Glen Raven, Inc.
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| Glen Raven, Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | Alamance, U.S. (1880) |
| Founder | John Quinton Gant |
| Headquarters | Glen Raven, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Area served | Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America |
| Industry | Textiles |
| Products | Aluprotec, AutoGuard, Coastguard, Dickson, Eradi-Lite, EverGreen, Firefly, Firegard Textiles, Firesist HUV, GlenGuard, GlenTuff, HaloTech FR, Jacquatex, Meltex, Nite-Lite, Sleeve-It, Sunbrella, SunBrite, Suncraft Eversoft, Sunvision, Sunworker, Surlast, Vivitex |
| Services | Third Party Logistics |
| Owner | The Gant Family |
| Employees | ~3500 |
| Subsidiaries | Dickson Constant, Glen Raven Asia, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC, Glen Raven Logistics, Glen Raven Technical Fabrics LLC, R. J. Stern, Strata Systems Inc, Tri Vantage |
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Glen Raven, Inc. is a fabric manufacturing and marketing company. The company is headquartered in Glen Raven, North Carolina and headed by Allen Erwin Gant, Jr., the grandson of John Quinton Gant and founder of the industry advocacy group National Council of Textile Organizations. Glen Raven has operations in the United States, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, China and Africa.
[edit] History
The company was founded as John Q. Gant Manufacturing Co. in 1880 by John Quinton Gant (1847-1930) and has been continually owned and operated by his descendants. Gant worked for a cotton mill in the Altamahaw, North Carolina, and throughout the 1870s purchased shares in the business. Around 1902 all of the company’s stock was acquired and the firm was known as Glen Raven Cotton Mills. At the beginning of the twentieth century Glen Raven Cotton Mills became one of the first cotton mills in the south to dye fabrics, which up until that time had been done predominately in the north.[citation needed]
They began manufacturing cotton duck awning fabrics in 1908.
John Q. Gant dies on October 29, 1930.
Glen Raven began developing pantyhose in 1953. Panti-Tights and Panti-Legs are introduced as the first commercial ladies pantyhose in 1959.(The History of Pantyhose and Nylon.)
The company wove the fabric used to make the first American flag that was planted on the moon at their weaving facility in Burnsville, NC.[citations needed]
The company introduced acrylic-based fiber in 1961, which has vastly superior durability to cotton.[citation needed] Today, Sunbrella fabrics are used in a variety of applications including outdoor furniture, indoor furniture, boat covers, convertible automobile tops, and awnings. Glen Raven is best known for its Sunbrella line of performance fabrics.
In 1998 Glen Raven merged with Dickson, SA of France and expanded its customer base to more than 120 countries. This merger provided Glen Raven with a manufacturing presence and leading market share throughout Europe and in many other countries. Additionally, the means to introduce sign fabrics, tents, protective apparel, and numerous other industrial applications were added to their arsenal.
The company started production in a new 190,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China on September 21, 2006 (Grand Opening Planned for Glen Raven Asia.). The division was named Glen Raven Asia and will employ more than 300, with Hua Li (Wally) serving as general manager.
In 2006, Sunbrella Awnings, Boat Tops, Canopies, and Umbrellas with Sun Protective Performance Fabrics UPF 50+ were awarded the "INTERNATIONAL SEAL OF RECOMMENDATION FOR UV FABRIC/ UMBRELLAS/ AWNINGS" by The Skin Cancer Foundation, a worldwide organization dedicated to preventing skin cancer.(products that have qualified for The Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation..)
Glen Raven acquired the Astrup Company (founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1876 by William J.O. Astrup) and John Boyle & Company (founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1860 by John Boyle) in 2007. The combined Astrup and John Boyle companies were renamed Tri Vantage in March of 2008 (Introducing Tri Vantage - Glen Raven Announces New Name for Company.).
