08/22/2002
Barbara League's business may be small, but it certainly isn't new. At 85, G.F. League Co. has witnessed four generations of Leagues and at least as many product lines. "We started as a lumber brokerage business in 1917," explains League, "and each successive generation has expanded the business in one direction or another. In 1936, the second generation started manufacturing materials for the textile industry -- at that time, Greenville was the textile center of the world -- and in the '60s the third generation introduced plastics into the manufacturing process. The fourth generation came around in the late '70s/early '80s and purchased the state-of-the-art equipment that has opened up doors to a lot of new industries."The company, which typically holds steady at 20 to 25 employees, is still very much a family operation. "We have five Leagues on payroll right now," she says. "The fact that we're a fourth-generation shop is one of the reasons Dan Quayle toured our plant a couple of years ago. His family runs a third-generation publishing company."
The League family's long business history has provided a firsthand look at the effects legislation has had on the industries around them. "We were very big in textiles for a long time, and now textiles have gone south and east," she says. "I don't want to see other industries go away because we cannot be competitive globally."
Trade agreements, says League, will be at the top of her agenda when she visits Washington soon. She'll be part of a small business delegation from South Carolina. "I'll be up in D.C. with Jim DeMint, our 4th district representative, and Lindsay Graham, the 3rd district representative. I'm hoping I'll get a more detailed explanation of how trade agreements are working."
As for the business, League sees her family's company remaining just that -- a family company. "We have the flexibility to take care of our people that larger corporations don't have, and that's one of the reasons why our company -- at least during my lifetime -- won't go public."
Quick Facts:
Name: Barbara League
Business: G.F. League Company, Inc.
Location: Greenville, S.C.
Founded: 1917
Web site: www.leaguemfg.com
How did you get involved in the NFIB?
I don't even remember, we've been members for so long. We're very supportive of our local and state chambers of commerce, and South Carolina has a very strong NFIB chapter. (State Director) Michaels Fields is doing a great job and has a very visible presence in the general assembly. I'm a member of the state leadership council and have been since '87.
What issues are you currently following?
Health care is always at the top of everybody's list, and trade agreements.
What do you like best about being a small business owner?
The opportunity to know all of our employees and their families, and the ability to meet the needs of our employees and customers. We have had four generations of Leagues here, so when we say new employees are joining our family, it's really true.
