Photo provided / International Apparel Group owner Toby Williams says his work force—which is 90% female and 60% single mothers—is the reason for his company’s success.

By Kristen Poland

ALLENDALE COUNTY -- At a time when the American textile industry is practically becoming extinct, International Apparel Group has more than tripled its work force within the last year. Based in rural Allendale County, the company recently added 75 jobs and made capital investments exceeding $100,000 in its apparel and sewn products operation.

Jobs in the textile industry have dropped drastically just within the last five years as textile manufacturers have steadily moved their operations overseas or closed down altogether. Last year, there were 37,385 textile jobs in South Carolina. In 2002, there were 62,262.

In June, the 125-year-old South Carolina bedding and textiles company Springs Global announced it will relocate its manufacturing to Brazil at the end of this month, closing two of its textile manufacturing plants in the state and leaving 750 of its employees without jobs.

A little more than a year ago, IAG had only about 15 employees—a number that had plummeted from more than 100 since Toby Williams became a partner in the company in 1994. Last year, IAG faced foreclosure but Williams and his wife, Andrea, acquired full ownership, determined to save the company.

“Toby Williams and his team have persevered by diversifying their operation, moving quickly to capitalize on the trends of the apparel and textile markets, and by investing in the local work force,” said Bill Robinson, economic development director for Allendale County.

International Apparel’s recent growth began when the company was selected to be a subcontractor for Polkton Manufacturing, a Charlotte-based company that has a government contract to produce uniforms for the U.S. Navy. The government contract stipulates the uniforms must be made in the United States. Polkton chose International Apparel as the prime subcontractor for the uniform pants.

In addition, the company also subcontracts with Vanguard Visual Grafix, a subsidiary of a major U.S. visual advertisement and flag producer. For Vanguard, International Apparel manufactures American flags and also advertising banners for nationally recognized brands of beverages, professional sports teams and retailers.

Landing these lucrative contracts is the direct result of IAG’s superior workmanship, according to company owner Toby Williams. While many companies fulfill their textile needs overseas because of lower prices, Williams prides himself on his company’s focus on quality work.

“The success of our company boils down to having a good work force who deliver quality products on time,” Williams said. “Our employees are experienced and they work real well together. New employees we bring in are being mentored by experienced operators.”

About 90% of the company’s employees are women and more than 60% are single parents. In order to accommodate the schedules of the busy mothers, the company adjusts its working hours when school begins to allow the women time to get their children ready for school before reporting to work. In addition, the company allows its employees to work flexible hours to allow for doctors’ appointments and other child-related issues.

“We treat our company like a family business,” Williams said. “A lot of these women don’t have a support network.”

IAG’s ability to produce high-quality products in a timely manner is representative of what the American textile industry was known for, Williams said. Now, companies forsake quality to get products overseas at a lower price.

The companies that have moved out of the state and out of the country have actually left companies like IAG with more work than they can handle at times. Some of the work is the reprocessing of garments produced overseas that need repair due to quality issues.

“What I’ve seen happen has to do with the law of supply and demand. As more companies have gone out of business in the state, we get more calls. We’ve sometimes had to shoot businesses out to other factories,” Williams said. “That kind of work kept us afloat for a couple of years, but it’s not steady or consistent enough to rely on. We’ve opened our eyes to opportunities with the government.”

The company’s rural location gives it a boost when it comes to landing government contracts, too. Allendale County is a designated HUBZone, which stands for Historically Underutilized Business Zone.

HUBZone is a contracting program through the U.S. Small Business Association that stimulates economic development and creates jobs in needy communities by providing federal contracting preferences to small businesses within those communities.

Currently, IAG’s contract through Polkton runs through the end of the year. Williams hopes to be able to renew that contract and procure other similar contracts. 

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that (Polkton) will be able to get more bids,” Williams said. “For a few years we struggled to stay in business. Now our head is above water. We come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.”