About the Loves

Martha and Spencer Love

After consulting with readers and scholars, Business North Carolina published a list of the 20 most-influential business figures in the history of North Carolina. The individuals selected were tagged the titans of 20th-century Tar Heel business. James Spencer Love was ranked first on the list. Quoting from the March 1999 issue of Business North Carolina: Love was responsible for “an unparalleled textile corporation in the creation of Burlington Industries.”

While others continued to rely on commission houses to move their merchandise, Love opened his own New York sales office to create a brand that both the domestic and international markets would demand. He was a fierce competitor, taking awesome risks, diversifying, investing heavily in new technology and new methods to make his mills more efficient and productive — all to keep a half-step ahead of a pack in a business that was constantly changing.

Martha Love provided a partnership with Spencer that greatly influenced the success of Burlington Industries. The faculty and students of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business are continuing to strive to further the rich legacy provided by Martha and Spencer Love.