It’s finally over

Dan River Inc. has died in so many ways over the past few years that the report last week from the trade newspaper Home Textiles Today comes as no surprise.
After 126 years, Dan River was no more.
Most Danvillians were sure the end was near several years ago when Dan River filed for bankruptcy. It emerged from bankruptcy after a year, but it was later sold to Indian industrial conglomerate GHCL in January 2006. The GHCL deal was followed by the end of Dan River’s manufacturing in Danville.
Dan River Inc. bled local jobs while some of its iconic building were torn down brick by brick. That was — and remains — a scar on this community that is still healing.
“It’s a very sad time,” said Albert “Buddy” Rawley, director of development at Danville Community College and a Dan River employee from 1975 through 2004. “It was a great company to work for when I was there — it was like a family at Schoolfield (Mill). A lot of businesses in Danville will have some top-notch people to choose from as a result of these layoffs.”
Bean counters see companies as a collection of assets and liabilities and profits and losses. Loyal workers who want to be a part of something bigger and better than themselves see something that’s much more substantial than a job.
Dan River people didn’t make a lot of money, but many of them had a sense of pride that came from being part of a company that was so much of a part of the larger community. Those workers cared about the company, they believed in it and they worked hard, for whatever that was worth.
Until just a few short years ago, it was worth a lot. But times change, companies change owners and as workers from all over the country have learned, loyalty is often a one-way street.
If Dan River’s long, painful death had to happen, we should be glad that it happened over several years. Other communities have found themselves losing all of their jobs at once. Dan River’s slow bleed allowed for the best possible transition.
Today, the community’s future is much brighter.
More than 7,000 new jobs have been announced over the past four years, including new manufacturers, service companies, technology companies and retail stores. Instead of the Dan River Region’s economy being captive to Dan River’s sales or the tobacco markets, the community is not only adding new jobs but building a more diverse economy. The best of times are ahead of us.
But we should shed a final tear for Dan River Inc. because for so many years — for better and for worse — it defined our community. Its passing is a bittersweet event.