New company to take over Bradford Dyeing Association
5:18 PM Mon, Dec 22, 2008 | Permalink
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By Andy Smith WESTERLY -- About 100 people were waiting at the Westerly Armory this morning, hoping to be hired at Bradford Printing and Finishing LLC, a new company that will replace the old Bradford Dyeing Association, which closed its doors in late November. The hiring event started at noon; by 2 p.m., company officials estimated about 200 people had filled out applications. Nick Griseto, CEO and president of the new company, said he hopes to have an opening ceremony at the old Bradford Dyeing Association plant in Westerly on Jan. 5 and begin production Jan. 6. He said the company was looking to hire about 80 people to start, with the possibility of more to come. "It's good news in a bad-news environment," he said. Griseto said he needed to move quickly -- company staffers would go over applications this week and notify the new hires by Dec. 30. Jim Jackson, personnel director for the new company, said jobs will average about $15.50 an hour, roughly the same pay offered by the old Bradford Dyeing Association. That company, which had operated since 1911 and printed 15 million yards of fabric each year, mostly for the U.S. military, will no longer exist. Griseto said the new entity is in the process of buying the old company's property, building and equipment from former owner Michael Grills. He declined to name the price. Griseto, who had been executive vice president for sales and marketing at the Bradford Dyeing Association, has partnered with former Bradford colleague Vasco Ferreira, who will be chief financial officer. They will also bring on Craig Nichols, Bradford's plant manager. Griseto said the new company already has production contracts in place. By law, he said, material for U.S military uniforms has to be manufactured in the United States. Griseto and Jackson said about half the people filling out applications at the Westerly Armory had been employees of Bradford Dyeing and about half were new faces. The Bradford Dyeing Association had operated in Westerly since 1911. A major fire struck the mill in 2007, idling workers for about a month. At the time, the company has 242 employees. Since the fire, there had been a series of layoffs at Bradford Dyeing -- 48 employees were let go in November of 2007, another 53 last February. Some employees at the Bradford Dyeing Association were members of a union, UNITE Here Local 432. Steve Rockholz, former union president at Bradford, said he believes one reason for the company's reorganization was to eliminate the union. "It's a new business. If the employees want to form a union, we'll go along with that. We're anxious to get it started, and then we'll go from there," Griseto said. 
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