Posted September 9, 2015

 

At age 40 in 1962, Lang Ligon was in charge of technical installation at a large U.S. textile machinery company. He loved his job, but he began to realize that European competitors were pulling ahead in technology and beginning to grab U.S. customers. So he stepped back to assess his future. He asked himself: Would he have any work long-term if business continued to fall off? Raising four children, he saw the veritable writing on the wall and knew the answer was “no.”

 

So he started his own business, Lang Ligon & Co., in the basement of his home to procure, refurbish and resell used equipment made by his former employer. Business was slow to start, but he eventually began to take orders and even hire a secretary. His children helped him tear apart, clean, oil and paint the machines. When he ran out of space, he rented the corner of a cotton warehouse in downtown Greenville, S.C.

 

In 1967, his “big break” came. The company agreed to serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian agent for Sarfati and Vischiani of Busto Arsizio, Italy, a producer of filling feeders for shuttleless weaving machines. That move led Ligon to build a facility on Congaree Road in Greenville a year later, during which time the company continued to add principals. In 1980, he built a larger office/plant/warehouse on Pelham Road, from which the company still operates.

 

Today, he must be still trying to figure out if his epiphany at age 40 was a good move, even though his former employer is long gone. Otherwise, why would he continue to work full time at age 93-and-a-half?

 

Ligon, the company’s chairman, chuckled when I jokingly positioned that question that way a couple of weeks ago. The truth is, he’s of good mind and loves the work, solving problems and spending time with his two sons and longtime employees. “But 40 hours a week?” I asked. “Possibly even more than that, if you count thinking,” he answered.

 

Company President Harrell Ligon, 64, and Vice President Richard Ligon, 60, run the business today but heavily value their father’s opinion on day-to-day matters, they said.

 

“These boys have done a great job here. I run them and they run the business,” Lang Ligon said with a grin. “They each have their specialties, and it’s beautiful the way they complement each other. They wouldn’t admit it, but they do.”

 

Indeed, both sons have important roles in the company. Richard Ligon handles much of the logistics, making sure products are ordered correctly and delivered on time, among other responsibilities along those lines. Harrell Ligon is in charge of the big picture – and the little picture, he said.

 

“I do a lot of technical work,” he said. “My self-assigned job is to see where we are and where we are going, to evaluate products and test the market. I live on the cutting edge and I bleed a lot, but that’s the way to get things done. Our tech service guys can execute the technology once it’s worked out. Most of my days are in blue jeans and a Lang Ligon shirt, visiting customers and checking our products.”

 

And he understands the value of face time with customers and loves being in front of people, he said. That’s why he became a pilot years ago and bought his own plane, to improve time management and customer relations. Now, instead of driving five hours to see one customer, he can get in his plane and be there in 45 minutes – and maybe stop to see another customer or two on the way back.

 

With 10 employees, Lang Ligon supports all of its customers with spare parts in-house and with traveling technical support. Its “sales force” is comprised of three full-time and one part-time technical servicemen who drive vans or SUVs stocked with tools and parts.