Lowney initially began his journey of selling his product from town to town along the eastern seaboard, potential customer to potential customer, until his gadget took hold. And indeed it did. From there, it was a small step to add the product of shoulder cords, each cord being handmade, even today. Shoulder cords inspired citation cords, shoulder knots, epaulettes, and the selling of braid, itself—flat, soutache, edge cord, and the rounded tubular. Lowney focused on what he felt were basic stock colors (custom dyed colors became available upon request) as he broadened his clientele to include schools and marching bands, hotels and theatres, police, postal, and security uniforms. The creation of the Lowney braid business was on its way.

Twenty-year old son George abandoned his job in a grocery store and eventually took over the firm, maintaining his father's original goals and standards while growing the business at the same time. Moving out of the garage, Grip-Flex currently boasts 15,000 square feet of braiding machines and inventory, as well as over 40 employees who at once do the hands-on work, and assist with customer service in the front offices. It is one of two braid houses that remain in the United States today.

All of George Lowney's children have played an active role in the third generation of family ownership, but it is Michael Lowney who has been in charge for the last 11 years, adding his own innovations to the company. Not squeamish about trying new things, Michael has inspired such ideas as stretch braid for garments where a fixed flat braid impedes movement and is destructive to the fibers of the braid itself; there are the lighted band accessories, developed by JF Magic—shoulder cords that are actually battery operated and work off of LED fiber optics, so that marching bands and other groups wearing braided uniforms may be seen at night. Supported by his brother, Steve, who developed the corporate website, Michael also has attended multiple trade-shows, attempting to develop new audiences for his products; and he focuses on providing excellent customer service with state of the art communication tools.

One of the finest tributes to Grip-Flex is that many of its staff have remained loyal—some for as long as 40 years—no mean feat in today's transient world of employment opportunities. Several members of whole families work both office and production, with no thought of looking elsewhere for a job. The Grip-Flex family is so closely knit and so professional in its operation that Michael feels each individual is able to take responsibility for his own time and his own job; the level of trust he has in his colleagues is beyond reproach. Grip-Flex is open five days a week, on a 24 hour production schedule, running three shifts: A true definition of successful initiative.

During the last several years, the Lowney's have looked at offshore manufacturing for their products. They readily acknowledge that it would be less expensive to do so, which is an important factor from a business standpoint. However, Michael is adamant that he will continue to be an American manufacturer as long as he can, even if it costs a little more. He is fiercely proud of his commitment to our economy, and to his sense of patriotic loyalty. It is not all idealistic, however, as he cites quality control, customs, and several of his clients, such as the U.S. military, that insist on buying American.

Michael Lowney is not an old man: He is 42 years old, with two young children, and a wife who is a stay-at-home mom. Nevertheless, he reflects that even in his short tenure, let alone those of his father and grandfather, that while the braid business itself has not changed significantly—because it is fairly static in terms of its decorative abilities and how it's applied—the garments for which braid is used have changed enormously. It used to be that the big band houses would purchase loads of braid for fabulous and showy marching uniforms made of woolens and polyesters. Today's garments are less about braid and chauvinistic old world regalia but more about a kind of "Star Trekky" tighter fitting stretch appeal.

Noting the passing of history even in his business, he reminisces: "The colors are the same, but the fabrics, the styles, the garments are totally different," he says. "We've had several of our customers since the '60s, but the volume is down because so many things have changed. In addition, he reckons with the reality that so much is indeed going on offshore, and that many of the smaller American ‘mom and pop' shops are gone."

"We're in a small industry," he admits, "and there's only so much of the pie to go around. Still, we're very lucky, considering what's going on out there in this economy, that we're doing as well as we are, so we must be doing something right."

With that, Michael Lowney smiles about the Grip-Flex Corporation and admits he's looking forward to the next 50 years of successful production, and that hopefully, his own children will be the fourth generation to become involved in this very fine and creative company.

Want to learn more? Visit http://www.gripflexcorporation.com/ or call 215-743-7492

Debra Hindlemann Webster is the owner of Custom Uniform Company, a manufacturer of high-quality, American-made custom uniforms. The company has been serving individuals, groups, theme parks, corporations, offices, military, hospitality, entertainment centers, and many other businesses with unique custom apparel for more than 70 years.

Visit http://www.customuniformcompany.com/ or email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to learn more.