YADKINVILLE, N.C. —  After more than a year of hearing about businesses taking losses, some are finally starting to search for new talent again.

Manufacturers employ 10.5% of North Carolina’s total workforce, and some were forced to furlough or cut staff throughout the pandemic. 

Now, some companies like Piedmont Triad-based Unifi, a recycled-fiber company, are experiencing an upswing in employment. 

“On a positive note, we saw companies really focus on the environment,” says Jay Hertwig, senior vice president of commercialization for Unifi. “As a result we continue to see our Repreve products grow in the marketplace. Consumers are asking for sustainability. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” 

Hertwig believes companies are really starting to get on board with their mission to make the world a better, cleaner place. 

“It’s what we strive for every day in the products that we make,” Hertwig says. “We have recycled over 25 billion bottles to date. And so we’re gonna continue to try to make the world a better place by creating recycling awareness, and by making products we all know and love with recycled content.”

Unifi also has employees like Cathy Hardy who have spent the past 50 years working in their plants. Hardy has worked for the company since the night it opened its doors.

“This county needed something like this,” says Hardy, who now works as a quality control statistician. “And it has just been a blessing to a lot of families and a lot of people in the community by having jobs to work here.”

And the company is looking for new talent. It’s hiring for entry-level manufacturing positions, machine operators, and yarn inspectors.

You can find all employment opportunities at all three plants across the Piedmont Triad here.