Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is one of the world's largest carpet manufacturers with more tha
$6 billion in annual revenue
and approximately 22,000 employees worldwide.Prem C. Jain, ''Buffett Beyond Value: Why Warren Buffett Looks to Growth and Management When Investing'', Wiley, 2010, p. 14

/ref>Tyya N. Turner, ''Vault Guide to the Top Manufacturing Employers'', Vault, 2007, p. 38

/ref> It is headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Dalton,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

,Randall L. Patton, ''Shaw Industries: A History'',

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

University of Georgia Press The University of Georgia Press or UGA Press is the university press of the University of Georgia, a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia. It is the oldest and largest publishing house in Georgia and a ...

, 2003, p.

/ref> and is a subsidiary of

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Its main business and source of capital is insurance, from which it invests the float (the retained premiu ...

History

Shaw Industries got its start in 1946 as Star Dye Company, a small business. Clarence Shaw, father of Robert and J.C. Shaw, bought a commission dye company in 1946. Star Dye Company produced bedspreads and scatter rugs. In 1958, Robert Shaw became CEO of the company, which was then jointly owned by the two brothers. With $300,000 in sales, the company expanded dramatically and soon started finishing carpet as Shaw Industries. In 1967, J.C. Shaw organized a holding company 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. Star Finishing Company then expanded to become the "largest commission finisher of tufted carpet in the world." 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. The Shaw Industries Group had four billion in sales as of 1999. The company also merged with Cabin Crafts and Sutton, and Queen Carpets.

J. Hicks Lanier John Hicks Lanier (born c. 1941) is an American heir and businessman. He served as the chief executive officer of Oxford Industries from 1981 to 2012, and as its chairman from 1981 to 2015. Early life J. Hicks Lanier was born circa 1941. His fat ...

is a former director.Vanderbilt Board of Trustees biography
Queen was founded by Harry Saul, a textile-industry leader whose son, Julian Saul, went on to serve as president of Shaw, retiring in June, 2006. On January 4, 2001, under the guidance of CEO and President W. Norris Little Sr. and CEO Bob Shaw, Shaw Industries was sold to

Inc., the holding company of Warren E. Buffett. Today, with the leadership of Tim Baucom, CEO, Shaw has $6 billion in annual sales and approximately 22,000 employees. In 2016, Shaw acquired competitor USFloors.

References

{{Authority control Carpet manufacturing companies Manufacturing companies based in Georgia (U.S. state) Companies based in Whitfield County, Georgia Manufacturing companies established in 1946 1946 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Textile companies of the United States Dalton, Georgia Berkshire Hathaway 2001 mergers and acquisitions