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From the beginning , the company ’ s “ ethos ,” as Wootten described it , was “ to improve people ’ s lives through sleep . We want to make people ’ s lives better , and have always wanted to do that .”
When the coronavirus hit the United States , the company took that one step further .
In one week , HomTex went from making bedding to making masks . “ I told my employees when this first started - we were having to work five days a week and then a full Saturday - they were helping save people ’ s lives . We were helping the country and making people safer , and helping people not
Salute 2020
Homtex Manager Ryan Hall at the facility on U . S . 31 .
to die and to not get sick . And our people really stepped up . I was really proud of our workforce .”
Wootten said it was Sen . Garlan Gudger who originally asked him about making masks . “ Everybody was hustling to get some masks for the hospital ,” he said . “ Sen . Gudger called me and said , ‘ Hey , they ’ re trying to provide this kind of mask , and I know you guys sew really well . Can you make a mask better than this ?’”
“ We took a little mask they had and tried to improve it ,” said Wootten . “ We took that direction and thought we would really try to be a help to our local and state hospitals and front line workers .”
HomTex had on staff an engineer who had worked with Vanity Fair and used that experience in the mask design . They also found a source for the N-95 fabric and invested in new machinery to the tune of $ 150,000- $ 170,000 .
“ What this turned into was a great opportunity ,” said Wootten , noting that the linen side of the business had fallen off because of the virus and he would have had to begun laying people off .
Instead , by converting operations to masks , HomTex was able to hire additional employees to help with making the reusable , washable masks and later , disposable masks .
“ We saw the country was in desperate need of the three-ply [ disposable ] masks . So we bought machines for that ,” he said .
There was also a great need for U . S . -made face masks .
Demand for the machines to make disposable masks was high and payment up front was required . “ We had to rush because everybody was getting in line ,” said Wootten .
In order to buy the necessary equipment , the company got a loan from the city of Cullman . “ We didn ’ t have time to go through the whole process [ of working through the bank for a loan ],” he said . The city gave HomeTex a $ 1.5 million loan with a 2.2 interest rate . HomTex repaid the loan , plus interest , in less than two months .
Wootten called the financial support from the city , county and state courageous and visionary , noting it was not something that had been done before . “ Because of our relationship with them , there was a trust factor there , but I also believe the mayor and the city council and Sen . Gudger had a vision , too , that they were helping us to help the nation . They were willing to step outside their comfort zone to do something that would make a difference .”
That spirit of helping others , he said , is ingrained in the Cullman culture . “ Cullman is a great place to live . They ’ re a caring people and people that will take risks to help .”
With the loan , the company was able to purchase 15 machines and hire 100 people to high-paying jobs . “ We ’ ve hired engineers , technicians , systems engineers and a ton of operators . We hired over a hundred people and we ’ re still hiring ,” said Wootten .
HomTex had the advantage of having connections with fabric mak-