BRISTOL, VA.—Solution-dyed fiber producer Universal Fibers recently hosted more than 550 of its associates and their families at a special 40th anniversary event at its corporate headquarters here. Total attendance for the two-day event was more than 1,000.

The celebration marked a long history since production began at the company’s Bristol headquarters in 1970, known at the time as CAMAC. The name was changed to Universal Fibers in 1999 and in the past decade the company has opened plants in Thailand and China.

“I’m honored to have shared the last decade with Universal,” said Marc Ammen, CEO. “I’ve learned that machines, although important, don’t make a company. People make a company and make products. That’s why we are still in business and growing, and that’s what this celebration is about: our associates.”

Family members were given a tour of the plant, including the new Customer Care Center showcase and lobby. “We wanted this to be a memorable event for not only the associates, but their families,” said Howard Bartholomay, director of human resources. “With our recent expansion we have more than 175 new associates hired in the past five months. All have done a tremendous job meeting the demands of our customers and we wanted to show them we appreciate their hard work”

Long-time associates were honored with 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service awards.

For more information about Universal, call 800.457.4759.