J.D. bassett
As much as any man, J. D. Bassett (b.1866 d. 1965), founder of the Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., shaped the complexion of the American Furniture Industry and established the South as the nation's predominant area for furniture manufacturing. He was responsible for starting a company that In 50 years went from being a shipper of raw lumber to the world's largest producer of wood furniture.
His foresight and competitive spirit helped spawn numerous other furniture manufacturing companies, among them Stanley, Vaughan, and Vaughan-Bassett, Hooker, United Furniture, Galax Mirror and Bassett Mirror, to whom he contributed manufacturing' know-how and Initial capital.
During the depression he gifted employees with hams and developed staggered work schedules to enable them to earn enough for their basic needs. Bassett founded the First National Bank of Bassett and helped his wife with construction of the Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church as well as a community and recreation center for the town.