At “safety break”, O. J. Simmons (far left) congratulates employees on fine record.
Karastan Service Center Employees Enjoy 'Safety Break’
Employees of the Karastan
Service Center received
recognition for their interest in
safety and housekeeping when
they were served treats by the
management at a “safety
break” March 11. The employee
group has accumulated 414,026
safe man-hours since the last
lost-time accident occurred June
12, 1972.
A message from J. L.
Connolly, general manager of
Customer Service and
Warehouse, and 0. J. Simmons,
plant manager of Cut Order and
Warehouse, expressed
appreciation to the employees
and congratulated them on their
excellent safety record.
It was pointed out that only six
disabling injuries have occurred
at the Karastan Service Center
since it began operation in
March, 1965. There were three
lost-time accidents in 1965, one
in 1968, one in 1970 and one in
1972.,
“Safety doesn’t just happen all
by itself: it requires attention
and we have to work at it as a
part of our job,” Mr. Simmons
said in remarks at the “safety
breaks”.
“It is very important that all
of us form safe work habits at
home as well as at work. Most
accidents happen in a split
second and they are not always
minor,” Mr. Simmons said.
Three Months Old Larkin Named
Of Carpet Marketing Div.
(Continued From Page One)
Tamika Natasha Pugh, who
, was three months old on
.February 28, is the daughter of
^Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Pugh of
jl^Smithfield. Her mother (Judy)
^ is employed as a shuttler in the
Wiring Department at the Auto-
matic Blanket Plant.
"’MONDAY, MARCH 31, 1975
nouncement that Mr. Guinan had
returned from early retirement
on November 29, 1973, to help
direct the reorganization of the
carpet marketing division. Mr.
Guinan will continue as a
consultant to the division, Mr.
Battle said.
Mr. Larkin was appointed
executive vice president of the
carpet marketing divisions in
June, 1974. Before that he had
been a divisional vice president
and merchandise manager of
towels and bath fashions for the
Fieldcrest marketing division.
He has been with Fieldcrest
Mills, Inc., since 1956.
Mr. Larkin assumes his new
responsibilities with an
extensive background in product
and merchandise planning, and
in the past year has acquired an
extensive knowledge of the
carpet industry and of the
Karastan and Laurelcrest
operations, Mr. Battle stated.
Mr. Larkin is a graduate of
Fordham University where he
received a bachelor of science
degree in 1950. He also attended
the New York University School
of Retailing. He is married and
the father of four children. He
resides with his family in
Montclair, N.J.
Mr. Larkin succeeds a man
who has generally been
conceded as “the dean of the
American carpet industry.”
With a 47-year career dating
back to 1928 when he joined the
Bigelow-Sanford Carpet
Company as a sample boy,
Walter B. Guinan is considered
one of the most knowledgeable
and articulate executives in the
carpet industry. He has
frequently appeared as
spokesman for the industry
before governmental agencies,
press conferences and other
public forums.
After working his way to
executive positions in sales and
styling with Bigelow, Mr.
Guinan joined Fieldcrest Mills,
Inc. as as Karastan sales
manager in 1954. He was elected
a vice president of the Karastan
marketing division in September
of that year. In November, 1957,
Mr. Guinan was named
president of the Karastan
Marketing Division and later a
vice president of Fieldcrest
Mills, Inc.
In 1967 he also assumed the
responsibilities as president of
the Laurelcrest Carpets
Marketing division when
Fieldcrest acquired the facilities
of Morgan Mills, In 1969 he was
named a senior vice president of
Fieldcrest Mills, Inc.
During his tenure, Karastan
grew from a small mill
specializing in Oriental design
rugs to its current position as
one of the nation’s 10 leading
producers of broadloom carpets
and rugs. As a result of his
efforts and policies, the
Karastan brand has gained an
international reputation for
quality products and fashion
innovations.
Mr. Guinan is the only man
who has ever held the titles as
chairman of the board of both
the American Carpet Institute
and its successor organization,
the Carpet and Rug Institute.
He was a principal mover
in the merger of ACI with the
Tufted Textile Manufacturers
Association to form the current
Carpet and Rug Institute. For
his services he received the
industry’s Distinguished Service
Award.