Posted February 23, 2017

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

RALEIGH, N.C. – To meet the textile industry’s growing demand for new talent, N.C. State University’s College of Textiles (COT) this month hosted its first spring semester Job Forum & Career Fair in more than a quarter century.

 

Typically, this event takes place only once a year, in the fall. Forty-seven companies, including 19 first-timers, participated in this version, and between 400 and 450 students visited tabletops staffed by 123 total company personnel. Additionally, six companies were marking their first appearance in at least five years.

 

Among those first-time companies was Sage Automotive Interiors of Greenville, S.C., which isn’t looking for someone with a textile or related degree, per se, according to Steve Frank, plant manager of the company.

 

“We’re looking for someone with a technical background, someone with a solid foundation, a methodical thought process and a problem solver,” he said. “We’re looking for a general management-type track, where we have people who can communicate with other people, are driven, numbers oriented, goal oriented, have leadership capabilities, can make decisions and are ready for real responsibilities very quickly.”

 

That may seem like a long list of qualities, particularly for students working toward a degree, but the College of Textiles is doing an outstanding job instilling such skills in its students, according to Debra Hess, planning manager at Springs Creative, Rock Hill, S.C.

 

“There is always such good all-around talent here,” said Hess, whose company usually participates in this event. “You always want to make sure you take back a lot of good notes because you will meet many qualified students who are ready to join the workforce on Day 1.”

 

Students with strong technology and engineering backgrounds were rampant here, which typically translate into the skillsets Sage Automotive is looking for, added Dayna Babb, its corporate H.R. manager.

 

While N.C. State has earned a strong reputation for educating and training many fashion and textile designers over the last decade-plus, it has never strayed far from its core curriculum covering the manufacturing realm, even as the production side of the industry shrunk, according to Kent Hester, director, Office of Student & Career Service, which organized the event. And as the industry has seen a manufacturing uptick as reshoring, technical and innovative progress and niche services have taken hold, the College is working closely with companies to help them address personnel needs, he added.

 

And eTC spoke with several students, including Nathan Wintermute, with a desire to start their careers in textile production.

 

“I’d like a position in manufacturing, either in process development or product engineering,” said the senior majoring in textile engineering.

 

Student Ashton Dobbins, who graduates in May with a degree in textile technology, said she is looking for a career in the industry but has not pigeonholed herself.

 

“I love working with materials development and quality control, and I really like product design,” she said. “A lot of the companies are looking for process engineers, which is interesting because I did an internship as a process engineer with a textile company. But it would be great to work directly in textile manufacturing, too.”

 

Another student, Eliza Lavery, said an interest in the textile industry led her to this event, even though she is not in the College of Textiles.

 

“I like product development a lot, and I have a processing background,” said Lavery, who will graduate in May with a degree in chemical and bio-molecular engineering. “I’m interested in innovation and new research and development roles. With smart textiles and other advances, there are opportunities in the industry. I think it’s becoming more common knowledge among the student population that textiles is not dead.”

 

Jenna Calderon, a senior graduating in May in fashion and textile management with a concentration in product management and fashion development, attested to that. She learned a lot about the textile history in the Carolinas when she entered the COT and later interned at Springs Creative.

 

“Since I’ve been in school here, I’ve really come to appreciate the Carolinas’ textile heritage, especially in a company such as Springs and some others that have been in textiles for more than a century,” she said. “When I was trying to choose a school, I didn’t realize that the best textiles education was right here in my backyard.”

 

As such, she plans to start her career somewhere in the region, she said.

 

“I’ve been looking for local companies that have a strong history and focus on sustainability, rather than the bigger companies,” said Calderon, a Springs Close Foundation Scholar. “I shouldn’t be looking far and wide if some of the best stuff is here. I don’t need to be in New York City or Los Angeles. I will do perfectly fine just looking at local companies.”

 

Textile technology degree candidate Joseph Stevens found his calling in the College of Textiles after touring the university’s programs, he said.

