Nathan Dry, chief executive officer of Alessandra Yarns in Hickory, N.C., is retiring after more than 47 years in the textile industry.
Dry joined Alessandra Yarns in 2007, when the company was founded. He is credited with playing a critical role in the development of Alessandra Yarns and the growth of the company’s global presence.
“He took this unique, patent-protected yarn spinning process and commercialized the concept into numerous applications in the mattress industry. Due to Dry’s vision and guidance, the yarn is now produced in the United States, China and Turkey and used by knitters worldwide,” the company said in a news release.
Of his time at the company, Dry said, “Being the leader of the market and having the best thing out there is what made it fun for me. It’s a good feeling to know that everything Alessandra sells, I was involved in the development of what went into the product and what market it goes into.”
Before joining Alessandra Yarns, Dry worked for several companies in the textile industry, including J.P. Stevens, Texfi and Guilford Mills. He also owned two companies, Lumberton Dyeing & Finishing and Dyeing & Printing of Lumberton.
“Working closely with Nathan the last several years has been educational, fun and rewarding,” said David Clark, principal of Sumlin Group and owner of Alessandra Yarns. “Nathan is truly dedicated to his profession and his customers. Alessandra Yarns is where it is today as a successful company due to Nathan Dry. Fortunately for all of us, he is not going away, just slowing down a touch.”
After retirement from Alessandra Yarns, Dry plans to continue his involvement in the textile industry through K&D Consulting.
