The story of William Barnet & Son – Barnet – is one of evolution – of creativity and adaptability, determination and innovation. It’s a journey that started 125 years ago by taking wool rags and turning them into something valuable.
William Barnet, which at the time was not yet incorporated, produced its first pound of shoddy on March 22, 1898, in Albany, NY. The company had 10 employees and owed the bank $24,000.
Henry B. Barnet and his father, William Barnet, soon became partners, and William Barnet & Son incorporated in 1920. By then, the firm had converted an old malt plant on the banks of the Hudson River along Forbes Road in Rensselaer, NY for its textile operation. Later, Henry’s two sons, William Barnet II – Bill II – and Henry “Pete” Barnet Jr., joined the company and worked with their father to grow the business. The plant on Forbes Road still stands today, though it is in need of renovation.
The company did its banking with Norstar Bank of Albany, which counted Bill II (and later Bill III) as a board member. Through a series of acquisitions, Norstar would eventually become part of what is now Bank of America, which the company still banks with today.
Long before the term was used in popular conversation, Barnet was recycling. At the time, the process involved picking, garneting and, where appropriate, dyeing. Picking separated the clippings into yarn while garneting reduced that yarn to its original fiber.
History marched on with Barnet beginning to do business with Southern textile mills in the late 1940s. It began with strictly woolen operations, though over the next decade, various synthetic fiber producers began to make great investments in the region providing Barnet with a new set of raw materials for its processes. By 1950, Barnet’s production had shifted to 50% wool and 50% synthetics. In 1963, Barnet opened its first operation in the South in Tryon, NC. Later, in 1970, Barnet acquired a building on Hayne Street in Spartanburg to expand its manufacturing base and to provide offices for its growing sales staff. Barnet makes its headquarters there today. In 1979, Barnet acquired its largest facility with the purchase of Precision Cutting and Winding Co. in Kinston, NC. Today, the Kinston Plant produces more than 30 Million pounds of technical fibers for a range of industries and applications.
Over the last 40 years, Barnet has grown organically as well as through acquisition. Today, Barnet is a global company with operations and plants in the United States, Germany, Belgium, India, and China. Its capabilities have become increasingly technical with the company balancing its traditional commodity business with more advanced processes and much more highly technical products.
