LIMA — Wal-Mart is looking for Ohio entrepreneurs to pitch their made-in-the-USA products to the company’s buyers in a daylong event June 28 at Wal-Mart’s global headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. Registration has begun at walmart-jump.com. The deadline is May 18.

“We are excited to once again invite businesses from all 50 states to meet with Wal-Mart buyers who have one goal in mind: to buy more American products for our stores, clubs and Walmart.com,” said Cindi Marsiglio, Wal-Mart’s vice president of U.S. Manufacturing. “By investing in products that support American jobs, we are able to bring new products to our shelves that our customers want and new jobs to our communities.

“Increasing domestic manufacturing will help create additional jobs in the U.S., and that’s good for American businesses.”

Lima company 50 Strong is one example of a successful deal that was made during a previous open call event. The company, which manufactures water bottles, has grown from one style of water bottle available in 250 Wal-Mart stores to 13 items on the shelves at 4,000 Wal-Mart locations across the country.

“Our family is competitive, and we feel great pride being able to say that we’re making a better, smarter product with great quality at a competitive price,” 50 Strong CEO Ashley Thompson stated in a blog post on Walmart.com. “Partnering with Walmart is another big source of pride for us because we know that their commitment to U.S. manufacturing is as real as ours is.

“When a retailer is willing to develop a team to focus on finding more suppliers of U.S.-made products, that’s when you know they truly care.”

Reach John Bush at 567-242-0456 or on Twitter @Bush_Lima.