As a services provider, earning the trust of our clients is paramount to our business success. Trust is something each of us must earn. I was taught in a customer development class that all business relationships follow a developmental S-curve (shown below). What if your company manufactures…
Before the War of 1812, cotton was barely produced in the United States, but the “cotton boom” in the mid-1800s changed all of that. Three years before the Civil War, South Carolina Congressman James Hammond proclaimed, “Cotton is King and the north would collapse without the South.” He also said, “slave holders of the South […]
Ellison Adger Smyth was born Oct. 26, 1847 in Charleston, SC. While growing up in the Holy City, young Ellison worked as a junior partner in a family-owned hardware business until his lofty aspirations led him to something greater. Long before the enactment of labor laws, Ellison set up a system in his mills to […]
South Carolina Manufacturing (SCMFG) has begun to publish content through our “Spools and Widgets” feature on the Palmetto State’s textile past. This is a photo gallery of all our content thus far. We will continue to bring you stories from South Carolina’s past and add to our growing image collection for your enjoyment. About the […]
Born in Massachusetts in 1829, Oscar Sampson was a descendant of Mayflower passengers. Sampson grew to become a very prominent businessman in Boston. He served as a director on multiple boards, including Boston’s Merchant Association and The Cotton and Woolen Manufacturer Mutual Insurance Company. While living in Boston in the 1860s, Sampson, along with George […]
By the 1930’s, nearly 20 major cotton mills and two dye/bleaching/processing mills lay within three miles of downtown Greenville, one of which was the largest mill under one roof in the world. The mills and their villages formed a crescent surrounding the growing city. The entrepreneurs who…
Two Clemson University professors who hold endowed chairs are among the newest fellows elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). John Ballato and Marek Urban will be honored on Feb. 15 during the association’s annual meeting in Seattle. It will be the first…
The United States faces an urgent shortage of skilled technical workers, according to a new National Science Board report that cites a Clemson University center, CA2VES, as an example of how partnerships could be part of the solution. CA2VES is an acronym for the Center for Aviation…
I was speaking to a friend at a manufacturing show in October. He mentioned that his young son wanted to invest in the stock market, with high hopes of picking the next Amazon or Microsoft in the early years. Yet, his son commented “Dad, your generation has…
What once took safety personnel hours and sometimes longer to complete, what was once forgotten, placed aside until later or simply avoided because of time, can now be done with the swipe of a cell phone, ensuring not only machines and work environments remain hazard free, but…