Another business association in Dalton, the Carpet and Rug Institute, services the
same industry as DFCMA but targets all firms, large and small, in its efforts. It has been able
to provide a network of firms that can jointly engage the state’s MEP agency, Georgia Tech’s
Economic Development Institute, or EDI, in sector-wide projects. The EDI has not focused
its work along sector-specific expertise, although the State of Georgia has in other of its
programming. However, with an active sector-specific network in place—like the CRI—
EDI’s Dalton office can help the association move along some of its projects.
For instance, the two organizations have put together projects to collectively research
and implement automated creeling technology, the use of textile waste as fill in roadbed
construction, and wastewater treatment solutions for carpet plants. The EDI also wrote a
Title V major source air permit for a model carpet mill for the CRI that other carpet plants
could utilize to guide their own permit applications. The EDI receives funding from the
State’s Consortium for the Competitiveness in the Apparel, Carpet, and Textile Industries
(CCACTI) to provide essential environmental research, extension, and support services to
the Dalton-area carpet industry.
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