A 3rd generation farmer, Ronnie Burleson owns Thurman Burleson & Sons Farm along with his brother Dennis, son Andrew, and nephew Aaron. Ronnie continues his father’s cutting edge farming techniques and practices; he and his family were the first to bring cotton back to the Piedmont region in 1991, having left the area 40+ years before because of the boll weevil. Of the 3400 acres that make up Ronnie’s farm, 2000 of it is cotton, the rest a mix of corn and soybeans.

Contact: Andrew Burleson

Email: andrew_burleson@hotmail.com

Phone: (704) 985-7298

Rolling Hills Gin is a family owned cotton gin started in 1996 to serve the cotton farmers of our area. We strive to keep our facility a state of the art agricultural facility. We focus on the quality of the cotton entrusted to us as well as the environment and community in which we live.

Contact: Wes Morgan

Email: wes@rollinghillsgin.com

Phone: (980) 581-1037

Website: rollinghillsgin.com

Parkdale is one of the largest yarn spinners in the world, and the largest consumer of cotton in the US. Headquartered in Gastonia since 1916, they continue to invest in primarly American manufacturing, and use only US-grown cotton in their American-based spinning mills.

Contact: Andy Long

Email: andy.long@parkdalemills.com

Phone: (704) 874-5116

Website: www.parkdalemills.com

Founded in 1972, Contempora Fabrics is an employee owned circular knit company based in Lumberton, NC.  Starting as a contract knitter, Contempora has evolved into one of the premier knit fabric manufacturers in the US.  With over 200 machines and a capacity of 2 million pounds per month, Contempora has continued to expand to meet the needs of our customers. 

Contact: Alex Whitley

Email: awhitley@contemporafabrics.com

Phone: (910) 738-7131 ext 210

Website: contemporafabrics.com

South Fork Industries has been doing commission dyeing and finishing for more than 20 years. Since beginning production in 1988, South Fork Industries has been known as an industry leader in quality work and integrity.

Contact: Everette Owens

Email: everette@southforkind.com

Phone: (828) 428-9921

Website: southforkind.com

Eagle Sportswear provides private label sportswear.

Contact: William Lucas

Email: wlucas@eaglesportswear.com

Phone: (252) 235-4082

TS Designs started off printing t-shirts over 40 years ago, and when NAFTA was ratified in 1994, they started down the path to make the highest quality, most sustainable printed t-shirts in a transparent and equitable domestic apparel supply chain. The first brand they launched was Cotton of the Carolinas in 2008, as they described going “dirt to shirt” in less than 500 miles. This was the brand which also launched their first t-shirt tracking system using contrasting color threads in the hem and sleeve, found here on whereyourclothing.com.

Contact: Eric Henry

 Email: eric@tsdesigns.com

Phone: (336) 675-6266

Website: tsdesigns.com

Material Return is a platform for custom circularity. We work with local manufacturers and national brands to transform textile waste into new products - all within 75 miles. Our model benefits the environment, local economies, our workers, and our values-aligned clients.

Contact: Bob Carswell

 Email: bob@theindustrialcommons.org

Phone: (828) 448-0363

Website: thematerialreturn.com