American Woolen Company Honored at American Manufacturer

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that American Woolen Company of Stafford Springs is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” In 2013, Jacob Harrison Long purchased the American Woolen Company, which was founded in Massachusetts and was once the world’s largest wool manufacturer. In 2014, Long relaunched the American Woolen Company out of the former Warren Corp. textile mill – which had been shut down since December 2013 – located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Today, the American Woolen Company manufactures, designs, weaves, finishes, and dyes American-made fabric for a renowned list of customers, including the U.S. Navy, J.Crew, Hickey Freeman, United Arrows, Rag & Bone, Theory, Timberland, The North Face, and Hart Schaffner Marx.

The American Woolen Company has grown rapidly. Long relaunched the company with 3 employees, and within nine months, he had rehired 33 former employees of the closed-down Warren Corp. mill. The company now has 57 employees, and brought in $3.5 million in revenues in 2017. They expect to bring in $7.5 million in revenues in 2018.

“The American Woolen Company has brought Connecticut manufacturing at the Warren Corp. textile mill back to life,” said Murphy. “CEO Jacob Harrison Long has a real vision for this company, and I’m grateful for his commitment to hiring Connecticut workers. I’m excited to see American Woolen grow as a Connecticut-based company.”

Jacob Harrison Long, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of American Woolen Company, said, “Connecticut with its rich heritage in craft manufacturing is the optimal place to launch a consumer goods manufacturing operation. The New England mystique combined with Connecticut’s dedicated workforce complements our business aspirations. As I tell our clients, American Woolen is not Made in America, but Made in Connecticut.”

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,600 manufacturers account for 10% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the BuyAmerican.gov Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.