what’s working
Because of that, Bishop is actually seeing a move toward on-shoring
by his wholesale customers who want to simplify their vendor rosters and
even more importantly, grow weary of supply chain and quality problems
that grow in importance as prices equalize.
“I think our growth is driven by the customer’s desire to know where
their products came from, to get quality products, and to get it produced on
time,” Bishop said.
a focus on fibers
The customer’s desire to know how raw product is sourced and where it’s
eventually finished also fits nicely into the company’s emphasis on offering
products made in America with a local flavor.
Bishop says both wholesale and retail customers truly want to buy
domestically produced products if prices are close to being in-line. Beyond
that, they also want to know about the actual source and quality of the raw
materials. This is where Pendleton’s century old relationships with regional
wool growers come into play.
“People want to know
where that fiber comes from,
and we can track it right back
to the farm, and really, back
to the sheep that produced
that fiber,” Bishop said.
Pendleton prides itself
for partnering with its wool
producers through thick
and thin, including helping
growers cope with challenges
— Charles Bishop, vice president of mill operations,
ranging from reductions
Pendleton Woolen Mills
in grazable acreage to
t h e re - e st a b l i s h m e n t o f
indigenous wolf populations.
“They [our wool growers]
are a critical part of our
business for their quality and
supply,” said Bishop.
Another major change
at the mill has been the
addition of non-wool fibers. Pendleton suffered during the recession as the retail clothing business
consolidated and wholesale customers cut back. The manufacturing-side strategy to address the
problem was diversifying output with cotton, silk, rayon, polyester and nylon.
While the execution might seem like a simple matter of leveraging the company’s core
competency in the area of textile milling and applying it to other products, Bishop says the
learning curve was extremely steep when it came to handling, dying and weaving non-wool raw
materials. Even so, it has been a crucial step in allowing the company to take control of its own
destiny and re-hiring about 40 of the mill’s 190 employees who were laid off during the recession.
The mill now runs five days a week, 24 hours a day.
“Really, the small quantities help
differentiate us from the competition and
help us differentiate our brand.”
30 association of washington business