The Bassett Furniture Company was once the world's biggest wood furniture manufacturer. Run by the same powerful Virginia family for generations, it was also the center of life in Bassett, Virginia. But beginning in the 1980s, the company suffered as the first waves of Asian competition hit, and was eventually forced to move its furniture production overseas. One man fought back: John Bassett III, a shrewd and determined third-generations factory man, now chairman of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company. Beth Macy brings to life Bassett's deeply personal furniture and family story, along with a host of characters from an industry as cutthroat as it is colorful. As she shows how Bassett used legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, sheer grit, and cunning to grow the company and save hundreds of jobs, she also reveals hidden truths about modern industry in America. - provided by publisher.
adult
Beth Macy.
Includes Reading Group guide: Factory man (14 pages).
Includes bibliographical references (pages 415-442) and index.
