Burlington Industries, Inc.

Burlington Industries, Inc., founded by James Spencer Love (1896-1962), opened its first cotton manufacturing plant in 1924 in Burlington, N.C., with 200 employees. (An early name was Burlington Mills Corporation; the name was changed to Burlington Industries, Inc. in 1955.) The company grew quickly by switching to rayon manufacturing. During the 1920s and 1930s, Burlington added plants, a New York City sales office, and, in 1935, moved its corporate headquarters from Burlington to Greensboro, N.C. With the outbreak of World War II, Burlington Industries shifted to meet war production needs and to work on related government projects. Post war, Burlington renewed its diversification efforts and continued to expand for the next four decades. By the end of the 1980s, Burlington operated plants in seven states and two other countries and employed 26,000 people. Burlington counted itself among the industry leaders in use of innovative manufacturing technology and development of a well-trained, dedicated work force. During the 1990s, the company endured significant financial losses and employee layoffs before filing for bankruptcy in 2001. In 2003, Burlington Industries was purchased and the following year merged with Cone Mills into a new private company called International Textile Group (ITG).

From the description of Burlington Industries, Inc. records, 1844-2001. WorldCat record id: 697872769

Note that Burlington Industries, Inc. has been known by several names through the years, including Burlington Mills Corporation. To avoid encumbering researchers will the need to understand the name chronology, the company is referred to, with very few exceptions, as Burlington Industries, Inc. or Burlington Industries in this finding aid.

Burlington Industries, Inc., founded by James Spencer Love (1896-1962), opened its first plant in 1924 in Burlington, N.C. The company employed 200 people. The first products were flag cloth, bunting, cotton scrims, curtain and dress fabrics, and diaper cloth ( birdseye ), all made of cotton. These products promptly went out of style. Love tried new products, but business did not improve until he switched to rayon manufacturing, then only in its experimental stage. Within a few years, Burlington Industries became a national leader in rayon textiles as a result of its popular rayon bedspreads.

Burlington Industries opened a second plant in 1926 and a New York sales office in 1929. The company went to a 40-hour work week in 1933. In 1935, corporate headquarters moved from Burlington to Greensboro, N.C., to be closer to rail transportation to New York City. During the 1930s, Burlington continued to grow in size, acquiring and reopening competitors' mills that had closed during the Great Depression. By the end of 1936, Burlington had 22 plants in nine communities with sales of $25 million. The following year, the company reorganized to consolidate its various associated companies and made its initial appearance on the New York Stock Exchange.

With the outbreak of World War II, Burlington Industries shifted to meet war production needs. More than 4,000 Burlington employees entered the military and were replaced by women in the plants. Burlington research laboratories also worked on government projects, including the development of parachute cloth made with a new fiber, nylon.

After the war, Burlington renewed its diversification efforts and continued to grow rapidly. New plants were built with one wooden wall that could be torn down in short order to add more floor space. The wooden wall made Burlington plants easy to spot and was a sign of the company's post-war growth. In 1955, the company changed its name to Burlington Industries, Inc. to reflect the vastly diversified nature of the corporation.

Burlington Industries came under new leadership for the first time in 1962, upon the death of founder James Spencer Love. During the next decade, Burlington opened new merchandising offices at Burlington House in New York City, N.Y., and a new corporate office building in Greensboro in 1971.

Burlington Industries was a leader in textile manufacturing in many ways. It was the first textile firm to advertise on network television (1952) and to pass the $1 billion mark in sales (1962) and then $3 billion in sales (1981). Burlington also counted itself among the industry leaders in developing employee and community relations, environmental protection, minority employment, employee health and safety, and employee training and educational concerns.

Burlington's capital spending for new and modernized plants also was notable in the 1980s. Advanced and innovative manufacturing technology applied effectively by a well-trained, dedicated work force improved efficiency and productivity rates at a time when American industrial activity generally waned. At the end of the 1980s, Burlington operated plants in seven states and two other countries and employed 26,000 people. Its major products included yarns, apparel fabrics for dress, work, and leisure; carpets and rugs; and home furnishings items such as mattress ticking, upholstery fabric, draperies, and bedspreads.

In 1987, Burlington Industries avoided a hostile takeover by becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Burlington Holdings, Inc., a private company owned by Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. and other investors. Burlington Industries returned to the New York Stock Exchange in 1992, but much of the rest of the decade was marked by financial losses and employee layoffs. Burlington Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2001. In 2003, Wilbur L. Ross purchased Burlington Industries, and, in 2004, he announced the merger of Cone Mills and Burlington Industries into a new private company called International Textile Group (ITG).

Sources: Burlington Industries: A Brief History, Public Relations, Burlington Industries, Inc., March 1989 and the News and Record Research Wiki: Burlington Industries .

From the guide to the Burlington Industries, Inc. Records, 1844-2001, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)