# Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95 (business owner who paid employees after the building burned)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 7, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919 "2021-11-07T01:45:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919/1 "2021-11-07T01:45:48Z")

</div>

The company he owned, Malden Mills, has since been sold, but PolarTec fleece is still American-made. He sounded like a good and humble man.

> **[Aaron Feuerstein, Malden Mills owner who paid workers after inferno destroyed...](https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/aaron-feuerstein-malden-mills-owner-who-paid-workers-after-inferno-destroyed-his-mill-dies-95/SZNGSTXATJAUVI53LX6HG56VEE/)**
>
> Aaron Feuerstein made local and national headlines after announcing he would continue to pay his 1,400 workers, even though the mill they worked at was destroyed, weeks before Christmas in 1995.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919/2 "2021-11-07T09:03:59Z")

</div>

I always thought he was a stand-up guy. Loyal of his employees and his community. They in turn were loyal to him.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919/3 "2021-11-07T17:08:19Z")

</div>

Well said Encinitas. I was going to say just about the exact same thing.

I remember hearing, second or third hand, that some in the business press were puzzled at why he didn’t use the fire to just pack up and move to chase lower wages and lower regs.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaron-feuerstein-dies-at-95-business-owner-who-paid-employees-after-the-building-burned/953919/4 "2021-11-07T20:05:28Z")

</div>

A good man. Because of his actions I would purposely buy polar fleece. While they were rebuilding he paid salaries as long as he could, then he kept up medical until he was able to get the factory running.