CORPORATE MILESTONE
Riegel—175 Years Young
A
dodransbicentennial:
From ship sails and
Civil War uniforms
to today’s textile
service challenges
By Chris Gowdy
48
T
he Riegel Consumer Products Division
and Four Seasons brands, to name a few. Our
of Mount Vernon Mills Inc. is celebrating
name is synonymous with quality, and we are
its 175th anniversary in 2013. Back in 1838
known throughout all the industries that we
when the company was founded, John Deere
serve for making great products at a fair price
was a one-man blacksmith shop and Queen
that can thrive in commercial laundering settings,
Victoria was in the first year of what would
thus giving customers a great return on investbe a 63-year reign over the United Kingdom.
ment.
Martin Van Buren, our eighth president, was
settling into his second year in office and
Riegel is also the name we use for Mount
many U.S. brands that are now household
Vernon’s Consumer Products Division—one of
names, such as the Ford Motor Co. (63 years
six divisions that fall under the Mount Vernon
later), Hershey’s chocolate (56 year later) and
umbrella. Our McCormick and Johnston, SC,
Coca Cola (47 years later), did not yet exist.
production facilities include state of the art cutNearer to our hearts, it would
and-sew equipment, as well as
take several decades before
storage facilities for many of our
something akin to commercial
finished products. This domestic
“Are you Riegel, or
laundering as we know it today
cut-and-sew capability gives us
Mount
Vernon
Mills?”
would emerge.
the flexibility to react quickly to
The answer is both.
custom-size requests, as well as
backing up our import program.
WHAT IS RIEGEL?
In addition, we’re proud to have
While reading this article, we hope you’ll
other distribution points strategically placed in
enjoy some highlights of the history of our
the U.S. to provide the best coverage for our
company. But first let us answer a question we
customers.
hear all the time—“Are you Riegel, or Mount
Vernon Mills?” The answer is both. At one
Mount VERNON MILLS—A GREAT
time, Riegel was a stand-alone company that
AMERICAN TEXTILE COMPANY
was later acquired by Mount Vernon Mills Inc.
Like Riegel, Mount Vernon was originally a
Now the name lives on both as our brand and
separate company, but now it’s the name that
as the name of our division. The Riegel logo is
encompasses our six divisions, including Riegel,
on the hangtag of all of the tablecloths, sheets,
as well as our Apparel Fabrics Division. Most of
terry towels, surgical towels and other prodyou reading this are already familiar with our
ucts we produce for the textile rental, healthApparel division, either directly or indirectly, as
care, retail and hospitality markets. In addition
they produce millions of yards of fabric that ulto our many customers in the linen supply
timately makes its way into your plants, includmarket, Riegel products also serve as brand
ing flame resistant (FR) fabrics, bottom weight
standards in hotel chains you all know—Marfabrics and denim. Our other four divisions—
riott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, the Fairmont
Textile SERVICES
A undated image of visitors outside the Trion Mill, Trion, GA.
Chemicals, Transportation, La France
and Brentex—are covered in detail at
www.mvmills.com.
WHAT IS THE R. B. PAMPLIN
CORP.?
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. is part of
the R. B. Pamplin Corp., based in
Portland, OR. The company acquired
Mount Vernon in 1982 and the Riegel Textile Corp. in 1985—moves that
ensured our long-term success, thanks
to the investments in technology that
quickly followed. Besides textiles, we
are a diverse organization that includes communications, construction
and agriculture, as well as food and
wine production.
Robert B. Pamplin founded the
company in 1957. He was one of the
original five people at what would
later become Georgia-Pacific. Pamwww.textileservices.org
plin eventually became president of
Georgia-Pacific, where during his
leadership the company grew from
just over $100 million per year in sales
to over $3 billion. Upon his passing in
2009, his son Dr. Robert Pamplin Jr.
became the chairman of the corporation. In addition to his role in business,
Dr. Pamplin is also a philanthropist,
farmer, minister, educator, historical
preservationist and author of 13 books,
including two Book-of-the-MonthClub selections. Dr. Pamplin has
earned eight degrees, including two
doctorates, in business, accounting,
economics, education and theology.
He also is a tenured professor at the
University of Portland.