 

“Textiles just stood out to me,” said Stevens, who last summer interned at TechniMark, an injection molding company that serves the textile industry, after making contact at one of these career fairs. “It was unique and it had a niche feel to it. You feel like you can grow and be more creative in this industry than in some others.”

 

‘We’re always hiring’

 

One of those local heritage companies was 101-year-old yarn spinner Parkdale, Gastonia, N.C., which brought four representatives to speak with students. (Incidentally, part of the Career Fair took place in the COT’s Duke Kimbrell Atrium, named after Parkdale’s longtime chairman and CEO, who graduated from the textile school in 1949.)

 

“We’re always hiring at Parkdale, but we’re really making an emphasis in the textile (manufacturing) space,” said H.R. Director Karen Menting. “So we wanted to have a presence to interact with students because we believe if we hire individuals with this type of education, we will be able to continue to create a healthy pipeline within Parkdale. Our intent is to continue hiring and growing individuals who have that textile knowledge. We do want a diversified background because we have so many different departments that they could fit in to.”

 

Another regional company, William Barnet & Son, LLC, brought representatives not from its headquarters in Spartanburg, S.C., but from its fiber manufacturing facility in Kinston, N.C. in Eastern North Carolina. There, about 175 full-time employees work in the 600,000-square-foot facility.

 

“We’re primarily here to let folks know that we’re in the area and that textiles is not dead, as well as to get our name out there,” said Vanessa Mewborn, H.R. manager. “We’ve seen a lot of potential candidates who we will follow up with, so we’re very hopeful to find someone good here.”

 

The plant has current needs that will probably be filled as a result of the fair, added Greg Kempner, quality manager.

 

“We’re looking for a process engineer as well as an intern or co-op, so we have an interest in a mechanical engineer or an industrial engineer, as well as someone with a textile background,” he said. “We’ve talked with some pretty bright kids today.”

 

Another company, Lydall, also was on hand to create exposure and target talented students for employment, said Shane Wilson, talent acquisition and management coordinator.
 

“We’re trying to help people understand who Lydall is and what we’re all about,” said Wilson, whose company operates a fiber production plant in Hamptonville, N.C. “We’re a global company. And since we deal in fibers, we are focused on the College of Textiles because their skillsets match our needs. Some of our current engineers are alumni of N.C. State, so we know the level of talent that is here.

 

“Today, we’re mainly looking at TT (textile technology) and TE (textile engineering) majors, who match perfectly with our product development side,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, Mermet USA, a Cowpens, S.C.-based manufacturer of screen fabrics for blinds, acoustic fabrics, signage and tensioned structures, participated in the fair to find candidates for several positions, according to Lisa Wilson, H.R. manager.

 

“We saw some good candidates for internships,” she said. “We also have needs for a production supervisor, manufacturing management, qualification technicians and marketing coordinators.”

 

Springs Creative also was looking for design interns, but other opportunities will soon exist in its expanding digital printing area, Hess said.

 

“We do a lot of things with the design students because we have a lot of design at our company,” she said. “And one of the areas that’s really growing is digital printing, so we’re really looking for all-around talent. That’s one of Derick’s (CEO Derick Close’s) visions – to seize that as the next place to be. We have a lot of things in place and we’re doing a lot of sampling with different customers and it’s starting to bloom. There is a lot of potential there.”

 

Growing needs

 

A first-time participant, knitting company Beverly Knits/Creative Ticking of Gastonia, N.C., is in a rapid growth mode, so its presence was imperative, according to Scott Frisch, vice president of Business Development.

 

“Our goal here is two-fold,” he said. “One is we want people to know who we are and to understand the breadth and scope of Beverly/Creative Ticking. We’re a massive company but not many people know about. And secondly, we want to see what level of students are out there, what qualifications they have and see where they might fit in.”

 

Additionally, the company aspires to become ISO certified and may need additional staff support for that to occur, Frisch added.

