NEW ORLEANS — Colmac Industries had reason to celebrate during Clean ’09, as the third-generation family business celebrated 50 years of service and received the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) top energy award.
Colmac was established in 1959 and has since been the innovator of many laundry-finishing products that have become industry staples. Scott McMillan is chairman/CEO, having taken the reins from his father, Roger, upon his retirement in 2005. Company founder Jerry McMillan, Roger’s father, was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1974.
According to its website, Colmac was first to mass-produce a tunnel finisher with direct gas heating; to develop the triple buck shirt press; to create a vertical, one-step pant pressing system; to develop a high-speed computerized hanging system; and to design and manufacture a straight-through, modular tunnel finishing system.
The DOE annually honors individual plants and companies for actively pursuing energy-saving opportunities identified through an assessment. Colmac Industries achieved total energy savings of more than 250,000 MMBtu, or more than 15%.
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