The Pamplin organization invests not
only in the most up-to-date facilities and manufacturing equipment,
but also in the many communities
it touches. This includes education,
hunger relief and historic preservation. One project that interests many
throughout the United States is the
Pamplin Historical Park and National
Museum of the Civil War Soldier. Located on the site of the April 2, 1865
“Breakthrough,” the battle that ended
the Petersburg Campaign and led to
the evacuation of the Confederate
capital at Richmond,VA, the park’s
422 acres include four award-winning
museums, four antebellum homes, living history venues and shopping facilities. The park is located in Dinwiddie
County, near Petersburg,VA. See more
at www.pamplinpark.org. To learn
more about the Pamplin organization,
visit www.pamplin.org.
OUR LINEAGE
You will see below how a hodgepodge of mills and companies ultimately would become what we are
49
CORPORATE MILESTONE
today—Mount Vernon Mills Inc. We
are proud of our heritage and grateful
that you are taking this trip with us.
But please be assured that we aren’t
resting on our laurels, or expecting
you to come to us simply because
we’ve been around a long time. While
we are indeed steeped in history—we
continue to strive to improve each
LaFrance produces home furnishings and products for the automotive
industry in the same location (but a
newer facility). La France would eventually fall under the Riegel Textile
Corp. and later Mount Vernon Mills
Inc. leadership. It now stands as one of
the six divisions in the Mount Vernon
family.
Fabrics made by the company’s mill in Baltimore were sewn into
tents used by the Union Army in the Civil War. In addition to Trion’s
contribution to the Confederacy noted above—at the same time the
Tallassee, AL , facility, which became part of Mount Vernon in 1900,
produced cloth for uniforms and carbine rifles for the Confederate Army.
and every day—including investing
in technology and having the best
people and products we can find.
So without further ado…
The first mill in our family began
operating in 1838 in South Carolina.
It was known as the Pendelton Manufacturing Co. It would later be known
as it is today as the LaFrance plant.
In 1845, the Allgood family founded
what is now the largest vertical denim
operation in the world in Trion,
Georgia. This mill, then and now
known as the Trion Mill, was actually in the path of General William
T. Sherman during his march to the
sea. But it was spared the torch after
General Sherman spent the night in
the Allgood family’s home. Evidently
the topic of the mill manufacturing
products for the Confederacy did not
come up over dinner (see more by
clicking the “history” tab at
www.mvmdenim.com). Benjamin
D. Riegel would acquire this operation in 1912, and it would change
hands once again when the R. B.
Pamplin Corp. acquired the company
in 1985. This mill produces a wide
variety of denim, including washed,
over-dyed, and stretch fabrics. Other
products in the group include twills,
duck and plain-weave fabrics. These
are piece-dyed for career apparel,
work clothing and sportswear—most
of which is considered “bottom
weight” for pants, slacks and trousers.
The mill—which is now a part of the
Apparel Fabrics Division—is also an
important supplier of FR fabrics and
military uniform fabrics.
The company namesake, Mount
Vernon Mills, traces its origin to the
Jones Falls area in what is now Baltimore. Several flour or grist mills were
built there around 1810, and by the
1830s, many of the mills were being
converted into cotton duck manufacturing operations. One such mill,
A ceremony at the Trion mill commemorating the end of World War II. Dr. Robert Pamplin Jr., CEO of R.B. Pamplin Corp., owner of Mount Vernon Mills Inc.
50
Textile SERVICES
CORPORATE MILESTONE
when it was converted in 1847, was
named “Mount Vernon Mill No. 1.”
This mill, together with several others
in the area, soon would become the
Mount Vernon Co., a leading maker
of quality cotton duck cloth for sails
for clipper ships and canvas for tents.
In case you were curious, duck cloth
is another term for the canvas material that was then in huge demand for
these products.
The early years of Mount Vernon provided at least one interesting historical
footnote. Fabrics made by the company’s mill in Baltimore were sewn into
tents used by the Union Army in the
Civil War. In addition to Trion’s contribution to the Confederacy noted
above—at the same time the Tallassee, AL, facility, which became part
of Mount Vernon in 1900, produced
cloth for uniforms and carbine rifles
for the Confederate Army. Talk about
hedging your bets!
21 st CENTURY STRATEGY
Coupled with our passion for perfection is Mount Vernon’s quest for
“world class” manufacturing equipment and facilities. While the bricks
and mortar at several facilities date
back to the Civil War and before, on
the inside, Mount Vernon facilities are
as modern and state-of-the-art as any
textile operation in the world. From
1988 through 2012, the company
spent over $900 million on capital
projects. These investments have
enabled Mount Vernon to constantly
improve the quality of its products, to
deal with changing market conditions,
to produce goods at lower costs and
better serve our customers.
