Business Women Awards 2022
Achievement Honoree Clare King, Propel LLC
CLARE KING LIKES to mix things up.
She sees opportunity in combinations others may not. This might explain why her Pawtucket company, Propel LLC, solves problems by bridging two seemingly unrelated sectors – textile manufacturing and technology.
A London native, King’s undergraduate degree from Oxford University wasn’t in just one major but in a combination of subjects: philosophy, politics and economics. Her graduate degree, from Princeton University’s School of International Affairs in New Jersey, was in public affairs – equipping her for public policy work and economic analysis.
“I like to think I work in economic development in the innovation space. I always say that my Oxford education taught me how to ask questions and my Princeton education taught me how to answer them,” said King, who started Propel in 2006. “I use that knowledge to figure out how to attack a problem. There is never one solution.”
King has long found opportunities in contract work with the military, such as from 1995 to 2000 when she served as director of sales and marketing for a North Smithfield manufacturer that specialized in films and laminates.
Starting her own company has allowed King freedom to explore and pursue work she deems as profitable or interesting in a market where she sees great promise. But while her economic training leads her, King says she also operates on instinct.
She is constantly referencing Propel’s profit-and-loss statement to see where the company spends its money and time.
Case in point: Her purchase of a 3D knitting machine a few years ago – a $160,000 investment. 3D knitting creates seamless garments without the need for sewing or cutting. This eliminates wasted fabric and the need to keep inventory, and cuts carbon emissions and energy usage. King says 3D knitting is showing even more promise with pandemic supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine prompting more U.S. companies to consider purchasing domestic products.