Since its beginning in 1883 the history of Hope Webbing Co. has been a lesson in the
power of ingenuity and diligence in industry. Founded by Charles Sissin and Willis White,
two young men with a commitment to quality and hard work, the company soon established a
reputation for superior craftsmanship in the textile industry. By 1948 Hope manufactured
more narrow fabric materials than any other company in the United States.
And now, under the corporate umbrella of Narrow Fabrics of America, it has distinguished
itself as a manufacturing operation poised for even greater success in the next century.
Over the past decade the company's product line has expanded from simple traditional
textile items such as shoelaces and webbing to innovative applications of fabric
technology incorporating advanced materials like Kevlar*, Teflon*, and Nomex*, along with
metal and fabric combinations, for a dynamic range of industrial and automotive
applications.
"Hope Webbing was born and raised in Rhode Island. It's survived through good times
and bad, and now it's a leader in high-tech industrial textiles," says President
Bruce H. Hauser.
A great deal of Hope's recent success stems from an ability to see opportunities where
others do not. Rather than fight for a shrinking slice of the textile market pie, Hope has
opted to bake a whole new one. It pioneered the use of map pockets in automobile
interiors, Teflon* anti-squeak pile in car door stabilizers, and colored weather stripping
for metal frame doors.
Within the past five years alone, sales increased 500 percent and the work force has
expanded from 325 to 550 employees. Hope purchased a new factory in Cumberland to augment
existing operations in Pawtucket and is already looking for additional space.
At the same time, Hope is going global. Plants will be opening in other foreign countries
to better meet the needs of its worldwide customer base.
Such explosive growth would send many companies reeling, but Hope has kept its steady
course. Members of the research and development team, looking for new products, outnumber
the sales staff. And the sales staff is composed of engineers who can address the needs of
industrial clients, working hand in hand with designers, rather than simply filling
orders.
The company believes, "If you want to get something done, you have to go to someone
who knows what they're doing."
*Registered Trade Names of E.I. DuPont.