Fox River Mills
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| Fox River Mills | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Headquarters | Osage, Iowa, USA |
| Products | Socks |
| Website | http://www.foxsox.com/ |
Fox River Mills, Inc. is a sock manufacturer located in Osage, Iowa. Fox River manufactures and sells socks under the Fox River and Original Rockford Red Heel brands, as well as co-branded socks for numerous retailers. Fox River manufactures socks designed for a wide range of activities, including casual every day socks, medical socks, athletic socks, women's socks and even socks made from corn fibers.
[edit] History
Fox River Mills, Inc. was founded in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1900 getting the name from its location in the Fox River Valley. During its first 60 years, Fox River manufactured socks, mittens and gloves, mainly for the many hunters, fishermen and lumberjacks in the area.
By the early 1960s, Fox River extended its product line to include new styles and colors to keep pace with the expanding active sports market.
In 1966, Fox River purchased the Marr Knitting Mill in Osage, Iowa. After the mill burned down three years later, a new mill was completed in 1971, and Fox River moved its headquarters from Appleton to Osage.
In 1975, the company was purchased by Joseph Lessard, who had started with the company in 1940 as knitting superintendent. The Lessard family still owns and operates the company today, lead by Joseph's sons John and Jeff Lessard.
Through the 1980's, Fox River continued expanding, with the acquisitions of Rockford Textiles in McMinniville, Tennessee in 1985, Portage Mills in Portage, Wisconsin in 1988, and Zwicker International, Zwicker Knitting and Nelson Knitting (manufacturer of the Original Rockford Red Heel socks, famously known as the "Monkey Sock") in 1992.
In 1995, the company completed a state-of-the-art addition to their factory, bringing the total square footage of the headquarters to more than 250,000 square feet.
Fox River Mills has continued to expand their product line, with the addition of wick dry socks, X-Static odor control socks, and most recently Ingeo Fiber socks made from corn fibers.
In addition to socks, Fox River Mills is also known for its environmental practices, recycling more than 450,000 pounds of materials each year, reducing waste volume by more than 50% in recent years, and actively participating and sponsoring the One Percent for the Planet alliance.
