Last night I finally decided to catch up on the previous week's edition of 60 Minutes. To my surprise and tug at my heart was the opening title, The death and life of Asheboro, N.C.. As readers may or may not know, I spent two years before my triplets were born living in NC and specifically working in Asheboro.
As some places felt the great recession worse than other such as Detroit, the state of NC and specifically small towns like Asheboro who depended upon mfg jobs from industries such as tobacco, textiles, and furniture had already been going through hell through their own version of the great recession long before any of the rest of the country caught on.
Probably the most recognizable part of the town that no one would ever know about, is the factory that is now responsible for making Spanx. The maker of ladies hoseries help founder Sara Blakely make it all the way to Forbes list of billionaires featured here in Undercover Billionaire: Sara Blakely Joins The Rich List Thanks To Spanx.
There is an epic tug of war that goes on in towns across the country such as Asheboro which is maintaining some level of hope vs. the harsh reality that survival is not likely. The 60 Minutes piece shares the story of the worker who was employed at the same factory for almost 30 years which is now closing. It also shows that story of the entrepreneurial spirit of one company making pickles and exporting them to China.
Americans are a resilient group of people who learn how to adjust, adapt, and survive. I just wish that our political system and so called political leaders offered a helping hand rather than turning the other way.
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