NCTO President & CEO Kim Glas Testifies at House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Hearing on COVID-19 Crisis

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WASHINGTON, DC – National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas is testifying today at the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing on “Manufacturing and Critical Supply Chains: Lessons From COVID-19.”

“While domestic textile manufacturers have undertaken heroic efforts to confront the ongoing crisis, the onshoring of a permanent PPE industry will only materialize if proper government policies and other actions are put in place to help domestic manufacturers survive the current economic crisis and to incentivize the long-term investment needed to fully bring PPE production back to the United States,” Glas said in testimony submitted to the subcommittee found here.

Glas outlined policy recommendations and concrete steps the government should take to address the long-term and short-term needs of frontline health care workers, patients and the general public.

“The time is ripe for a revival of American PPE textile manufacturing. It has already begun, but we are at a pivotal point. Without the necessary policy response and support, our recent progress will be undone just as quickly, and the China stranglehold over global medical textile supply will be locked in for the foreseeable future with no reason to invest here,” Glas said.

“The U.S. textile and apparel industry is ready, willing, and able to supply our country’s PPE needs now and for what lies ahead,” she added.

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.

  • U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 585,240 in 2019.
  • The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
  • U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
  • Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.

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CONTACT: Kristi Ellis

202.684.3091

www.ncto.org

INDUSTRY COALITION RELEASES STATEMENT ON PPE POLICY

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WASHINGTON—An industry coalition representing the full spectrum of domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) production released a statement today outlining policy principles and objectives needed for reshoring and safeguarding domestic PPE manufacturing.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed severe shortages in our nation’s PPE supply and an overreliance on foreign sourced products, underscores how important it is for the U.S. government to incentivize, support and maintain domestic manufacturing capacity for PPE.

Our association members, encompassing every segment of the U.S. textile, apparel and PPE supply chain, as well as unions representing workers, acted swiftly to convert manufacturing facilities and build supply chains virtually overnight to produce desperately needed PPE.

“We are united in our support of important principles that must be adopted in order to address our current public health needs and guarantee our nation is better prepared to respond to future emergencies,” the 21 associations said in the joint statement.

The associations are calling on Congress and the Trump administration to adopt principles outlined in the statement through legislation, executive order and other appropriate means.

See the full joint statement and principles here.

The statement was signed by the following organizations. Please see relevant contacts where provided:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Alliance for American Manufacturing
  • American Iron and Steel Institute
  • American Sheep Institute
  • Coalition for a Prosperous America
  • Georgia Association of Manufacturers
  • Hand Tools Institute
  • INDA: Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry
  • Narrow Fabrics Institute
  • National Cotton Council
  • National Council of Textile Organizations
  • Parachute Industry Association
  • Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network
  • SEAMS: Association of the U.S. Sewn Products Industry
  • SEIU
  • South Carolina Textile Council
  • U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute
  • United States Footwear Manufacturers Association
  • United Steelworkers
  • Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition
  • Workers United/SEIU

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MAIN PRESS CONTACT:

NCTO

Kristi Ellis

(202) 684-3091

www.ncto.org

 

Coalition for a Prosperous America

Melissa Tallman, (202) 688-5145 ext. 3

National Cotton Council

Marjory L. Walker, (901) 274-9030

Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network

Michael M. Woody, (401) 331-8483

SEAMS: Association of the U.S. Sewn Products Industry

Will Duncan, (803) 642-1111

Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition

David Costello, (617) 875-2492

NCTO CONGRATULATES WILLIAM “BILL” McCRARY ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY AT WILLIAM BARNET & SON, LLC

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WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) is honored to congratulate Mr. William “Bill” V. McCrary Jr. on a significant tenure – celebrating 50 years of employment in the U.S. textile industry with William Barnet & Son, LLC, a synthetic fiber/yarn/polymer firm headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C. with plants and/or offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Bill McCrary joined William Barnet & Son, LLC on July 1, 1970. He now serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for the company, a position he has held since 2001.

“Bill McCrary is an outstanding leader in the textile industry – but, even more importantly, a wonderful human being.  Bill’s deep commitment to his company, employees and the entire community is a model for us all.  His strong voice advocating for manufacturing has benefited the entire industry and we are so very grateful for his outstanding service,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.

Throughout his career at Barnet, McCrary has also demonstrated strong leadership on behalf of the broader U.S. textile industry by serving as NCTO chairman from 2017-18, after having served as NCTO vice chairman the prior year. He also served for three years on NCTO’s Board of Directors before moving into his current role as an officer.

Former NCTO President and CEO Auggie Tantillo, who headed the organization during Mr. McCrary’s leadership, said the following: “Bill McCrary seamlessly stepped into the role of NCTO chairman and national leader of the U.S. textile industry. The power of his intellect and the persuasiveness of his personality were an invaluable asset to our industry and workforce on numerous policy matters. The entire U.S. textile sector owes him a great debt of gratitude for his effectiveness, professionalism and dedication to our industry.”

Mr. McCrary’s career includes leadership positions with various other industry associations, such as Chairman of the American Fiber Manufacturers Association and Chairman of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance. He is the 2016 recipient of the Roger Milliken Defender of Manufacturing Award, a member of the Palmetto Business Forum, and a graduate of Duke University. McCrary is a dedicated resident of Greenville, SC, where he has dedicated his time to numerous initiatives developed for the benefit of the community, including the institution of the McCrary Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit within the Greenville Hospital System and the Phase II expansion of Cancer Survivors Park.

NCTO congratulates and thanks William “Bill” McCrary on a long and productive career that has benefited not only his organization and community, but the U.S. textile industry on the whole.

 

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.

 

  • U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 585,240 in 2019.
  • The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
  • U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
  • Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.

 

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CONTACT: Rebecca Tantillo

202.822.8026

www.ncto.org