Posted November 9, 2016
By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Roger Chastain, the former president & CEO of Mt. Vernon Mills and Riegel Textiles, is fondly remembered by industry colleagues for his contributions to U.S. textiles.
Chastain died Thursday, November 3 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 74.
Chastain also served as president of the American Textile Manufacturer's Institute (ATMI), and was past president and board member emeritus of the South Carolina Manufacturer's Association (SCMA). He retired from Mt. Vernon Mills in 2008.
“He served the industry very well during a time of difficult transition,” Auggie Tantillo, president & CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), told eTC. “Some of the great companies that are around today in 2016 are still here because people such as Roger Chastain were able to steer them through what was then a fierce environment at the turn of the century and the early 2000s. A lot of people are also employed today because Roger helped them to make some wise decisions to keep remaking Mount Vernon and getting it to a point to where it could survive.”
Industry leader
Chastain remembered for contributions to U.S. textiles
Roger Chastain
Jim Chesnutt, chairman and CEO of National Spinning Co., Washington, N.C., called Chastain one of the “good guys in our great industry.”
“His opinions were always wise and he only wanted the best for all of us employed in the textile industry,” Chesnutt said. “He worked diligently in Washington and the Southeast promoting good and positive outcomes for all of us.”
Allen Gant Jr., chairman and CEO of North Carolina Glen Raven, added that Chastain was a “giant” of the industry at a period when it needed strong leadership.
“It was a very tumultuous time, but because of Roger Chastain’s leadership, the industry continued to move forward,” Gant said. “He gave very sage advice all the time. I served with him shoulder to shoulder on many occasions. What a strong guy he was – and what an incredible leader and gifted person for the industry – just a really fantastic man.”
As an ATMI board member, Chastain was instrumental in the merger of the ATMI with the American Yarn Spinners Association (AYSA) to form the NCTO in 2004, Gant said.
“I’ve always been an strong believer in Roger Chastain and what he gave to the industry,” Gant added. “He was an incredibly unselfish individual. He also he had a very deep faith and he didn’t mind telling you about that, either.”
In 2010, Chastain was awarded the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance's Defender of Manufacturing Award. This award is presented annually to a South Carolina champion of manufacturing who has worked to make South Carolina a better place to do business.
“This award embodies Roger's lifelong work as an advocate for U.S. textile manufacturing and the people it employs,” said Mount Vernon President & CEO David Hastings, who succeeded Chastain in 2008. “He spent many hours educating legislators and political leaders on the adverse impact that international trade has had on the textile industry, including unfair trade practices practiced by other countries. He will be very much missed by the industry and all those who were fortunate to have known him.
Chastain began his career as a management trainee at Riegel Textile Corp. in 1964 and was promoted to president and COO there in 1985. Mount Vernon acquired Riegel the same year, and Chastain was named executive vice president and director of Mount Vernon. He was promoted to president, COO and director in 1993.
To read the full obituary, please click here.