[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING DARN TOUGH SOCKS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Darn Tough Vermont says that their factory 
in Northfield, Vermont, is the ``Sock Capital of the World.'' I'm loath 
to object to that claim. Over the past 15 years, Darn Tough has 
steadily grown from a small sock producer for other companies into a 
world-renowned brand of their own. They've created good paying jobs to 
Vermont and have a deep commitment to American manufacturing. Darn 
Tough is a great example of the many hearty small businesses that drive 
Vermont's economy. It is with pride that I recognize their 
achievements.
  Marc Cabot opened Darn Tough's factory, Cabot Hosiery Mills, in 1978. 
He started by producing private label socks--other companies sell these 
under their brand name--for large companies like Brooks Brothers and 
Old Navy. This was a steady business. But things became difficult in 
the 1990s when many of those customers began to move their production 
overseas. By the early 2000s, Cabot Hosiery Mills was struggling.
  Marc's son, Ric, who had been involved in the family business from a 
young age, came up with an idea to save the company. He decided to 
transition Cabot Hosiery Mills from a private label producer to its own 
brand: Darn Tough Vermont. Ric envisioned a superior, outdoor-oriented 
sock that was knit right in Vermont. Its quality would speak for 
itself.
  At first, Ric had to give Darn Tough socks away to get noticed. He 
gave out 3,500 pairs of Darn Tough socks at the Vermont City Marathon 
in 2004, and soon after word, began to spread about a mysteriously 
durable sock with a lifetime warranty produced right in Vermont. Darn 
Tough's brand and sales have been growing steadily ever since.
  Over the past 15 years, the Cabots have rebounded from the brink of 
bankruptcy to a company nearing $50 million in sales annually. Ric, who 
is now the CEO and president, is leading Darn Tough in its latest 
expansion. They've added over 50 new knitting stations and are in the 
process of expanding their workforce of over 250 Vermonters. Darn Tough 
doubled down on American manufacturing when their partners wouldn't--
now they're seeing their reward.
  I am proud to recognize the contributions and achievements that Darn 
Tough and the Cabot family has made over their over 40 years in 
Vermont. I ask consent to enter into the Record a VTDigger article 
titled ``Making it in Vermont: Darn Tough doubles down on Northfield 
facilities.'' It describes the hard work that goes into making each 
Darn Tough sock and highlights Darn Tough's commitment to Vermont and 
Vermont values.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    [From VTDigger, March 31, 2019]

 Making It in Vermont: Darn Tough Doubles Down on Northfield Facilities

       Ask Kirk Smith how many colors of yarn are used at Cabot 
     Hosiery Mills, and he'll tell you: ``Too many.''
       The family-owned factory that produces Darn Tough socks 
     will include up to 16 different threads in a single design. 
     The operation spins out 22,000 pairs of socks every single 
     day.
       From the outside, the Northfield production facility isn't 
     much to look at--it's big, beige and unmarked. But inside, 
     thousands of spools of multicolored yarn hang from the 
     ceiling, while computerized machines knit the threads into 
     socks.
       ``If you had seen me when they took me on my tour when I 
     was being interviewed here, I was like a kid in a candy 
     shop,'' said Smith, the plant's manager of manufacturing 
     operations. ``I didn't want to leave the line. I just wanted 
     to keep seeing what was going on.''
       Lined up in rows with their electronic displays blinking, 
     the mill's 184 knitting stations resemble slot machines at a 
     casino. But they have a more predictable output: roughly 
     every five minutes, each one dispenses a fresh new sock.
       Darn Tough is in the midst of an ambitious five-year 
     expansion plan. In order to increase production, they're 
     adding more machines, bringing their total to 236--for now. 
     Ric Cabot, the company's president and CEO, said those 
     machines will increase the mill's production by 1.5 million 
     pairs of socks per year.
       ``Accommodating the new equipment required moving their 
     packaging and distribution areas to another building about a 
     mile down the road. That means the company's annual ``sock 
     sale''--two weekends in November when locals walk the 
     warehouse looking for deals on factory seconds--will take 
     place at the company's satellite location this year.
       There are two sock seasons each year, and the factory works 
     about six months ahead of schedule. Right now, they're mainly 
     producing fall socks.
       Each piece is knit, washed, dried, boarded, folded, 
     inspected and packaged in Northfield, before being shipped 
     off to the company's distribution center in Cleveland, Ohio.
       ``The Cabots have always been very dedicated to their 
     Northfield roots,'' Smith said. ``Could there be better 
     places in the state? Maybe, but this is where they started. 
     This is where they have a connection and this is where we'll 
     be.''

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