Trump’s tariffs giving CEO of bedding company sleepless nights: “Probably the most challenging time of my career”

Atlanta, Georgia — Chad Altbaier, the CEO of Standard Fiber, is facing challenges that are keeping him up at night. The Atlanta warehouse of this home bedding company is bustling with activity as they try to navigate the unpredictable landscape of the current trade war between the U.S. and China.

Standard Fiber acts as the middleman between Chinese manufacturers of home textiles and American retail giants like Walmart and Target. However, the recent escalation of tariffs has thrown a wrench into their operations. Altbaier describes this period as “probably the most challenging time of my career.”

With U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods fluctuating between triple digits and the current 30%, retailers have been forced to cancel orders and then urgently request shipments as the trade war progresses. A temporary 90-day deal was reached in mid-May, with a tentative agreement on a more permanent trade deal announced in June.

Despite having manufacturing sites in the U.S., Altbaier explains that it is not feasible to completely shift production out of Asia due to infrastructure, workforce, experience, and raw material constraints. While some production has been moved to other Asian countries, this has resulted in significant price increases for their products.

The impact of tariffs has been felt throughout the industry, with Standard Fiber having to make the difficult decision to cut 45 of its 250 workers due to revenue losses.

Altbaier expresses his concerns about the uncertainty of the situation, stating, “What keeps me up at night is the not knowing part. And then not being able to control these unprecedented, you know, tariff situations that are, frankly, wreaking havoc on the world, not just the U.S., and not just our industry.”