Burnsville Facility Recovers After Hurricane Helene

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene carved a devastating path through the North Carolina mountains, including the community of Burnsville, where a Glen Raven manufacturing plant is located. The area was hit hard, suffering massive losses to homes, businesses and community infrastructure.

At Glen Raven, we believe that character is revealed in crisis and in the days after the storm we saw our associates respond with deep care for each other and their community. “Our plant became one of the community’s resource hubs because, with how fast the hurricane hit and due to the extent of damage in the region, many folks didn’t have essential supplies: food, water, socks, medical supplies,” said Randy Blackston, Vice-President of Operations at Glen Raven.

While dealing with their own losses at home, the local team also took care of their neighbors, helping to distribute supplies. Associates worldwide contributed through donations to the Helping Partners charity, and also donated supplies and provided logistical assistance.

In the weeks following, the team demonstrated a resilient determination to bring the heavily damaged plant back online so that people could return to making fabrics for customers. Associates and contractors worked together to restore the factory by  pumping out gallons of water, removing mud and debris and repairing equipment. Through it all, they maintained a zero-incident safety record for associates and contractors, despite challenging conditions.

During the cleanup process, one key challenge was handling the product loss caused by the storm. While it would have been easy to send the damaged yarn to a landfill, the local team committed to sustainability and ensured that more than 337,000 pounds of textile waste was recycled.

“We saw our Burnsville associates pull together with devoted kindness and unlimited support for one another,” said John Gant, Director of Sustainability at Glen Raven. “The recovery was never about the business, but about that town and county, and wanting to see it thrive again.”