What started as a relatively small textile operation in Mount Airy 100 years ago has grown to manufacture socks for some of the biggest international clients in the world — and now says it has hopes for even more growth as the firm enters its second century of operation.
Renfro Brands is marking its 100th anniversary by charting what it hopes will continue to be a profitable future — even as major changes reshape the company. Among those changes, the company said, are a renewed commitment to diversity within its management ranks as well as finding better ways to operation in environmentally conscious ways.
“This year has been an important one for the company as it announced new ownership by the private holding company, The Renco Group Inc., which followed the launch of Renfro’s direct-to-consumer marketplace Loops & Wales and corporate rebranding,” the firm said this week in a statement about its 100th anniversary.
The company, while still maintaining its corporate headquarters in Mount Airy, has also continued moving its base of operations to nearby Winston-Salem, with more and more production and corporate functions handled there since CEO Stan Jewell took the reins in 2017.
Founded in 1921 as Renfro Hosiery Mills, the company started as a small domestic manufacturer. A century later, Renfro has grown into a leader in the legwear industry with more than 1,500 employees globally. It has also shown an ability to pivot quickly — as it did last year when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic gave the company another opportunity — producing masks. The company produced millions of masks, even donating nearly 2,000 to Mount Airy for its city employees to use.
“As Renfro charts its next phase of growth, the company is focused on making a positive impact on the world,” the company said. “Renfro has long rallied behind its belief that ‘a life well-lived, is lived in socks’ and understands that while it starts with great socks, its impact goes further than that. Through its new corporate social responsibility program, Project Footprint, Renfro has set out to foster better employment opportunities for more people, to continue to give back to the communities where it works, and to take every effort to preserve a healthy planet for a healthy future.”
“We are extremely proud of where we are today as a company, and that is thanks to our employees, partners, and communities who have supported and trusted us over the past 100-years,” Jewell said Tuesday. “Project Footprint is not only our way of growing what our founders started but continuing our commitment to living our vision of helping people get back on their feet to achieve a life well-lived.”
As part of Project Footprint, Renfro has committed to achieving specific goals for each pillar of its program – Our Communities, Our Planet, and Our People – and will expand these with new actions and efforts annually. Among the objectives set to date, Renfro has committed to achieving the following by 2025:
– Renfro will increase the number of what it calls “BIPOC employees” — Black, indigenous, and people of color — at the manager level by more than 20% to ensure leaders reflect the company’s consumer base.
– Renfro will launch an annual sock capsule on its direct-to-consumer platform Loops & Wales, where 100% of proceeds are donated to an organization helping people get back on their feet.
– Renfro will use sustainable yarns and materials in at least half of the products it produce, increasing this to 100% by 2030.
Additionally, starting in 2022, Renfro aims to donate more than $1 million worth of employee hours to nonprofits by providing time for employees to live its values and volunteer with organizations with roots in local communities.
“Renfro will continue to progress and evolve Project Footprint to both grow its impact and address new needs as they emerge,” the firm’s statement said.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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