Kannapolis, North Carolina, was once home to Cannon Mills, at one time the largest manufacturer of sheets and towels in the world. James William Cannon founded Cannon mills in 1906. After several ownership changes throughout the 1980s, the Pillowtex Corporation acquired the mills in 1997. In 2003, Pillowtex Corporation closed its doors, laying off 4,340 people living in Kannapolis or the counties surrounding the city. In December 2004, David Murdock purchased the former Cannon Mills Plant One at auction and in 2005, in partnership with the University of North Carolina system, announced plans for the North Carolina Research Campus, a 1.5 billion dollar scientific and economic revitalization project. As part of this effort, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College developed and implemented the R3 (Refocus, Retrain, Reemploy) Center at the NCRC, designed to train a local workforce for opportunities at the NCRC.
From the description of R3 Center Records, 2004-2006 [manuscript]. (North Carolina State University). WorldCat record id: 759112706
From the guide to the R3 Center Records, 2004-2006, (Special Collections Research Center)