 

“We have never been ISO certified, and we just hired a new plant manager that knows how to put the pieces together,” said Frisch, whose company has seven N.C. State grads on its payroll currently. “But that’s a tall order for a company that’s never done it before and has four plants now. So it will be quite an effort, and I think that’s really where we might need to find some people today.”

 

One COT graduate found herself on the other side of the table at this career fair. Karen Quinn graduated with a degree in textile engineering last May and represented Palmetto Synthetics. Her pitch to her former collegiate peers?

 

“We’re definitely a family-oriented company,” said Quinn, a technical sales representative whose company is based in Kingstree, S.C. “If you really want to learn and have a good transition into the working world, it’s a great company. They will answer any question – no judgment – and try to help you through everything. I was placed in the field right away, which was good.

 

“Not all students want to go into manufacturing, but if you want a good job, I encourage them to look into it,” she added. “The College is really starting to steer people a little more toward the manufacturing side because there are immediate needs for the industry there.”

 

Among retailers on hand were Kohl’s, based in Wisconsin, which typically exhibits at this event. Here, they were looking for design interns, said Emily Elfe, associate designer. And they have the option of transitioning internships into career-starting positions, added designer Jamie Henderson.

 

“Our goal is to hire good interns to get them into the Kohl’s culture and understand how it works and train them, with the goal of hiring them full time,” Elfe said.

 

Keer America, a China-based yarn production company with manufacturing operations in Indian Land, S.C., attended the fair for the second time.

 

“We’re looking for textile engineer degrees, particularly people who are interested in a management operation position because we’re on an expansion track right now,” said Rachel Holler, human resources lead, whose company operates five shifts 24/7 with 212 employees.

 

Meanwhile, Gildan, a Canada-based manufacturer of branded apparel, had representatives of its North Carolina Printwear Division on hand.

 

“We’ve attended for numerous years,” said Orlando Poteat, H.R. director based in Eden, N.C. “We have found some success here. Our yarn division had an intern this past year who was phenomenal, and it will have two this year, and we’re interviewing next week for a full-time position. We’re looking for process improvement students. Everybody we’ve seen is very qualified and very energetic.”

 

Caliber of students ‘amazing’

 

Already, warp knitter Fairystone Fabrics of Burlington, N.C., is part of a consortium of companies with an apprenticeship program housed under the N.C. Dept. of Commerce, which is one way it identifies, trains and hires employees. And participating in this fair is another way it expands its net over the talent pool, according to owner Jim Bryan.

 

“Today, we’re looking for old-fashion manufacturing management,” said Bryan, whose 49-year-old company employs 140 people operating six days a week, 24 hours per day. “We want people who want to get their hands dirty learning machines, taking machines apart and then progressing through the process to get leadership positions as either shift supervisors or plant supervisors and then building the next generation of a workforce.

 

At least two nonwovens companies were on hand for the event, including Fitesa, based in Simpsonville, S.C. A first-time exhibitor, the company is growing and is in the midst of a $110 million expansion that will double capacity. Fitesa is looking for a wide variety of students to fill its expansion needs, including process engineers, mechanical engineers, production engineers, technical service personnel and plant management, she added.

 

“I’ve already instructed Kent (Hester) and (Dr.) Nancy Cassill (associate dean of Academic Programs at the COT) to sign us up for the next career fair,” said Andrea Jannack, H.R. director for the U.S. “The caliber of students here is amazing. They are so well prepared. I have never been to another job fair where the students really seem to have the soft skills that are so many times missing – but they also have the technical skills. They present themselves well. This is so professionally done. It’s the best career fair that I’ve been to.”

 

Likewise, Mermet’s Wilson was sold on the career fair and the talent that came through before the day ended.

 

“The quality of the students today was excellent,” she said. “I’m sure you could find that quality of student at job fairs at other schools, but there’s something about their already understanding textiles and wanting to go into textiles because so many people don’t want to go into it anymore. The College of Textiles has done a great job to prepare these students to go forward in a textile career.”