Saturday, October 27, 2018

Hanover Mills, Incorporated

Caswell County Quiz:

During its peak years, Hanover Mills in Yanceyville employed how many?

A. 115
B. 250
C. 295
D. 320


I worked at "Hangover" two summers. The first was with Sam Shaw mixing the chemicals used in "Take Up." This was a cushy first shift job. The second summer was real work: swing shift in "Draw Twist" -- where I loaded and threaded the big machines. My working pal was David Shatterly (who supplied cherry tomatoes from his father's garden). Source: Rick Frederick 27 October 2018.

President Ronald Green arrived each day in a chauffeur-driven limo. He had married the boss's daughter. The big boss was Charles Falk. Green's annual salary was $100,000 (and he received substantial year-end bonuses).

While many US textile businesses took a hit in the latter part of the 20th century, the company that owned Hanover Mills, Incorporated, Falk Fibers & Fabrics, Inc., essentially imploded as a result of insider self-dealing, family squabbles, and corporate greed and waste.

At one time Hanover Mills was the only fully integrated nylon filament (nylon tricot) spinning plant in the United States.

Ownership of Hanover Mills changed over the years (at least did the corporate ownership names). For example, in 1971, Hanover Mills was owned by Universal Polymer Products Corp.

In 1966, Hanover Mills won a US government contract to supply 9 million yards of nylon netting for use primarily in the Vietnam War (for mosquito control and other purposes). This resulted in plant expansion and the addition of 100 employees. The old Caswell County Health Department building had to go.
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Falk v. FFF Industries, Inc., 731 F. Supp. 134 (S.D.N.Y. 1990) [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/731/134/1877817/; accessed 27 October 2018]
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Hanover Mills (Yanceyville, North Carolina)

Don Harpole, Vice President in charge of Binswanger Corp's Southern Division.

In a sale closed last week, Harpole and his associates negotiated the purchase of the former Caswell Knitting Mills Inc., plant at Yanceyville to Hanover Mills of New York for $80,000. Harpole said that spinning equipment has been set up in the 18,000-square-foot plant and the first dozen or so of what will become a work force of about 75 persons have been hired.

The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), 29 November 1961.

Editor's Note: The above is somewhat confusing. It is less so if Hanover Mills is owned by Binswanger Corporation. In any event, it appears the old Caswell Knitting Mills property on Wall Street in Yanceyville was sold for $80,000.

Snippets Derived from Corporate Documents and Court Filings

In 1974, Hanover Mills (Falk Fibers & Fabrics) needed beams and racks to hold yarn. Instead of purchasing them directly, Charles Falk (father-in-law of Ronald Green) set up a separate company to purchase the beams and racks and leased them to Hanover Mills/Falk Fibers & Fabrics.

However, even with this "skimming," the company ran fairly smoothly until 1981 when a big money backer. Leonard Stern (of Hartz Mountain) divorced the daughter of Charles Falk and turned over his shares to his former wife Judith Peck. Charles Falk then demanded a salary and substantial deferred compensation for him and his wife. The mess was just beginning.

President Ronald Green arrived each day in a chauffeur-driven limo. He had married the boss's daughter. The big boss was Charles Falk. Green's annual salary was $100,000 (and he received substantial year-end bonuses).

At one time Hanover Mills was the only fully integrated nylon filament (nylon tricot) spinning plant in the United States.

In 1966, Hanover Mills won a US government contract to supply 9 million yards of nylon netting for use primarily in the Vietnam War (for mosquito control and other purposes). This resulted in plant expansion and the addition of 100 employees. The old Caswell County Health Department building had to go.

In 1985, Leonard Stern became involved again. Along with Ronald Green and others, he seized control of Falk Fibers & Fabrics) and dismissed both Charles Falk and his son Michael Falk. The company was subsequently liquidated.
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Hanover Fibers-Division of Guilford Mills
1 Wall St
Yanceyville, NC 27379
(910) 694-4151

https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/businesses-and-occupations/guilford-mills-inc

Caswell County Board of Commissioners
June 20, 2011

The board heard an update from Dr. Walter Bartlett, PCC president, and county manager Kevin Howard on parking needs at the Guilford Mills facilities. The county attorney will be reviewing the requested terms for a lease.

Guilford Mills, Inc., apparently bought the Hanover Mills plant in Yanceyville from Falk Fibers & Fabrics in 1986.

Are there remaining environmental issues at the old Hanover Mills site in Yanceyville?

http://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WasteManagement/Browse.aspx?dbid=0&startid=908115&row=226&cr=1

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Caswell County Board of Commissioners Meeting
July 15, 2018

Approval of Office Space at Guilford Mills for Dept. of Juvenile Justice 

It was requested that Caswell County provide two office spaces at its Guilford Mills building for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Adult probation also works through the Guilford Mills building, among other local services. 

“They will be leaving one office space that they currently have. There’s several reasons for this. We’re required by state statute to provide the department of juvenile justice office space within our county,” Miller said to the Commissioners. “One of the main reasons that they’re requesting extra office space is because of the raised age requirement. They expect to be much busier, and have quite a few more cases to deal with. So they’re adding additional staff. Rooms 405 and 406 (at Guilford Mills) are well-suited rooms for what they have to do.”
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A pirn is a rod onto which weft thread is wound for use in weaving. Unlike a bobbin, it is fixed in place, and the thread is delivered off the end of the pirn rather than from the centre.
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Caswell County Trivia: In January 1971, Hanover Mills Vice President Michael Becher announced a general wage increase for employees, including 50 cents per hour for Sunday work.

Some of the employees at the Yanceyville plant worked for Hanover Mills, Inc., and other worked directly for the parent company Universal Polymer Products. And, it is likely, but not confirmed, that Universal Polymer was owned by Falk Fibers & Fabrics.
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Caswell County Trivia: Hanover Mills in Yanceyville ceased operations in September 1985, leaving more than 100 workers jobless.

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