Woonsocket Company Lands $29.3m Defense Contract to Make Berets

Some good economic news for Woonsocket, a city built in part by its once mighty textile industry.

The Brickle Group, a city textile manufacturer, has been awarded a $29.3 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to make berets for military service members.

Max Brickle, company president, told the Woonsocket Call that the company will have to double staffing in its beret division as it increases production.

It’s a big contract for a local company, which currently employs about 130.

It turns out that the Brickle family’s name recently came up in congress when Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline introduced the “Brickle Amendmenet” to the National Defense Authorization Act.

That amendment calls upon the Defense Department to give American manufacturers preference over overseas competitors when it comes to competition for big federal contracts.

“ American manufacturers have been at a competitive disadvantage for years because the Department of Defense is not required to notify them about overseas military contracts,” said Sam Brickle, chairman of Brickle Group, shortly after the amendment was adopted.

“The Brickle Group represents Rhode Island’s commitment to manufacturing and our state’s identity as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution,” Cicilline said.

The company is also the largest wool blanket manufacturer in America as well. The Brickle Group is a “ diversified group of private companies comprised of Hyman Brickle & Son, Inc., Bouckaert Industrial Textiles, Metcalf Brothers, Northwest Woolen Mills, and The Brickle Realty Group,” according to the company website.

Learn more about the company in this brief video they’ve produced:

Photo courtesy: David Cicilline via Facebook.