The Globe Dye Works Story

After 140 years, Globe Dye Works Co. went out of business. Located in northern Philadelphia, the manufacturer of chemical dyes, treatments and related products was operated as a quintessential industrial enterprise by five generations of the Greenwood family. Earning its motto, “You can rely on Globe”, the company faithfully served its customers, employed thousands of dedicated employees, and became the economic foundation for its broader community.

After facing intense shifts in the competitive landscape, structural shifts in labor costs and decreased demand for its products and services, the company eventually stopped growing. After a long decline, and courageous attempts to reverse the company’s fortunes, Globe Dye finally closed its doors in 2005. Today, all that remains is the company’s gritty, industrial complex that sits along the northeast rail corridor. Now faded and rusted, the company’s iconic logo continues to tower prominently over the red brick buildings, tantamount to a warning sign that seems to ask: How can our fate be avoided?

The spirit of renewal as a testament to the spirit of GrowthThinking, in 2007 a new entity, The Globe Development Group, acquired the property and converted it into working spaces for an entirely new generation of entrepreneurs. With this new lease on life, the rusted Globe Dye sign and the old “You can Count on Globe” corporate motto can continue to inspire and reconfirm that growth and renewal can be more inevitable than decline and failure.

Catagenesis

In collaboration with The Philadelphia Sculptors, The Growth Strategy Company sponsored a Catagenesis exhibit and a documentary/video related to the story of Globe Dye Works.

Read More at Philadephia Sculptures online.