The Carolina Textile District was formed in 2013 as a partnership between three organizations, Burke Development, the economic development arm for Burke County; Opportunity Threads, a cut and sew facility located in Morganton, and the Manufacturing Solutions Center, which is in Conover and led by Morganton resident Dan St. Louis.
The District is a network of textile-related manufacturers that grow and thrive together as they collaborate to meet the increasing demand for U.S. textile production. It is based on an emerging economic development model called a Value Chain. Organizers map and identify a region’s current infrastructure and underutilized assets, which are then used to meet demand from outside the region, creating various forms of locally rooted wealth.
“At Burke Development, we often take an ‘out-of-the-box’ approach to economic development and this project definitely goes against the grain from the traditional type of economic development strategies based on recruitment and retention,” said BDI President Scott Darnell. “We’re thankful to be involved in the project and hope to use it as a model that we can apply to other sectors in the region.”
Since it was formed in early 2013, the organization has handled more than 300 clients from 36 states and has grown from two partners to a network of 28 companies that are producing goods to meet demand and facilitate the reshoring of the textile industry, which shows an abundance of economic opportunity for our region and the entire nation.
“Although our region has been devastated by job losses in the textile sector, there remains a large amount of infrastructure for this work, as well as a lot of knowledgeable and highly skilled people,” said Molly Hemstreet, founder of Opportunity Threads. “We recognized the demand that existed from business owners and entrepreneurs across the country that have a desire to produce domestically and we saw an opportunity to capture that demand and bring that work to our community.”
The organization received initial funding from the NC Rural Economic Development Center with a grant that allowed them to hire a Client Intake Administer, Tanya Wade, a local resident who previously worked in manufacturing and attended Catawba Valley Community College. It also allowed them to build the structure and systems necessary to develop the Value Chain network, including a Client Intake System.
In September 2013, the District received an “Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership” grant from the United States Department of Commerce, which recognized the District’s ability to strengthen the competitiveness of the regional textile cluster.
The IMCP is an Obama Administration initiative that will help accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in the United States. The funding phase rewards communities for creating globally competitive environments that attract, retain and expand investment in manufacturing and spur international trade and exports.
The Carolina Textile District works to meet the large demand for textile production in Western North Carolina in a way that capitalizes on local assets, people, environment, and heritage to bring sustainable manufacturing to the Carolinas. The organization’s vision is to revitalize the textile industry in a way that creates positive social, environmental and economic impact.
The body of work being carried out by the Carolina Textile District is vast. The management team has developed a fast-track program, which allows entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a quick-turn sample by visiting the region and working hands on with the manufacturer to develop their product. They are also testing the Mill Network program, which is a system for various mills to work collectively on large contracts, giving our region a competitive advantage.
Funds also are being put toward growing an ecosystem that fosters a new generation of textiles, including outreach to workers, support entities and government organizations. As an older generation of textile owners and workers age out and retire, it is vital that a new generation of innovative leaders enters the textile industry to ensure its sustainability. The organization is working closely with Burke County Public Schools to give students more hands on, industry-driven opportunities to learn textile skills.
Several Burke County companies already are benefiting from the work being done and the relationships being built as a result of the Value Chain network. Opportunity Threads currently is working on some shared contracts with other local cut-and-sew companies Action Sports and Catawba Creations.
“There’s no other way,” said Action Sports Owner Nand Thaper. “If you’re out on your own you have nothing. If you’re working together and sharing things then everybody has something and everybody wins.”
Instrumental to the project is Rural Support Partners, a social justice organization that develops impact networks across the rural Southeast. The IMCP grant also was administered and supported by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments.
“The Carolina Textile District has the potential to create a new level of collaboration amongst our textile companies that will strengthen the sector and set us up to be the leading region for textile production,” said Dan St. Louis, Director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center.
Learn more by visiting the District at www.carolinatextiledistrict.com.
Source Article from http://www.morganton.com/madeinburke/textiles/carolina-textile-district-helps-to-reshore-manufacturing/article_17f937ae-db84-11e3-9498-0017a43b2370.html
