The Gudebrod thread company appears to be another casualty of recent economic upheaval, with banks unwilling to lend and small businesses caught without capital.
Gudebrod has been synonymous with silk and rod winding threads for decades, yet has been forced to lay off its entire workforce.
W.E. “Nat” LeGrande Jr., company president, said he is hopeful the layoffs, which occurred Friday, will be temporary. He said about 60 to 65 union and non-union workers have been temporarily laid off from the 274 Shoemaker Road facility while the financially troubled, family-owned company seeks new capital.
The company has been struggling since the loss of the Glide dental floss contract in 2007, which represented 63% of their net business, proving yet again how little angling dollars contribute to a company’s bottom line.
Us hoarders have learned to snatch up whatever stocks remain, as too often published reports of “temporary” setbacks are found to be permanent closures.
It’s likely someone will fill the gap, but if you’re an aficionado of their products I would lay in a goodly supply of the colors used most. They can use the bucks, and you’d be covered for the foreseeable future.
Gudebrod makes a wide variety of silk, nylon, and Kevlar threads for both rods and flytying. Their “NCP” (no color preservative) thread was quite the rage in the day as it remained opaque with no loss of color when a rod finish was applied.
Thread making must be a hellish business as we’ve lost both Danville’s Monocord and (perhaps) the entire Gudebrod line in the same year.
Gudebrod thread, rod wrapping thread, Danville Monocord, NCP thread,