Over the past few decades, I have been fortunate to meet some legendary figures in the industries I have covered. I began reporting on the textile industry in the early 1990s, just prior to enactment of NAFTA, which in retrospect sent the industry careening. During the 1990s, some of the all-time impactful textile leaders were still guiding their companies from their respective C-suites. These included larger-than-life characters such as Chuck Hayes, a boisterous high-school dropout who rose to become CEO of Guilford Mills. A savvy businessman despite his lack of formal education, he picked up his GED at the age of 59. Another icon was Roger Milliken. He was famously media-shy, but I managed to find areas of discussion he would agree to be interviewed about. Sadly, both these guys are gone.
https://www.farmprogress.com/commentary/learning-from-industry-icons
