110-Year-Old Mill Doubles Its Footprint: Minus33 Opens New Ashland, New Hampshire Facility With Governor Ayotte Cutting the Ribbon, Team Set to Grow From About 24 to 40
ASHLAND, Grafton County, New Hampshire: Minus33 Merino Wool and its parent company L.W. Packard opened a new facility in Ashland on October 27, with a ribbon-cutting led by Governor Kelly Ayotte. The newly renovated building doubles the family-owned company's manufacturing footprint as it celebrates 110 years in business, creating room to grow its Ashland team from about two dozen to 40 employees.
The 15,000-square-foot building is set to open in early 2027 and will house office space and a new delivery facility, making space for additional manufacturing in the current building to support the launch of American-made merino wool hats and scarves, joining the company's bestselling U.S.-made socks. Lawson Glidden, the fifth-generation owner and president, said the secret to 110 years in business is making products the company is proud of and hiring great people, and that the company is proud to invest in Ashland; it has posted double-digit sales growth for three consecutive years.
Governor Ayotte congratulated the Glidden family, Minus33 and L.W. Packard on 110 years of doing business in New Hampshire, saying manufacturing is an important part of the state's history and economy, family businesses like this one are a big part of what makes New Hampshire special, and the state is proud to support businesses that invest in their communities, create good-paying jobs and continue the tradition of making things in the Granite State.
L.W. Packard was once Ashland's largest employer, supplying wool broadcloth to Saks Fifth Avenue, L.L.Bean and the U.S. military, and employing roughly 300 people at its peak. Overseas competition drove a sharp decline in the 1990s, at one point reducing the workforce to just three employees. Fourth-generation owner John Glidden revived the company under the Minus33 name, rebuilding it into a nationally recognized merino wool brand before passing leadership to his son Lawson.
Minus33 today employs about two dozen people in Ashland and produces roughly 180 products, including base layers, socks, headwear, gloves and blankets, all made with merino wool, sold through its direct-to-consumer website, its Amazon storefront and retailers nationwide. The company was founded in 1916 by Luther Woodbury Packard in Ashland, supplied military uniforms during World War II, and was relaunched as the modern Minus33 outdoor brand in 2002.
Source: Minus33 and L.W. Packard company release via the Outdoor Industry Association, October 27, 2026
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：新罕布什尔州格拉夫顿县Ashland镇（资料图），Minus33 与 L.W. Packard 的创始地。照片：P199，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The town of Ashland, Grafton County, New Hampshire (file photo), home of Minus33 and L.W. Packard since 1916. Photo: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
