Malden Mills Receives Money for New Programs

by David Tamasi

WASHINGTON - Malden Mills makes its Polartec fleeces for L.L. Bean in the spring and summer and for the U.S. armed forces in the fall and winter. This production schedule enables almost 200 workers at the Lawrence-based manufacturer to keep their jobs year-round.

Making fabrics for retailers on a seasonal basis triggers seasonal layoffs, said David Costello, business manager at Malden Mills. That's where the military contracts help out, he said.

Malden Mills gained national attention in 1995 when a fire gutted three of the four buildings at the Lawrence plant. But not one employee lost his or her job while the plant was being rebuilt, and owner Aaron Feuerstein was hailed as a workers' hero.

Since then, the company filed for bankruptcy in November 2001, and creditors are on the verge of taking it over and moving production overseas. Feuerstein must raise an additional $93 million to buy back control of the company -- and to save1,200 local jobs.

The Defense Department budget, approved by Congress last week for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday, includes $19.1 million for three military contracts at Malden Mills, up $7 million from last year.

The Pentagon requested the money to buy two new products, Costello said. Every naval aviator in Iraq and Afghanistan will receive a three-layered ensemble of Nomex, a heat- and flame-resistant fiber, for a total cost of $3.1 million, he said.

"They protect these servicemen in hot and cold weather and against heavy winds," Costello said.

The second contract provides $3 million for research and development of clothing that would be embedded with sensors to observe service members' health, Costello said.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, and Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, supported the funding for Malden Mills.

"Malden Mills has played an integral role supporting our military in the global war on terror," Kennedy said in a statement.

The remaining $13 million continues funding for the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System , black jackets and pants that are worn by members of the Army and Marine Corps.

"When I went to Afghanistan last year, a lot of the troops were wearing the Polartec portion of the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System," Meehan said in a statement. "It was one of the most popular and useful pieces of gear for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan."

Costello said he was unsure whether President Bush's $87 billion request for supplemental funds to be spent in Iraq and Afghanistan would generate money for Malden Mills, but added that the company welcomed any "opportunity to speed up gear to the field."