Harvey Howalt

F. Harvey Howalt, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on July 6, 2021.

Harvey was born on November 12, 1926, to Frederick Harvey Howalt, Sr. (Ricky) and Gertrude French Howalt (Trudy). He spent his early years in the Boston, MA area where he attended Boston English High School and Boston University for both undergraduate studies and law.

Harvey also served in the United States Army Air Corp towards the end of WWII flying Mitchell A-26’s that were to support the Marines in Japan. Ironically, it was his brief time in the Army and a particularly annoying Sergeant that convinced Harvey he would someday be in business for himself—be his own boss.

Harvey went to work at the Tillotson Rubber Company in Massachusetts in the late 1940’s. The owner, Neil Tillotson, would become the most influential person in Harvey’s life—his mentor, life-long friend, father-in-law, and business partner for 45 years.

Neil Tillotson was an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur, inventing and manufacturing among other things the toy balloon and the Nitrile exam glove that is still the #1 selling exam glove in the world today. Among Neil’s holdings was a sewing operation in Menlo, GA not far from Dalton. A salesman from this operation who was visiting MA told Harvey and Neil of the burgeoning tufted textile industry in the Dalton area and the need for some type of backing to hold the tufts in place and to keep the goods from slipping on the floor.

Harvey and Neil took this as a challenge and sent Roy back to Dalton with a modified version of a latex glove dip compound that Barwick Mills would experiment with. From this simple experiment, the idea that would eventually become Textile Rubber & Chemical Company, Inc. (TRCC) began taking shape.

With financial backing from Mr. Tillotson, Harvey and his wife (carrying their soon-to-be first child) moved from Boston to the hills of Northwest Georgia in 1952 and started TRCC. TRCC was officially incorporated in 1956.

TRCC’s first compounding operation was located in the Simms Warehouse on Waugh Street. Harvey would sell, provide technical service, and even occasionally help make deliveries in those early days. His first “official” customer was Mr. Harry Saul (Queen Carpet). TRCC moved to its present location and global headquarters in 1961.

From these humble beginnings Harvey and his team of capable managers built a thriving global business (with facilities in ten (10) Countries) over the past 70 years…and they never lost sight of the customer.

Though flooring remains an integral part of its business, TRCC has expanded both organically and through acquisition into making products for water treatment, mining, personal care (cosmetics/shampoo), medical devices, the paper industry, grease and lubricants, and paint to name just a few.

Harvey’s real passion was always the sea and sailing. In fact, Harvey would tell you his desire to get from the NW Ga mountains to the sea as frequently as possible made him a more successful businessman. To ensure TRCC ran smoothly while he was away sailing, Harvey always sought out the very best partners, managers, and team members and truly delegated responsibility to them…a management trait seldom encountered. People have always been the lifeblood of TRCC, and many of Harvey’s closest relationships over the past seven decades were with his colleagues.

Harvey loved sailing so much, whether cruising or racing, that he helped expand another business of  Mr. Tillotson’s, Alden Yachts, into Portsmouth, RI. This might not have been one of their wisest investments, but they sure enjoyed the business and the unique challenges that came along with it. Portsmouth and the Newport area were among Harvey’s favorite places in the world.

Apart from business and sailing, Harvey devoted much time to reading, painting, music (both playing and listening), singing gospel hymns (“Do Lord” in particular), sea shanties, and calypso, playing any kind of thinking game, reciting poetry, and collecting beautiful memories. He also enjoyed snow skiing, SCUBA diving, tennis, and fly fishing.

Harvey was dedicated to education and simply helping others. In addition to helping many family members and friends with college expense, Harvey started a scholarship program at TRCC in the 1980’s to help children of employees pay for college. Today that program supports eight (8) full-time college students annually. TRCC also recently endowed two (2) scholarships at Dalton State College.

When it came to local support there was not a school program or little league team in the area Harvey was not ready to support, and in every Dalton parade you could always count on seeing a beautiful orange and blue truck from TRCC. Though often done anonymously, Harvey and TRCC still proudly help support over 100 local organizations or programs each year.

After a long and loving courtship, Harvey married his wife Dee in 1987. They spent many wonderful years exploring the world together and sailing its seas. From a sunrise over Mount Everest to a sunset looking West towards Montego Bay, Harvey’s time with Dee created a treasure trove of beautiful memories which he valued above all else.

Harvey was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jay Howalt. He is survived by his loving wife Dee, many family members, and dear friends too numerous to list whom he truly counted as family.

Harvey was cremated per his wishes and family and friends will hold a private Celebration of Life in the coming days.

The family asks that flowers be omitted and anyone wishing to make a memorial gift direct those to The Creative Arts Guild or The Peeples Cancer Center.