TEXTILES.ORG
Glen Raven hosted U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai at its headquarters in Burlington, N.C. on March 22.
Ambassador Tai’s visit coincided with USTR’s Federal Register notice for public input to inform the administration’s development of trade and investment policy initiatives related to a domestic supply chain resilience plan.
USTR has highlighted domestic textiles as a critical part of the supply chain. The textile sector, which includes yarns, fabrics, apparel and other finished goods, will be part of its investigation into shaping policy tools that could be deployed to enhance supply chain resilience. The office is requesting input on policies that are currently working well for these sectors, and those that are not working well, in advancing domestic supply chains.
“We are deeply honored to host Ambassador Tai at our Sunbrella® headquarters and yarn-spinning facility in Burlington, North Carolina to demonstrate how the right trade policies can help bolster domestic manufacturing facilities such as ours, facilitate employment, and lead to the expansion and growth of this vital manufacturing sector,” says Leib Oehmig, Glen Raven CEO. “We are appreciative of USTR’s review of the strategic textile sector as it diligently examines and shapes policies that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the entire U.S. textile industry.”
The representative’s visit to Glen Raven included a tour of the Sunbrella facilities, a design and innovation center, and a roundtable discussion with several other textile executives based in North Carolina who highlighted the significant impact of the sector to the U.S. economy.
Glen Raven, a family-owned company founded in 1880, operates five manufacturing facilities in North and South Carolina employing 2,500 people, including their joint venture with Shawmut Corporation.