GRANITEVILLE, SC – Graniteville Specialty Fabrics is
proud to announce new company president, James J. Egan. He
will be responsible for directing the organization and planning
for the future of the company and its potential for long-term
growth and development through the pursuit of new business
opportunities.
Raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Jim attended college
at the Citadel, where he received his BS in Biology in 1978.
Recently, he completed studies towards his MBA from the New
York Institute of Technology. He has been married to his wife,
Carolyn, for 28 years, and they are proud parents of two grown
sons.
Jim’s long and diverse career in the textile and manufacturing
industry has made him uniquely qualified for this role. Upon
graduation, he worked for Milliken & Company for fifteen
years. From there, he moved to Spindale, North Carolina where
he oversaw the construction of a finishing plant for the New
Cherokee Corporation. He worked in a variety of positions
for Burlington Industries in Hurt, Virginia and most recently
served as General Manager for Collins & Aikman in Roxboro,
North Carolina.
Partnering with Jim will be Kevin Crean, recently named Executive
Vice President of Marketing; Doug Johnson, the long-time plant
manager who will now be the Senior Vice President of Operations;
and Jim Reid, the new Director of Business Development.
Kevin Crean began his association at the Woodhead Plant with
The Graniteville Company 34 years ago when he started in the
New York City sales office. Since that time, he has been steadily
promoted. He was named Vice President of Sales in 1998, following
the 1996 Avondale Mills purchase of the plant. At this time,
he and his family relocated to the community from New Jersey.
Kevin is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Business
Administration. He and his wife have two sons in college.
Doug Johnson was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. An
honors graduate from Augusta State University, he double-majored
in Chemistry and Biology. He is married with three daughters.
After spending two years in a PhD graduate program at the
Medical College of Georgia, Doug was hired as the Senior Chemist
for the Woodhead Plant. In his time since then, he was named
Technical Director in 1995 and Plant Manager in 2001. He celebrated
his 19th anniversary with the company in August 2006.
Jim Reid rejoined Graniteville Specialty Fabrics on October
2, 2006. He began his career with Reeves where he was involved
with research and development and sales. He joined the Graniteville
Co. in 1983 and worked out of the Chicago office until coming
to Graniteville, SC in 1986. In 1998, he left Graniteville
and worked for John Boyle & Co. as Industrial Products
Manager where he remained until rejoining Graniteville Specialty
Fabrics this past fall. Jim is a graduate of Wingate College
and UNC-Charlotte.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with Graniteville
Specialty Fabrics as it has a bright future,” stated
Egan. “With our unique capabilities and technical expertise
and the more than 50 years of combined experience from Kevin,
Doug and Jim we will continue to grow and prosper as we seek
niche businesses, such as our recent foray into military applications.
And, we hope that our success is just the first of many for
a revitalized Graniteville, South Carolina.”
For more information about Graniteville Specialty Fabrics,
please contact Kevin Crean at 803-663-2609. |
