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Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Saved an American Town
Beth Macy
Little, Brown & Company
July 2014
On Sale: July 15, 2014
ISBN: 0316231436 EAN: 9780316231435 Kindle: B00GG0GIT0 Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction History | Non-Fiction
One man's battle to save hundreds of jobs by taking on
China and demonstrating the greatness of American business With over $500 million a year in sales, the Bassett
Furniture Company was once the world's biggest wood
furniture manufacturer. Run by the same powerful Virginia
family for a century, it was also the center of life in
Bassett, Virginia -- an unincorporated town that existed
solely to fuel the business. But beginning in the 1980s, the
Bassett company suffered from an influx of cheap Asian
furniture as the first wave of imports struck, and
ultimately moved nearly all its production to Asia. Only one man fought back: John Bassett III, a shrewd and
determined third-generation factory man who used grit,
tenacity, and will to compete against China and ultimately
save his family's company. In Factory Man, Beth Macy brings
to life John Bassett's fascinating business, with wildly
colorful stories from an American industry that once ruled
the world and might again see better days. As Macy shows how
he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer
will to save hundreds of jobs, she also discovers the hidden
history of industry in America. Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company today employs more than
seven hundred people, with John Bassett at the helm. His
story unveils shocking truths about American business,
including the hidden fallout of offshoring on communities
across the country. By revealing how one businessman took on
China -- and won -- Factory Man raises a flag for the return
of made-in-America products.
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