Shaw Carpet and Flooring
Shaw got its start in 1946 as Star Dye Company, a small business that dyed tufted scatter rugs. The events that transformed the company into the world's largest carpet manufacturer are too numerous to write...or even fully know. But the philosophy guiding those events meeting customers, determine their needs, and supplying those needs hasn't changed much through the years.
In 1958, with $300,000 in sales, the company expanded dramatically and soon started finishing carpet as Star Finishing Company. In 1967, a holding company was formed to acquire Philadelphia Carpet Company, founded in 1846.
The holding company added Star Finishing to the fold one year later, marking the company's first move into carpet manufacturing. The holding company went public as Shaw Industries, Inc. in 1971 with approximately $43 million in sales and 900 employees.
In 1985, Shaw made its first appearance on the list of America's largest corporations--the Fortune 500--with more than $500 million in sales and close to 5,000 employees.