A View On: Culp Fabrics
Ever wonder where the fabric on your sofa came from? Or what about the ticking on your mattress? What is that you say? It’s the pretty fabric on your mattress that you cover up with mattress pads and sheets. Believe it or not, many of those fabrics are developed right here in High Point. Culp Home Fashions, with their headquarters located in High Point, NC, has over 4 decades and three generations of experience (that’s a lot of bloodline!) supplying fabrics and upholstery all over the world. Their always innovative manufacturing operations paired with their incredible design team enables their customers to drive sales, globally.
We had the pleasure of learning more about Culp from President, Iv Culp (pictured above with his father, Rob Culp, III.)
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q. Tell us about Culp in about 10 words.
A. Culp is an innovative, design driven company focused on best-in-class fabrics for the bedding and furniture industries. And we have the BEST people!
Q. Why was it started and what was the vision?
A. My grandfather started the company because he saw a void in decorative supply of upholstery fabrics. He was a true visionary. He along with my father, Robert George Culp III, built one of the largest decorative fabric companies in North America.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q. What products do you manufacture or sell?
A. Culp manufactures and markets Mattress Fabrics, Mattress Covers and Foundation Covers, Upholstery Fabrics, Upholstery Kits and Contract / Hospitality Fabrics.
Q. What is one thing people would be interested to learn about Culp?
A. That we are a publicly traded company on the NYSE and we operate in 5 countries.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q. What differentiates Culp from other companies?
A. Our innovative spirit and positive attitude in a collaborative environment.
Q. What are the highlights and challenges of owning/operating your business in High Point?
A. High Point is the best place for our business because we are in the Furniture Capital of the World. And it’s a terrific place to raise a family.
Q. Why did you choose to locate Culp in High Point?
A. Because this is where the Furniture Market was – it was the ONLY choice.
Q. How Many Employees do you have?
A. Worldwide 1300 and we have an average tenure of 13+ years for our salaried associates.
Q. How has High Point changed since you started your business?
A. I am most excited about the changes that High Point has in store. I believe the best is yet to come with so many revitalization projects underway.
Q. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
A. For Culp, we had to face the challenges of import competition. My father saw the import threat early on and led us to embrace this change. Today, Culp offers a global platform that includes production in the USA, Canada, China, Haiti and Turkey.
Q. Are you involved in the High Point community and if so, how?
A. Yes, I am involved with many local boards spanning across schools, church, clubs and civic organizations.
Q. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in High Point, what would it be?
A. Embrace the community and be involved at a local level.
Q. What are you excited about for High Point’s future?
A. I am excited about our downtown development. I see such positives for full time residents, furniture market attendees and students from HPU. High Point is going to the next level!
Our favorite part of this interview? Iv’s response to our question what differentiates Culp: “our innovative spirit and positive attitude in a collaborative environment.” High Point is filled with thoughtful leaders and Iv exemplifies leadership qualities.
For more information on Culp Home Fashions check out their website here.
A View On is a series where High Point Discovered asks questions to High Point businesses to share their view. Past guests have included Debeen and Just Priceless.
Be sure to check out our interview with IV Culp on Voices Discovered.
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