living in a place with so much poverty and corruption all around had a very oppressive effect on him.  However, the desire to somehow help the poor people of that area never diminished.  Also present at the meeting to evaluate Dimensions was a gentleman from New Zealand, John Osborn.  He had helped legally establish Dimensions as a business in Bangladesh.  John was with a company, Market Placers International, whose purpose was to “place” similar ventures in poorer parts of the world.  Ironically, Bill and John met again a couple years later at a business conference in Chicago.  John handed Bill a pamphlet from one of the business ventures he was working on.   The company, Freeset Bags produced jute bags in Calcutta India providing jobs for former prostitutes.  The aspiration in Bill to help was still there, as was the apprehension of living in a place like the red light district of Calcutta where the bags were being produced.  The natural outcome was to help provide work for these people by providing a market for Freeset bags in the United States.

Importing products was something Bill could do, but marketing was not something that he had any training for or experience with.  Bill contacted his sister Maribeth VerStrate for help.  She had attended a local college as a sales and marketing major before starting her family.  Once her children arrived, she had devoted all her time to the home life.  Her kids were now in High School and Mari had more time available for doing things other than her home responsibilities.  When Mari heard about the story of the women of Calcutta hear heart was moved as well.  She immediately recognized the opportunity as a significant way to make an impact on people’s lives in a place far from her own community.  Mari agreed to develop the marketing aspect of the business.