Celebrating…New Products!
Despite its long history, Riegel remains innovative and nimble—qualities that have
helped the company reach this year’s 175th anniversary milestone. That kind of longevity
takes manufacturing know-how—particularly in relation to making products that last for
laundries. It also takes the creativity that’s led to the following new products:
#1 Spun Polyester Bistro
Napkins
Taking the glass towel look, but
making a product in air jet spun
polyester (i.e., it lasts longer than
open end spun, and so it lasts longer
in your laundry) and adding the
colors hunter green, flag blue and
ebony, along with the standard red
stripe—has scored a home run for Riegel. Laundries are rapidly adopting this product line for
bistro napkins, finally giving restaurants something new and different and giving laundries
an opportunity for a better return on investment. If you like the color green and like acting
“green” i.e., environmentally friendly—read about the next product and then remember that
the hunter green color in the Bistro line is made with the same process.
#2 RieNu—a recycled air jet spun polyester table linen line
Riegel is leading the way in green with RieNu. We take bales of recycled PET water bottles
and then do this with them—sort, sterilize, dry, crush, melt and extrude into a new fiber,
which is then spun into yarn that follows the traditional weaving, dyeing, cutting and sewing
process to make tablecloths and napkins! One 20-by-20-inch napkin equates to three 16
ounce plastic bottles—three bottles that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. RieNu is
available in seven awe-inspiring colors, including bark, stone, moss, ebony and bamboo.
#3 McCormick Collection
This is an innovative line of towels slated for introduction in February. These towels have
superior loft (thickness), brilliant whiteness and a plush feel. They allow the removal of 10%
more water during the extraction process in the laundry, which lowers utility costs and
improves laundry efficiency.
#4 IronLux Sheeting—made for laundries!
Sheets that are luxurious to those who sleep on them; but last a long time and are
economical. You didn’t think that was possible—wait until you see the new IronLux line. For
years, laundries have been faced with paying for higher-end sheets that aren’t really made
for a commercial laundry (= high replacement costs) or the “cheap stuff” that wears out
quickly but is cheap to replace. Coming in the first quarter of 2013, you’ll see the light with
IronLux. Ask your local Riegel rep for details.
Mount Vernon continues its push
toward niche, value-added products
that make use of our technology and
www.textileservices.org
51
CORPORATE MILESTONE
expertise. For example, the company
is providing state-of-the-art fabrics for
military apparel, plus making FR fabrics for industrial apparel. And, to help
diversify beyond traditional textile
markets, the company has made several acquisitions in its chemical-processing businesses. In September 2008,
Mount Vernon bought key assets of
CPC Chemical Holdings, adding sig-
nificant wet chemical processing capabilities with plants in North Carolina
and Alabama. This acquisition also
included the FCI chemical wholesale
and distribution operation. In December 2009, the company bought the
textile-related chemical manufacturing operations of Burlington Chemical in North Carolina. Separately, the
company doubled the size of its truck
fleet with the purchase of Avondale
Trucking, the transportation arm of
Avondale Mills. Avondale Trucking
is now a division of Smith & Waters,
the company’s transportation subsidiary, and operates out of Sylacauga,
AL. This addition has allowed Smith
& Waters to significantly expand its
external hauling operations in the
Southeastern U.S. and adjacent areas.
THE LAST WORD
Taking literary license to speak for
others: On behalf of the Chairman of
the R. B. Pamplin Corp., Dr. Pamplin,
the CEO of Mount Vernon Mills, Inc.,
David Hastings and the Division Presidents who oversee the product lines
that go into your operations—Rich
Turner (Apparel Fabrics Division)
and operations—Bill Josey (Riegel
Consumer Products Division), as well
our 2,700 associates in sales, marketing, quality control, merchandising,
customer service and manufacturing—
we thank you for helping us celebrate
our 175th birthday, and we thank you
for your business. TS
Chris Gowdy is vice president, institutional
division, Riegel Consumer Products; a Division
of Mount Vernon Mills Inc., Johnston, SC. Contact
him at 800.845.2232 or [email protected].
An undated photo of Trion Mill employees in the weave room; a look at the latest in Riegel bed linens.
52
Textile SERVICES
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