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Another group of first-time visitors congregates in front of Cotton Incorporated's World headquarters in Cary, NC. Like hundreds before them -- cotton growers, yarn spinners, textile manufacturers and equipment suppliers -- they will be taking a guided tour through the most comprehensive and sophisticated cotton research facility in the world.
At the entrance of the building stand several people, each holding a different colored flag that matches the colors of the small round stickers affixed to nametags issued earlier to the visitors. The mystery of the colored stickers is revealed, and the visitors now know who their tour leader is as they break into small groups, walking toward the appropriate flag.
Once led through the facility, most visitors seem impressed by the well-equipped laboratories, and how the design of the building strikes the difficult balance between form and function with an understated aesthetic. All through the tour, the flag-bearing guides maintain a business-like yet approachable demeanor. They are clearly rehearsed, but don't seem at all mechanical.
As professional as these tour guides may seem, however, they are not struggling actors or public relations specialists. They are, in fact, recruited from the ranks of Cotton Incorporated employees working in diverse disciplines.
Kathleen Van Winkle, for instance, was hired as Data Analyst for Fiber Quality Research about two years ago. While guiding tours is hardly her primary responsibility, Van Winkle -- usually called Katie -- realizes how important this duty is. "Many visitors know about our ad campaigns and The Seal of Cotton, but they often don't realize how much we do here," Van Winkle observes. "The tour is also a first impression of the facility and the people who work here."
This cheerful, energetic woman is certainly a worthy representative of her Cotton Incorporated colleagues, happily fielding all kinds of questions, often about the building itself. "People want to know how big the facility is (Answer: Over 125,000 square feet with more than 88,000 square feet devoted to research labs) and how many people work here (Answer: XX work in the Cary facility. Worldwide Cotton Incorporated employs 164.)," Van Winkle reports. "I'm also asked if the carpeting is made of cotton. (Answer: Yes, much of it is. In the form of various blends). They will also ask me if I'm wearing cotton, especially the growers," she laughs. "They might also ask how we like the new facility compared to the old place in Raleigh."
The overall level of curiosity she encounters, especially since most of these visitors are sophisticated business people, generally impresses Van Winkle. "Sometimes, they're like little kids in a museum," she jokes. "I take them into a lab, and they spread out like inquisitive ants until I corral them around the speaker. They'll even get lost in the building occasionally."
Perhaps the verve and good humor Van Winkle brings to her tour guide responsibilities can be attributed to her teaching background. Before joining Cotton, she was a fellow at the University of Massachusetts, and then went on to briefly teach at the Fayetteville military base. After deciding on a career change, Van Winkle saw a want ad placed by Cotton Incorporated. The Fiber Quality Research group needed someone who could not only analyze and interpret the myriad of data generated by the Fiber Quality Research laboratories and Cotton Incorporated research cooperators, but also present this information to allied industries in a form they would understand.
"I like to make complicated things more simple and understandable," she explains. The results of her efforts can be accessed through the Cotton Incorporated website every week, where several charts and graphs are posted containing cotton crop quality summaries. These include breakdowns by fiber characteristics for all the bales classed in the U.S. by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cotton Program, as well as by each regional classing office. "Every four or five weeks we'll put out more detailed reports, including graphics for distributions, which gives a much better picture of what's going on. We might compare characteristics early in the harvest season versus later in the season, and quality trends from one year to the next," she relates. "You also need to know performance related to these qualities. You can't just spit it out, you have to put it in the context of the business." Van Winkle's "user friendly" approach, like so many other activities at Cotton Incorporated, is in line with the mission to increase cotton consumption and profitability.
Van Winkle not only finds her work gratifying, as she has discovered that "people are actually using these reports," but fascinating, as well. " This has been educational because I didn't know anything about cotton before I came here," she admits.
"There are so many different things that affect cotton, including nature. That means there are lots of factors to consider, which adds levels of complication to the analysis that I was not accustom to before. From a statistical standpoint, it makes the problems very interesting," Van Winkle relates.
As her role with Fiber Quality Research expands, Van Winkle finds herself delivering presentations to outside groups and conferences, as well as working on several developing projects. But as busy as she gets, Van Winkle is not averse to conducting the occasional tour. "It keeps me in touch with the wide range of people interested in what we do here," she acknowledges. "And the reaction of visitors reminds me of how unique Cotton Incorporated is."
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