Carnegie Mourns Passing of Founder Robert Goldman
Robert Goldman, the founder and CEO of Carnegie Fabrics passed away at 90 years of age on October 2nd, 2015.
Bob founded Carnegie in 1950 and the company continues to be a vibrant family-run business 65 years later.Ā To the market he was an innovator, to his employees he was a kind and generous leader known as Mr G.Ā His door was always open to anyone at the company, whether they needed help, life advice or encouragement.Ā He put people first, no matter if they were employees, clients or business partners.
He created the category of textile wallcoverings in 1971 and it became a signature product for Carnegie. From this foundation, he launched Xorel in 1981, which gave designers a choice beyond paint and vinyl wallcovering in high traffic areas, effectively creating the category of high performance textiles. Besides the performance aspect, Xorel was a sustainable breakthrough earning C2C Silver Certification in 2007.Ā In 2013 another huge leap forward was taken when biobased Xorel was launched, earning a C2C Gold Certification.
Bob was years ahead of the market in recognizing the impact that materials could have on the planet, steering Carnegie towards being the first PVC-free company in the industry.
Bob was a born and bred New Yorker, graduating from Dee Witt Clinton High School as its Salutorian at 16 years of age.Ā After WWII broke out, he enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 17 serving in North Africa, Europe and then the Pacific.Ā He graduated from Columbia University and then broke into the business world.Ā Ā During his lifetime he championed many worthy causes especially thoseĀ associated with the state of Israel.
Throughout the development of the company Bob worked tirelessly on instilling a strong set of core values based on innovation, respect for the environment and transparency, which still direct Carnegie today under the leadership of Robert Goldmanās son, Cliff Goldman.
