WASHINGTON — Alabama-based American Apparel manufactures all weather coats for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as Army Combat Uniforms, Marine Corp Combat Utility Uniforms, Navy Work Uniforms and Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs). If you see a U.S. soldier, there’s a good chance they were outfitted with at least one article of clothing made in Alabama. On Thursday we found out why: American Apparel was named a Gold Star Supplier by the Department of Defense, a rare and highly sought after designation that only goes to the nation’s top military suppliers.

The Business Council of Alabama, of which American Apparel is a member, explains:

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) considered 153 of its parts and commodity suppliers with the largest contracts that have done business with the agency over the past two years. To be eligible for consideration, companies – or their subsidiary business units – had to have DLA contracts with a proven record of performance as well as an established rating in the federal Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)… American Apparel was one of only 15 companies identified in the highest tier as Gold Star suppliers.

But as prestigious as the Gold Star honor is, it’s not even the best news Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) shared on monday when he made the announcement.

“Due to new contracts with the federal government, American Apparel will be able to reopen its facility in Opp, maintain its facility in Centre, and add new staff to its facility in Selma,” he said. “This will produce good new jobs for workers and families living in these communities.”

American Apparel operates the three manufacturing facilities Sessions mentioned, employing over 475 employees and maintaining almost 300,000 square feet of capacity.

With the company cranking out Gold Star-level work, they will undoubtedly continue to grow.

Like this article? Follow me on Twitter and let me know what you think.

— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 3, 2014