Spartanburg, SC, August 24---Roger Milliken is an all-American. But his company's Made in the USA products are on international display during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, according to the Spartanburg, SC, Herald-Journal.
The floor at the Galatsi Gymnastics Hall, the site of the gymnastics events of these Games, is covered with Milliken & Co. carpet. It must have helped American athletes feel more at home.
As Paul Hamm took the first-ever gold medal for the United States in the men's all-around gymnastics competition on Wednesday and Carly Patterson grabbed the second-ever gold medal for an American in the women's contest on Thursday, they were bending, leaping and bouncing alongside Milliken carpet.
Milliken's product, with customized logos and lettering, lies all around the arena where mats were not being used in contests. And Milliken officials said it was an athletic feat on their part to be a part of the Summer Games.
The company was given a project description, colors and design parameters for the order -- and officials were told that it needed to be designed, produced and shipped in 10 days. "Performing some acrobatics of its own, Milliken was able to do what no other competitor was able, or willing, to do," said Richard Dillard, director of public affairs at Milliken.
"It is even hard for me to comprehend the amazing feat this Milliken Carpet team performed to make this happen. Designers for Milliken in LaGrange, Ga., worked through a weekend using the company's patented technology. Other specialists then calculated how to fit the massive design repeats together so the final product would look like one seamless carpet.
The carpet was made in Georgia, then shipped to Greece just in time to be installed.
The time frame was so tight, the gymnasts were probably practicing floor routines on the carpet as it was rolled out," said Blair Biggerstaff, general manager of Milliken Floor Covering in Europe.
