Economy

"Yes, agencies are cutting back across the board, but we remain optimistic about the opportunities of '09," says Alpert, the fourth generation owner of a company that's been around for over a century. "This type of environment lends itself to Metcalf."

Apparently so. Over the past year, Metcalf has grown an astounding 44 percent, winning countless new customers while solidifying its relationships with established ones. "We're getting programs that other mills have had for many decades, because there's no comfort there anymore," says Alpert.

And in a down economy, as every business knows, comfort becomes paramount. 

The problems experienced by the country's mills have been well documented here and in other publications. In a David and Goliath-type situation, companies like the mid-sized Metcalf have seized the opportunity, learning from the competition's mistakes to improve their own business models. "In this environment, you have to be agile, with an ability to change quickly," notes Alpert. "Historically, the big mills have tried to get customers to grow to their needs, while Metcalf has taken the opposite approach: we grow to the needs of our customers and the market, and this has been key to our success." 

Yet you can't thrive in this business without the right product, and at this moment in time, the Metcalf product line is hot. Unlike other mills that produce piece dye fabrics, Metcalf's only carries stock dye/fiber dye products. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a primer: with a stock dye/fiber dye product, the actual fiber is dyed, as opposed to the more popular piece dye practice, where the fabric is woven then dyed.