Ttre$tone
textiles
COMPANY
news
Gastonia
North Carolina
BcnncttsviUe
South Carolina
Boivling Green, Kentucky
• • Operations of Firestone Textiles Company put almost
$29 million into the economy of its 3 U. S. plant areas last
year. A major part of the $4-million increase over the 1978
figure is accounted for in the cost of the new warehousing
facility at Gastonia.
THE HEADQUARTERS Gastonia (N. C.) plant added
more than $17 million to the area last year. Wages and
salaries of $14.5 million were paid to about 1,050 employees.
The report from James B. Call, division president, put the
Gastonia spending for goods and services at nearly $2.5
million.
The Bowling Green (Ky.) operations added almost $9.7
million to the area economy in 1979. According to plant
manager Thomas L. Yelton, Firestone is the 4th-largest
employer in the area. It paid above $8.8 million to approxi
mately 700 employees last year. The plant spent $830,000 for
goods and services in the Bowling Green region.
Firestone at Bennettsville (S. C.) added more than $2.2
million to that area’s economy last year. Plant manager
Ezra W. Perkins reported that Firestone paid $1.6 million
in wages and salaries and spent around $622,000 on local
goods and services.
THESE EXPENDITURES were involved in the produc
tion of some 140 million pounds of fabric, principally for
use as reinforcement in tires.
Production was mainly in polyester, nylon and rayon. In
cluded were small amounts of other synthetic materials.
Gastonia produced (ranking in volume) nylon, polyester
and rayon (limited output of steelwire and fiberglass was
phased out in 1978).
Bowling Green produced fabric in polyester and nylon
principally, with a small volume of fiberglass (wire has been
discontinued.) Bennettsville turned out nylon exclusively.
Output of the 3 plants was shipped to Firestone tire fac
tories and to other customers in the United States and
Canada; and to Firestone and others in several more coun
tries. Among these: Taiwan, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ghana,
Kenya, Uruguay, New Zealand, Venezuela, and The
Philippines.
3 U.S.
plant areas
$29
million
He plans to continue in Scouting as long as he
is able.
“I’m not tired yet—of helping, guiding youth.
I can see so many good results from helping to
train young men through the years,” said James
W. Abraham Sr.
Pee Dee Area (SC) Council of Scouting re
cently honored him in appreciation for his many
years of service to youth in Bennettsville.
Carl Witt, Scout area field director, presented
a plaque commemorating Abraham’s 20 years of
The Federal Highway Ad
ministration sets a price on
your life! The figure comes
from the “risk benefit” formula
by which federal officials de
termine a given highway safety
hazard should be removed.
The way it’s figured: Cost of
removing the hazard is divided
by number of lives that prob
ably would be saved each year
if the hazard were removed.
The government’s standard fig
ure is $287,000 per life.
‘I’m not tired
of helping ... ’
• James Abraham Sr. (right)
receiving plaque from Carl Wilt,
field director of Pee Dee Area
Scout Council.
devoted work to Scouting. He began with Troop
298 when his own son was young.
Abraham and wife Ella have sons James Jr.
and Tyrone, and daughter Mrs. Nedra Belin, all
of Bennettsville. A member of Evans Metro
politan AME Zion church, James Sr. is superin
tendent of the church school, president of the
usher board, a member of the church board of
trustees and serves in several other ways in
the congregation. He is an Army veteran and
a member of Landmark Lodge 16. He has been
employed at Firestone 33 years.
• What business these days does not face problems? John
J. Nevin, president and chief operating officer who joined
Firestone last December, told shareholders at an early-1980
meeting that he recognizes the company faces problems. He
added “But Firestone has extraordinary human resources,
extraordinary technical resources with which to face those
problems. The company can look to the future with con
siderable confidence and optimism.”
BY
EARLY
MAY
Scholarship winners
Announcement of winners
in the 1980 Firestone
Scholarship Program is ex
pected in late April or early
May. March 3 was closing
date for applications and all
required materials to have
been received in Akron.
The Scholarship Committee
chooses scholarship winners on
the basis of their high-school
academic records, subjects
taken. Scholastic Aptitude Test
scores and other qualifications.
Scholarships are allocated to
different areas on the basis of
the number of Firestone em
ployees in the various sections
of the country.
SCHOLARSHIP payments are
worth up to $12,000 for 4 years
study, to pay on tuition, aca
demic fees, required textbooks
and room/board expenses while
attending school. The annual
award is $1,500 to students at
tending tax-supported colleges
or universities and $3,000 for
those attending private colleges
or universities.
Winners may attend any ac
credited university or college in
the United States.
In the 27 years that the com
pany has made awards, 920 col
lege scholarships have been
presented.
Besides the scholarship
awards, other deserving appli
cants will receive Certificates
of Merit and Firestone stock.
Near the March 3 deadline,
there had been 14 applications
from students of Firestone Tex
tiles Company families—8 from
the Gastonia plant and 6 from
Bowling Green.
more on page 4
410 suggestions adopted
Of the 3,295 suggestions that the 3 Firestone Textiles U. S.
plants received from employees last fiscal year, 410 were
adopted and “put to work”—saving energy and materials;
increasing efficiency, improving processes, adding con
veniences, etc.
Figures for the plants: Gas
tonia—1,858 suggestions sub
mitted; 219 adopted. Bowling
Green—1,239 turned in; 156
adopted. Beimettsville—198 sub
mitted; 35 adopted.
AWARDS ranged from the
minimum $20 to $5,860, paid to
Richard L. McGinnis, Fabric
Treating shift supervisor for a
way to save fabric for quality
samples-testing. His method is
saving the company about
A sample of steel cords used
in tread belts of the new Fire
stone Radial A/T tire, designed
for on-and-off-the-road of 4-
wheel-drive vehicles and light
pickup trucks. Steel in tread
belts gives maximum durability
and handling performance.
$60,000 a year.
The next-largest payoff went
to another Gastonia employee.
Robert Wentz, (Shop) air-
pollution technician in Fabric
Treating, received $4,465 for
proposing a better way to wash
“Smog Hog” collector plates.
His method in use is reducing
the #8 unit’s detergent bill by
about $15,000 a year.
Ceiling pay for suggestions is
$25,000.
I
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1
March 1980
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