Our History

At Service Thread, we are proud of the economic growth and well-being we provide our employees and the Scotland County Community. It is a company philosophy that is now more than a generation old. Service Thread relocated manufacturing operations from Winnsboro, SC, and Gastonia to Scotland County in 1976.

Company founders Sam M Butler Jr., and Sam M Butler III chose Laurinburg/Scotland County as an ideal location for growth, since the area was close to the company’s suppliers including Waverly Mills, and had a labor force experienced in textile manufacturing.

In 1977, the manufacturing plant located at the Maxton Airbase was destroyed in a fire, so Service Thread relocated to the corner of James and McKay Streets in downtown Laurinburg. This space proved adequate until 1982 when business growth required a larger building. Consequently, we bought a 30,000-square-foot building on Hillside Avenue in 1982 and continued to grow during the 1990s with eight building additions to bring the total square footage to 115,000, spanning from Hillside Avenue to North King Street. In 2005 the company purchased the former Atlas Soundelier Manufacturing Plant on Dana Drive, a 110,000-square-foot building to serve as the company’s warehouse, distribution, and administrative office. In 2014 we finished a complete redesign and renovation of this facility that now serves as the headquarters for the company.

As our name implies, Service Thread designs and manufactures specialty threads and yarns. What you may not know is the number of products you use that we help manufacture.

Service Thread products are used across many industries, including wire & cable, plastic and rubber hoses, packaging, and construction. Service Thread is in your garden hose, the spray hose in your kitchen sink, and in most any bag of seed, feed, or other products that are packaged in sewn bags. Our products are used to sew the tarps and tie-downs on heavy trucks, to reinforce hydraulic hoses in bucket trucks, and industrial equipment including the Jaws of Life rescue cutters used by fire departments here in Laurinburg and worldwide. Service Thread lacing cord is used in cell phone towers and switching stations to bundle cables together and also serves as a binder cord in large telephone cables. We currently import raw materials from 15 countries and supply customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin and South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia.

In 2010 we responded to customer requests for industrial sewing machinery parts and technical support. Working with supplier partners in Taiwan and Japan, we developed specialized sewing equipment for the bag packaging and web sling industry. Additionally, we developed partnerships with the major equipment makers serving our target industries to stock and distribute parts and equipment to these industries.

Since our founding, our philosophy has been to make a difference by providing the absolute best customer service experience to all of our partners. Accordingly, we’ve been recognized nationally with the Microsoft Pinnacle Excellence in Customer Service Award.

At the root of great customer service are our employees. Daily, our employees look to better themselves, their co-workers, and their company. Appreciating that “our employees are our company,” Service Thread believes it is our responsibility to provide our associates with every opportunity for growth and advancement — both within the company and the community.

We partner with Richmond Community College, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and St. Andrews University to help our associates gain higher Career Readiness Certificates, technical degrees, four-year degrees, and master’s degrees. Our Employee Education Assistance Program pays 100 percent of books and tuition for qualified associates in fields related to our work. We have developed a wellness initiative with Scotland Occupational Health and the local health clubs which is now in its 15th year. This program gives all employees access to healthcare, nutrition, and fitness opportunities. For these and other efforts, we were awarded the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Excellence in Employee Development in 2003 as well at the North Carolina Community College Business Partner of the year in 2018.

With dedicated employees, serving great customers, it is not surprising that Service Thread has experienced consistent growth. From less than 10,000 square feet and only six employees in 1976, Service Thread has grown to more than 225,000 square feet and 115 employees. At 240,000 labor hours worked per year, Service Thread has a tremendous impact on the local economy. But we feel our impact in Scotland County does and should go beyond the finances.

In Scotland County, Service Thread and our employees support many community initiatives including United Way’s Day of Caring, the American Red Cross Disaster Training Event, Hospice of Scotland County, The Scotland County Arts Council, and Scotland Memorial Foundation as the presenting sponsor for the FunD Run. Additionally, we were the first manufacturing company in Scotland County to receive a Green Certified Business designation.  We have the only large-scale rooftop-mounted solar power array in the county, with 1200 panels producing 273kVa with no impact on usable land and aesthetics. Building on this strong foundation, Service Thread is committed to continuing to be a leader in our community and in caring for the environment.

In a highly competitive industry located in a socio-economically challenged rural community, Service Thread has been successful. Why? I believe there are two main reasons. First, our associates embraced change, allowing Service Thread to move quickly into niche markets with extremely short lead times and a high level of commitment to our customers. Second, the company is committed to providing the investment in resources — from our human resources, capital equipment, and physical environment — to make our business, our employees, and our community successful.

Sam M (Chip) Butler, III