A textile factory in Connecticut that shut down in 2013, leaving 85 people without jobs, is now producing fabric for the US military.
asserted
that → shut → military
The 475,000-square-foot Warren Mills complex in Stafford Springs was purchased in 2014 by Jacob Harrison Long, a former investment banker who had never run a manufacturing business.
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who → purchase → business
Twelve years later, the factory employs about 50 people and supplies material for military uniforms, as Long continues his efforts to rebuild wool manufacturing in the United States.
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Long → employ → States
The factory's return to production came at a time when much of America's clothing and textile manufacturing had already moved overseas.
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much → come → manufacturing
Long, however, believed there was still a market for expensive, high-quality fabrics made in the country.
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Long → believe → country
Rather than compete with manufacturers producing cheaper textiles in large quantities, he wanted to build a business around specialised woollen and worsted fabrics.
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he → compete → fabrics
His decision has since led to contracts with the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps.
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decision → lead → Army
According to CT Insider's report, American Woolen Company began supplying fabric for Army service dress uniforms in 2019.
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Company → accord → 2019
It later expanded its customer base to include other military branches and clothing manufacturers.
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It → expand → branches
The business has survived for more than a decade, but Long has a bigger ambition.
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Long → survive → ambition
He wants to see more textile factories operating across Connecticut and New England, a region that once played an important role in American manufacturing.
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that → want → manufacturing
For him, keeping the Stafford Springs mill running is only one part of that effort.
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running → keep → effort
What happened to the factory before Long bought it?
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Long → happen → it
Warren Mills had been operating for decades before its closure.
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Mills → operate → closure
For approximately 25 years, it had produced fabrics for Italian luxury manufacturer Loro Piana, including woollen and worsted textiles, silk and camel hair.
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it → produce → textiles
The mill's closure in 2013 came as textile manufacturing continued to decline across the region.
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manufacturing → come → region
According to Connecticut State Historian Andy Horowitz, manufacturers had begun moving operations away from New England as early as the 1920s, partly because labour and other production costs were lower in the southern United States.
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labour → accord → States
Long entered the picture after spending around 20 years in Europe, where he had worked in finance.
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he → enter → finance
He had noticed that traditional manufacturers in European countries were still producing goods domestically, even as similar businesses struggled in America.
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businesses → notice → America
He began exploring whether a comparable approach could work in the US textile industry.
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approach → begin → industry
In early 2013, he acquired the American Woolen Company name, which had once belonged to a prominent American textile business.
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which → acquire → business
His original plan did not involve owning a factory.
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plan → involve → factory
He considered outsourcing production while concentrating on designing and selling fabrics.
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He → consider → fabrics
However, after studying the available manufacturing facilities, he decided that producing the material himself would give the business greater control over quality.
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producing → study → quality
That search eventually brought him to Stafford Springs, where the closed Warren Mills complex still had machinery and workers experienced in specialised textile production.
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complex → bring → production
How factory returned to production
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factory → return → production
After purchasing its buildings and equipment, Long also needed employees who understood the complicated processes involved in producing and finishing high-quality fabrics.
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who → purchase → fabrics
Many of those skills were already available among the people who had worked at Warren Mills before its closure.
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who → work → closure
According to a report by Connecticut Public Radio, the mill's former general manager, Guy Burkhead, said employees had an average length of service of 18 years when the previous business closed.
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business → accord → years
Some had worked there for as long as 40 years.
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Some → work → years
The new company began bringing workers back as production restarted.
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production → begin → workers
By September 2014, 21 former employees had been rehired, and additional recruitment was planned.
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recruitment → rehire → September
Long also inherited a substantial manufacturing facility, including 40 high-speed spinning looms and other machinery.
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Long → inherit → looms
The factory could produce the specialised fabrics he wanted to market rather than requiring him to build an entirely new operation.
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he → produce → operation
Initially, American Woolen concentrated on premium textiles intended to compete with European products.
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Woolen → concentrate → products
Its business later developed another important source of demand when it secured military contracts in 2019.
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it → develop → 2019
Rebuilding American textile manufacturing remains difficult
Although American Woolen has continued operating, the wider industry faces challenges.
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industry → rebuild → challenges
CT Insider reported that 96.7% of clothing purchased in the United States in 2024 was imported, citing the American Apparel & Footwear Association.
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% → report → Association
Meanwhile, the American Sheep Industry Association estimates that the country exports between 60% and 75% of its wool fibres.
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country → estimate → fibres
Long believes this shows that the United States has both wool supplies and customers, but lacks enough domestic manufacturing facilities to connect the two.
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States → believe → two
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
