Back From the Brink: Century-Old Leather Goods Maker J.W. Hulme Finds New Life, Post-Recession

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Jan. 14, 2015 - PRLog -- St. Paul, Minnesota (January 13, 2014) – This week, J.W. Hulme Co. (http://www.jwhulmeco.com/) represents Minnesota and quality leather goods manufacturing on the editorial series This Built America (http://www.thisbuiltamerica.com/).

For 110 years, J.W. Hulme made quality leather goods in St. Paul. But all that almost came to an end during the Great Recession, when times were hard and the workforce was reduced to just four people. Then in 2009, private equity firm Olympus Capital Investments made an initial investment in J.W. Hulme—now holding a controlling stake in the business.

Five years later and J.W. Hulme is back and thriving. In those years, the company re-hired many of the employees that they had to lay off during the recession—now employing over 60 people in throughout its operation. J.W. Hulme also brought in fresh talent including four designers from the local community college to expand the men's and women's lines with updated styles to appeal to the new young customers that are discovering the brand.

To see J.W. Hulme Co.’s constant evolution and how it came to be, visit http:///www.thisbuiltamerica.com/minnesota (../www.thisbuiltamerica.com/minnesota). Or, follow This Built America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/thisbuiltamerica), Twitter (https://twitter.com/builtamerica), Instagram (http://instagram.com/thisbuiltamerica) and Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Thisbuiltamericaproject/posts).

J.W. Hulme Co. joins a national movement in This Built America that is devoted to supporting American companies and American-made products. AOL is proud to support the effort along with sponsor Ford Trucks. Through the year, the editorial and video teams will explore 50 states in 50 weeks to bring 50 stories of the people who are bringing back manufacturing to America. The platform is produced in coordination with Man Made Content.

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