Navigating the changing currents of government contracting

>McRae Footwear learned quickly how to deliver goods to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. federal government.

In 1969, Victor Karam, a self-described “Yankee who loves the south,” transplanted from his native New England to join McRae Industries in an executive role. A cultured Bostonian of Lebanese descent, Victor had a master’s degree in journalism but ended up in an entirely different field: women’s shoes.

An enduring leader at McRae Industries:
Victor Karam in the ‘70s and today

During the Vietnam War, Victor was drafted into the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC. He met his future wife during that time, and they decided they wanted to live near her folks. A head hunter connected Victor with Branson McRae, founder and CEO of McRae Industries in Mount Gilead. Branson offered Victor a position as a vice president. “Branson always said he liked to hire Yankees because none of the southerners understood production,” Victor laughs.

“Salary negotiations were interesting. Branson asked me my annual salary target. I told him I expected to match my current salary, which at that time was $15,000. ‘That won’t work,’ Branson said. ‘It’ll never be approved by the board, because I only make $12,000.’”

Despite the dip in pay, Victor was intrigued by Branson’s company and accepted the job. He thought he would move on after a year or two, but ended up staying for more than 45 years, eventually becoming president of McRae Footwear. He continues to serve on the board of directors.

Becoming a preferred contractor

Along with its knowledge of the government’s preferred mode of boot construction – vulcanized, direct molded sole — McRae had two other distinct advantages as a contractor. With fewer than 500 employees, the company qualified as a small business. And it qualified also as having a manufacturing plant in a “labor surplus,” or high unemployment, area. The Department of Defense “set aside” contracts for small businesses, and being labor surplus gave the company a price advantage over large businesses.

Home grown: By law, in making purchases, the federal government gives preference to domestically produced and manufactured products.

To supplement its U.S. government contracts, McRae made combat boots for other nations. For 25 years, the company has been a supplier of military footwear for the government of Israel. Over the years, McRae has also provided boots for military forces in Canada, Brunei, Great Britain, and Saudi Arabia.

“The federal government has consistently praised us for our high-quality products.”
– Victor Karam, director, McRae Industries

Following government specs

“At the time, the design of McRae’s military boots was dictated by the government,” Victor says. “We didn’t have a lot of input. We didn’t have a shoe manufacturers association. The government gave us the patterns and told us how to make the boots. Requirements were so rigid that a slight defect could cause the military to reject an entire production lot of boots.”

Talking though the specs: Being a government contractor required frequent trips to the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia.

“Branson made it clear that every government specification was to be met. ‘The longer you work here with me, whether you agree or disagree with the specs, you follow them,’ he said. ‘If you see something that needs to be changed, go through the proper channels to get it changed. If you can’t, don’t change it.’’

Specifications were – and still are – exacting and relentless, from cure time for rubber to the boot’s ability to withstand pressure. Government protocols are strictly enforced with McRae workers. Government inspectors frequently walked the floors of the McRae factory. “I don’t know that any of the inspectors that came through had shoe knowledge,” Victor says. “We had to teach them.”

If Branson felt a spec were wrong, however, he was not afraid to question it – through established government protocols. That involved meeting with federal representatives in Philadelphia to clarify requirements or, in one instance, challenge a boot recall.

Victor tells the story of an inspector sent in from Charlotte, NC. “This inspector tested and rejected a production lot of boots where a wrinkle was detected. But the regulations specified boots should be rejected if a horizontal wrinkle were found when tested between both thumbs. The wrinkle detected in this lot was vertical. We showed the quality controller in Philadelphia, and we won our case.”

Looking to the future

Today, about 90 percent of McRae’s military boot business is tied to government contracts. The company also makes commercial versions of its boots.

“Staying flexible and expecting the unexpected is all part of succeeding as a government contractor,” Victor says. “Demand may fluctuate, but our purpose never waivers: To help our troops fulfill their missions though durable and reliable footwear.”

Adding on: As boot orders from the U.S. government accelerated, McRae over time added on a second 100,000-square-foot facility in Troy, NC. This facility houses the company’s direct-attach injection-mold equipment for manufacturing current-spec military boots, along with lasting, finishing, warehousing, and shipping functions.

> After a Communist government came to power in Laos in 1975, the U.S. was a safe destination for displaced Lao and Hmong. McRae Footwear helped many refugees start a new life in Mount Gilead, NC.

DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, the U.S. secretly recruited thousands of citizens in Southeast Asia, including Laos, to support the war against the Communists and North Vietnamese. In the mid-1970s, when the U.S. pulled out of these countries, many Southeast Asians fled. They led their families on perilous treks to refugee camps in Thailand and other countries. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, many Lao and Hmong, a mountainous tribe with its own ethnic designation, emigrated to the U.S. to start a new life. They settled mainly in Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, and North Carolina.

“The language barrier at times made training difficult, but the Lao and Hmong had an excellent work ethic and made – and continue to make – a huge contribution to our business.”
— Victor Karam, Director, McRae Industries

One prominent Laotian military officer who fought alongside the U.S. armed forces was Geu Vang, an army colonel fluent in seven languages. After settling in Minneapolis, MN, with his family in 1981, he soon assumed a leadership role in helping Lao and Hmong refugees adapt to their new American lives.

“Our people were suffering,” says Geu. “They had lost everything. Many were deeply depressed. I wrote a letter to several organizations in the U.S., seeking job opportunities for refugees so they would not be reliant on public assistance.”

Mass exodus: Scores of Lao and Hmong sought refuge in Thailand – and many eventually moved to the U.S.

Branson McRae, president and CEO of McRae Industries, received Geu’s correspondence and invited Geu to visit him in Mt. Gilead, NC, in 1987. Looking to add employees to his shoe factory in Wadeville, Branson was drawn to the Lao and Hmong work ethnic and spirited sense of community. Geu saw tremendous opportunity for his people and relocated with some 20 families to Mt. Gilead to start work with McRae. Jobs ranged from sewing to inspecting boots and operating lasting and vulcanizing equipment.

A new life across the ocean: Geu Vang, a former Laotian army colonel, was instrumental in acclimating Laotians to America.

Branson owned a tract of land in Wadeville and decide to put it to good use by providing housing for his new employees. He added 20 mobile homes on one-and two-acre lots on a hillside near the plant, offering each Lao and Hmong family a lease-to-own contract. Soon dotted with chicken farms and vegetable gardens, the community was christened Samthong Village. Translation: “Pot of Gold.” The development was within walking distance of the McRae factories and community schools.

Today, Samthong Village is home to 30 Lao and Hmong families. Geu and his wife, MayKao, who have six children and seven grandchildren, continue to be cornerstones of the community. Along with his liaison work, Geu teaches a Laotian Sunday School class at Mt. Gilead First Baptist Church and serves on the Board of Deacons.

Building community: Laotian culture is preserved for the Lao and Hmong living in the Mount Gilead area.

Lao and Hmong employees currently make up about 15 percent of McRae’s workforce.

“The company gives its workers many incentives for productivity, ” Geu says. “The more boots produced, the more the take-home pay. McRae also provides generous health insurance and a partial match on a 401K plan.”

“Branson had a huge vision for our community, and he listened to our needs. He gave us a new start. He helped us to become independent. And he continues to inspire each new generation.”

A generous heart: Branson McRae is remembered as a benevolent employer and engaging mentor to the Lao and Hmong community.

mcraefootwear.com