While we were in Winston Salem last month I got to meet one of my heroes at the High Point Furniture Market: John Bassett, the “Factory Man”. He was the subject of a book with the same name by Roanoke, Virginia author Beth Macy. Bassett fought to keep 600 employees in his southwestern Virginia plant working, rather than sending the work to China, like several fellow furniture companies were doing at the time. He continued by bringing legal action that forced the Chinese to pay fines for creating unfair competition in their furniture manufacturing. The Bassetts are still at it and just introduced a line of solid American hardwood furniture: http://www.vaughan-bassett.com
