COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2273

Carpets and Rugs

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

16companies1831–1991founding years16still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedAmoskeag CompanyFoundedAmoskeag Company
1831
FoundedVorwerk & Co.FoundedVorwerk & Co.
1883
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedBurlington Industries, Inc.FoundedBurlington Industries, Inc.
1923
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedEthan Allen Interiors, Inc.FoundedEthan Allen Interiors, Inc.
1932
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedShaw IndustriesFoundedShaw Industries
1967
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedAlfa, S.A. de C.V.FoundedAlfa, S.A. de C.V.
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedCollins & Aikman CorporationFoundedCollins & Aikman Corporation
1988
FoundedMasland CorporationFoundedMasland Corporation
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Amoskeag Company →
Active · founded 1831
Amoskeag Company is a holding and operating company, whose main revenue (98 percent) is derived from its control of…
Amoskeag Company →
Active · founded 1831
Amoskeag Company is a holding and operating company, whose main revenue (98 percent) is derived from its control of…
Vorwerk & Co. →
Active · founded 1883 · Germany
For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.
Vorwerk & Co. →
Active · founded 1883 · Germany
For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.
Burlington Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Burlington Industries, Inc.
Burlington Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Burlington Industries, Inc.
Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
Ethan Allen, Interiors, Inc.
Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
Ethan Allen, Interiors, Inc.
Shaw Industries →
Active · founded 1967
Since 1987, Shaw Industries--based in Dalton, Georgia, which is also known as "The Carpet Capital of the World"--has…
Shaw Industries →
Active · founded 1967
Since 1987, Shaw Industries--based in Dalton, Georgia, which is also known as "The Carpet Capital of the World"--has…
Alfa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1974 · Mexico
Alfa, S.A.
Alfa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1974 · Mexico
Alfa, S.A.
Collins & Aikman Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Founded as a supplier of window shades in the mid-nineteenth century, Collins & Aikman Corporation has survived a…
Collins & Aikman Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Founded as a supplier of window shades in the mid-nineteenth century, Collins & Aikman Corporation has survived a…
Masland Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
A leading North American designer and manufacturer of car-interior components, Masland Corporation operates ten…
Masland Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
A leading North American designer and manufacturer of car-interior components, Masland Corporation operates ten…
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