Dalton’s Brown Industries to close after more than 60 years, 433 jobs to be lost

Published 5:20 pm Monday, August 9, 2021

One of Dalton’s pioneering companies in the floorcovering industry has announced it will cease operations this fall.

“After serving the flooring and home improvement industries for more than 60 years, Brown Industries is permanently closing its doors,” said J. Darren Wilcox, co-CEO and president of Brown Industries, in a statement. “The company will be closing its plant facilities and terminating the employment of its associates in Dalton, Georgia, as of Oct. 1, 2021, as it completes obligations to its customers and business partners. These actions were necessitated due to unforeseen business circumstances.”

The company’s closing will result in the loss of 433 jobs, according to the Georgia Department of Labor’s business layoff/closure listing.

“Brown Industries is making every effort to connect their valued associates with the many available jobs in Northwest Georgia and appreciates the support of our community,” said Wilcox.

In 1954, James E. Brown, a printing salesman, made what is said to be the first carpet sample device with $200 of wood, glue and scissors and pioneered the sample industry.

“One of his customers in the then-budding carpet industry complained that the only way to show samples was to carry a trunk load of carpet to cities like Atlanta, New York and Chicago,” according to the company’s website.

In 1958, Brown and his wife Mary M. “Sis” Brown formed Brown Printing. It evolved into Brown Industries. According to the company’s website, James Brown “went to Nashville and bought a combination printing and office supply business. He sold the items he didn’t need, moved the rest to Dalton.”

Brown Industries provides print, sampling, display and logistics services to companies around the world.

“It’s always unfortunate when a company like Brown Industries with a 60-year history goes out of business,” said Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President Rob Bradham. “They are locally owned and have strong roots in the community, and it is a major loss.”

Bradham said if there is one upside it is that the closing comes when the local job market is strong.

“The floorcovering industry has a strong need for skilled, reliable workers,” he said. “I believe that most if not all of those employees will be able to find comparable jobs.”

Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen said Brown Industries played a key role in the growth of the floorcovering industry.

“It’s hard to lose a company like that, and my heart goes out to the 430 employees,” he said. “But I am hopeful that with the job market as strong as it is that they will all be able to find jobs.”

James and Sis Brown, who passed away in 2004 and 2017 respectively, were active in a number of civic and charitable organizations.

“James was one of the founders of the Community Foundation, and Sis was very active in both its establishment and their legacy,” said David Aft, president of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia in 2017 on the passing of Sis Brown. “They cared about this community. They understood it would take everyone doing their part if we were going to reach the future they thought was possible. They were among Dalton’s most outstanding citizens. Their impact on this community is unrivaled.”

The Browns were supporters of what was then Dalton Junior College (now Dalton State College) when it was being planned and when it opened, and James Brown was a charter trustee of what would become the Dalton State Foundation in 1967.

“They helped get the college started, and for half a century the Brown family has played a major role in the college. They are a major reason why we are successful,” said foundation Director David Elrod in that 2017 story.

In 2005, Sis Brown joined the executive committee of the foundation. She chaired the largest fundraising campaign in its history. The foundation’s goal had been to raise $16 million. Under her leadership, it raised $21 million.

“That’s a testament to her energy and her influence and her dedication to the college and to our community,” said Elrod. “She showed extraordinary leadership, and we are extremely grateful to her. It was an honor and a privilege to work with her, and I hope we all learned from her example.”