Lawson Glidden left 80-hour consulting weeks to revive his family’s textile business, now Minus33, and says better-fitting socks and underwear helped drive profits and revenue higher.
01Summary
- 01Lawson Glidden, 39, is president of Minus33, a merino-wool base layer, underwear and socks maker based in Ashland, New Hampshire.
- 02He said profits have roughly quadrupled since he joined in 2018, while revenue is up about 2.5 to three times, though Fortune could not independently verify the figures.
- 03The family business was once a $50 million mill with about 300 employees in the 1990s, but by around 2002 it had shrunk to a zero-dollar, three-person company.
- 04Minus33 began manufacturing in the US in 2019 after Glidden bought sock machines, learnt to programme them and designed them himself.
- 05Glidden said he previously worked 80-hour weeks in tech consulting and spent the equivalent of a full month of one year on planes.
02Why it matters
The story shows how a small private manufacturer has rebuilt itself after near-collapse, which matters for jobs, local industry and niche consumer brands. It also suggests product design and direct founder involvement can translate into stronger sales.
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