Shaw Industries history

The Shaws first entered carpet manufacturing in December 1967, when they acquired the Philadelphia Carpet Company of Cartersville, Georgia.

In order to make the purchase, the company incorporated as Philadelphia Holding Co., Inc., but adopted the name Shaw Industries when the company went public in 1971.

The company was listed on the American Stock Exchange in March 1972.

Seeing the potential of newly developed continuous dyeing processes and acquiring its first continuous dye plant in 1973

In the 1974 fiscal year, Shaw acquired Elite Processing Co., Inc. of Dalton, Georgia, and Syntex Yarns, Ltd of Calhoun, Georgia.

By 1975, however, the energy crisis began to catch up with the company, decreasing orders and backing up inventory.

In 1976, while inflation continued and housing starts remained sporadic, matters improved for the company, which showed a 16.2 percent increase in sales and revenues, which was offset partially by a decrease in the sales price of the products due to the slow market.

In 1977, the company acquired the Magee Carpet Company's tufted residential and commercial carpeting operations and sold its own finishing facilities in California.

1982: Shaw creates its own trucking subsidiary, dramatically improving the quality and speed of shipments to retailers nationwide.

1983: New marketing strategy substantially increases sales force and direct sales, igniting growth.

In 1984, it acquired the spinning facilities of Avondale Mills in Stevenson, Alabama.

In 1986, the company followed up by acquiring the spinning facilities of the Candlewick division of Dixie Yarns, Inc., also of Dalton.

In late 1987, Shaw Industries became the world's largest carpet maker by purchasing the carpet business of West Point-Pepperell of West Point, Georgia, the fourth-largest producer in the country.

In December 1989, Shaw acquired the property, plant, equipment, inventories and businesses of the carpet divisions of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

During 1992, the company opened a full-service distribution center in Preston, England to serve its U.K. and European markets.

In March of 1993, the company acquired the English company Kosset Carpets, Ltd. of Bradford, England.

The largest single-site manufacturer of carpeting in the United Kingdom, it was the producer of the well-known brands Kosset and Crossley . By 1994, Shaw Industries had spent $100 million acquiring three carpet manufacturers in the United Kingdom, as it sought to exploit a highly fragmented market.

1995: Shaw enters a two-year period in the retail sales arena.

The first Shaw Carpet Showplace opened in mid-1996 in Pittsburgh, marking the beginning of a $200 million expansion program that eventually gave the company a chain of more than 400 retail outlets.

1998: Shaw Industries' retail division and its U.K. business are sold.

1999: Queen Carpet Corp. is acquired.

In late 2000, famed investor and multibillionaire Warren E. Buffett announced his intention to purchase Shaw Industries.

2001: Company is acquired, for $2 billion, by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

2002: Shaw opens its new, state-of-the-art laminate manufacturing facility.

2003: Shaw completes its purchase of the north Georgia operations of the Dixie Group, acquiring such brands as Carriage Carpets, Bretlin, and Globaltex.

2006: Shaw purchases 100% ownership in Evergreen Nylon Recycling, the nylon recycling operation in Augusta, GA. The Evergreen plant uses patented technology to convert post-consumer nylon carpet into new nylon fiber.

2009: The company opens Clear Path Recycling, the largest plastic bottle recycling facility in the United States in a joint venture with DAK Americas.

2010: Shaw builds Re2E, a facility that used post-consumer carpet to generate steam energy and electricity to run an adjacent plant, saving enough fossil fuel each year to power 7,500 homes.

2012: Shaw Contract Group opens commercial flooring showrooms in Shanghai, Mexico City, Hong Kong and Beijing.

2013: A one megawatt solar array system becomes operational at Plant 15 in Cartersville, providing renewable energy for the plant’s production of carpet tiles.

2014: Shaw introduces Solution Q Extreme commercial carpet fiber, a cationic nylon that allows for the removal of acid-based stains with only water.

2016: Shaw expands its presence in the hard surfaces market by opening Plant RP, a luxury vinyl tile facility in Ringgold, GA.

2017: Shaw Industries acquires Tricycle, Inc. a technology innovator that enables Shaw’s commercial business to lead the industry in carpet sampling simulation and digital tools.

2018: Shaw establishes UK/European footprint with acquisition of Scotland-based carpet tile manufacturer, Sanquhar Tile Services (STS).