Roger Milliken

I grew up 20 miles from Milliken's Spartanburg headquarters, and because of that, I saw a lot of executives pass through. A constant with all of them was they immediately became active in local civic and church groups - not to mention - active in the Republican party, which at that time, was a small minority.

All of them knew who the boss was and took great pains to be very supportive. Early on, Milliken put a large value on employee development and empowerment. His employees did more because they had to.

I met Mr. Milliken (who was 82 at the time) while attending a seminar at the Spartanburg facility. He introduced himself and wanted to know what I was doing  and if "his" people were treating me right. Said to be sure to contact him if they didn't - and I knew he meant it.

Roger Milliken was more than a businessman. He was also a  supporter to many groups - including the  Boy Scouts - and will be greatly missed.