A FABRIC MANUFACTURER HOPES TO EXPAND ON NORTH CAROLINA’S TEXTILE RICH PAST

Their values are: “Quality, innovation and reliability” and since Fairystone Fabrics has been in business for a little more than 50 years, I’d say they’ve executed their values well. Fairystone Fabrics is a textile manufacturer located in Burlington, North Carolina.

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Fairystone Fabrics takes pride in taking care of their human workforce. The organization currently has 55 employees that have been with them for over 10 years, that’s a 47% retention rate.

Fairystone Fabrics specializes in tricot warping, knitting and sueding. The company’s machinery operated 24/7 or 24/6, working around the clock to create quality textiles. 0% of Fairystone Fabrics waste ends up in landfills; all of the waste products are reused, recycled or used as fuel for power plants.

On this episode of Clocking In, I speak with Jim Bryan, President of Fairystone Fabrics about how Fairystone got started, what kind of fabrics they make, how they’re able to continuously expand their organization and more.

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ABOUT

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state.

Jim Bryan

Jim Bryan has been the President of Fairystone Fabrics since 1996. He has a history of working in textiles, having worked previously at Burlington Industries and Klopman International. Jim has been recently recognized in the Triad Business Journal, Business NC, Burlington Times – News, Alamance News, Greensboro News & Record for business accomplishments and celebration of our 50th year Anniversary for Fairystone Fabrics, Inc. Jim earned a BA in Marketing from Florida Southern College in 1975.

Discover how a North Carolina fishing rod manufacturer is hoping to take the fishing rod industry by storm.

The economy was rough after Matthew Cashion graduated from Virginia Tech in 2009. With a doctorate in chemistry and a concentration in advanced materials science, he was having no luck finding full-time employment.

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Frustrated and unemployed, Matthew received a $2,000 loan from his father and decided to put it all on the line and start a fishing rod business in Stanford, NC. He called the new startup Cashion Fishing Rods. He then used his knowledge of chemistry and advanced materials science to create a fishing rod like no other—one that increases physical performance while maintaining extreme sensitivity.

Today, Cashion Fishing Rods has over 45 distributors in the US. The manufacturer hosts annual fishing tours and has award-winning professional fishermen using Cashion rods in fishing tournaments.

On this episode of Clocking In: Voices of NC Manufacturing, Matthew discusses what motivates him in the business world, the intricate details that go into Cashion products, and how Cashion has grown their brand. We also go on the floor to talk to some of their workforce who are assembling Cashion fishing rods by hand.

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Cashion Fishing Rods

NCMEP

IES

ABOUT

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state.

Matthew Cashion

Matthew Cashion is the owner and president of Cashion Fishing Rods. Matthew Cashion founded Cashion Fishing Rod in 2009 after he received a Ph.D in chemistry with a concentration in advanced materials from Virginia Tech. Matthew earned his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from East Carolina University and went on to get his Master’s at the University of Texas at Austin. credits help from his father and faith among reason for his thriving business.

A sit-down interview with economist, Dr. Michael Walden to discuss the current and future condition of North Carolina manufacturing

When people talk about the general economy and the economics surrounding the manufacturing industry, we may get lost in all the technical and jargon-riddled analysis. We want answers, but due to the variable nature of the economy and especially the manufacturing industry, that might not be so easy. But what we can do is talk to someone who can simplify the most complicated economic concepts and current events. That’s why I sat down with the guy who has the scoop, N.C. State University economist Dr. Michael Walden.

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Dr. Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Extension Economist at North Carolina State University and a member of the Graduate Economics faculty with The Poole College of Management. His Ph.D. degree is from Cornell University and he has been at N.C. State since 1978.

Dr. Walden has teaching, research and extension responsibilities at NC State in the areas of consumer economics, economic outlook and public policy. He has published eleven books and over 300 articles and reports, including the books North Carolina in the Connected Age and North Carolina Beyond the Connected Age: The Tar Heel State in 2050 in 2017, both published by the UNC Press.

As a result of his extensive expertise, Dr. Walden has a bird’s-eye view on various economic outcomes. I was eager to pick his brain about the issues that matter to us as North Carolinians and especially for those in the manufacturing sector.

In this episode of Clocking In, Dr. Walden explains, in layman's terms, the current state of our national economy, the condition North Carolina Manufacturing is currently in, the ongoing trade war and more.

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Michael Walden

NCMEP

IES

ABOUT

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state.

Dr. Michael Walden

Dr. Michael Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Extension Economist at North Carolina State University and a member of the Graduate Economics faculty with The Poole College of Management. His Ph.D. degree is from Cornell University and he has been at N.C. State since 1978. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Duke University. He has served on several local and state level commissions. He currently teaches ARE 201 Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Rocky Mount based Tri-County Industries works to enhance the lives of people who are disabled or disadvantaged through work assessment, job training and placement. The organization has been in business for more than 50 years and touches the lives of many in their community.

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Tri-County Industries is a unique blend of private enterprise, government funding and local volunteers working together since 1966. Its philosophy of rehabilitation is to help people develop a strong work discipline and a sense of self-worth while obtaining hands-on job experience in a realistic work environment.

We helped Tri-County Industries with a Lean implementation and their ISO 9001 certified management system awhile back, so I wanted to get back and see their 85,000 square feet of workspace and their amazing recovery after Hurricane Matthew. I got to chat with their President Brenda Cogdell and meet some of their workforce that is ready to tackle almost any assembly job, whether it’s fiber-optic kits, sales sample kits, product assembly or direct mail operations.

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Tri-County Industries

Rebuilding After Hurricane Matthew

NCMEP

IES

ISO 9001

Lean

ABOUT

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state.

Brenda Cogdell

Brenda Cogdell has been President of Tri-County Industries since 2000. She is dedicated to helping others reach their maximum potential and truly understands the unique needs of others.

Find out how one NC manufacturing company is helping architects and interior designers make a statement with their trend-setting designs.

Laminate is no longer your grandmother's gold fleck formica countertops. There is one innovative North Carolina company helping you change the way you think about laminates, one solution at a time.

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ATI Laminates is a family-owned and operated manufacturing facility located in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are maniacally focused on developing innovative surfaces for the hospitality, retail, healthcare, and institutional markets.

We had helped the company with their certified management system a while back, so I was curious to share with others how a company that started as a hinge distributor for a German company could now be operating as a leading, international laminate giant. I decided to return to their offices in Greensboro to find out.

You’ll understand why architects and interior designers who want to create spaces with eye-catching color, texture, and design turn to ATI for their innovative and decorative surface solutions.

You’ll also catch a glimpse of how a successful leadership transition happens in a family-owned and operated manufacturing business. Plus, get some tips about maintaining a committed workforce.

LINKS

ATI Laminates

NCMEP

IES

ISO 9001

ABOUT

Phil Mintz

Phil Mintz is the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state.

Tara Burgio

Tara Burgio is President of ATI Laminates. She has held that role since 1994. Her focus is continuous improvement through continual training, process improvements, being an advocate for community service and maintaining environmentally friendly manufacturing. During her time as president, the company earned both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications.