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Darn Tough Plans Major Expansion, Will Add 50 Jobs

Darn Tough Socks
Colored thread hangs above a knitting aisle at the Darn Tough mill in Northfield. The company is planning an expansion that will nearly double the size of its facility and add approximately 50 jobs in the Northfield area.

Vermont manufacturer Darn Tough Socks is planning a 100,000-square-foot expansion at its mill in Northfield. The addition, to be completed in 18 months, is nearly twice as large as the company’s present facility.

Darn Tough President and CEO Ric Cabot says the company has experienced consecutive years of revenue growth of between 60 and 70 percent annually. Sales revenue in 2013 grew 63 percent over the previous year.

Cabot says revenues have been driven by sales of socks for outdoor activities, but he sees growing potential in manufacturing socks for casual or work wear.   

“We never want to lose the outdoor market, but at the same time we feel that there are a lot of people out there who may not be outdoor type people who want a high quality sock that is guaranteed for life and made in Vermont,” Cabot says.

The company currently employs about 165 people and the Cabot says the expansion will add another 50 jobs.

Steve has been with VPR since 1994, first serving as host of VPR’s public affairs program and then as a reporter, based in Central Vermont. Many VPR listeners recognize Steve for his special reports from Iran, providing a glimpse of this country that is usually hidden from the rest of the world. Prior to working with VPR, Steve served as program director for WNCS for 17 years, and also worked as news director for WCVR in Randolph. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Steve also worked for stations in Phoenix and Tucson before moving to Vermont in 1972. Steve has been honored multiple times with national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for his VPR reporting, including a 2011 win for best documentary for his report, Afghanistan's Other War.
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