He left banking to revive a closed US wool mill; 12 years later, it supplies the military

Long entered the textile industry after spending nearly 20 years working in finance in Europe. (Photo: Instagram/American Woolen) A textile factory in Connecticut that shut down in 2013, leaving 85 people without jobs, is now producing fabric for the US military. The 475,000-square-foot Warren Mills complex in Stafford Springs was purchased in 2014 by Jacob Harrison Long, a former investment banker who had never run a manufacturing business. Twelve years later, the factory employs about 50 people and supplies material for military uniforms, as Long continues his efforts to rebuild wool manufacturing in the United States.The factory's return to production came at a time when much of America's clothing and textile manufacturing had already moved overseas. Long, however, believed there was still a market for expensive, high-quality fabrics made in the country. Rather than compete with manufacturers producing cheaper textiles in large quantities, he wanted to build a business around specialised woollen and worsted fabrics.His decision has since led to contracts with the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. According to CT Insider's report, American Woolen Company began supplying fabric...