Arun Agarwal runs one of the country’s top textile companies and has made Dallas his home.
Privately owned Nextt produces textiles — sheets, pillow covers, quilts, and comforters — for many major U.S. retailers. Clocking half a billion dollars in revenue annually, the company revolutionized the bed-sheet industry by making sheets wrinkle-free. It employs 50 people in Dallas and nearly 200 nationwide.
Despite his success, the Indian-born CEO finds time to serve on the board of directors of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas Economic Development Corporation. He also volunteers his time serving as board president of Dallas Park & Recreation and as chairman of Dallas’ Community Bond Task Force Committee. He also chairs the Indian American CEO Council.
How does the renowned 51-year-old cotton trader and real-estate investor do it?
“You surround yourself with people who are better than you and empower them,” Agarwal told The Dallas Express. “Then you see the magic happen. I am very fortunate at my day job that I have a team that’s knowledgeable, empowered, and taking care of customers. That helps in letting me be involved with the community.”
The textile business has been volatile for retailers over the last two decades. Agarwal said his company has stayed on top because it is always looking for a competitive edge.
“About 15-16 years back, the sheets were wrinkled when they came out of the dryer after you washed them,” Agarwal explained. “I used to see wrinkle-free Dockers pants 15 years ago. I wondered, why can’t we do the same thing with sheets?”
The company ended up doing just that.
“We were the first to bring wrinkle-free sheets to the business,” he said proudly. “My biggest regret is that we did not patent it. Now, it has become something expected in a sheet, that it will not wrinkle. Similarly, technology has evolved in aprons. You will never see a dirty apron anymore. When liquid falls on the apron, it does not stain. We have realized we have to be on it every day.”
Agarwal said he could have done business anywhere. Nexxt has offices in Chicago, New York, and Bentonville. It also has a third-party shipping hub in Charleston, South Carolina. He said he chose Dallas as his headquarters because “it is the best place to do business.”
“We are in a vibrant economy and have the best airport in the world,” Agarwal said. “I can be anywhere in the United States in [a few] hours. The cost of living here is competitive with any major city. The quality of the labor force is phenomenal. The only negative is that we are not on the port, like Houston. Sometimes in distribution, it is a handicap.”
Mayor Eric Johnson appointed Agarwal to head up Dallas Park & Recreation’s board in 2020. As president, Agarwal led efforts to improve parks and expand trails. He said that green spaces are key to the quality of life and economic development in Dallas.
“Employers are going where employees will be happy, where there is a good quality of life,” he told The Dallas Express. “You have to have good parks and green spaces. You have to have sports teams, museum districts, all of that. Parks are important as a selling point. Dallas has not been blessed with mountains, rivers, and other natural resources like in California, so we have to make a conscious effort to clear green space.”
Having served with Abbott to encourage economic development, Agarwal has become familiar with the state and what makes it attractive to foreign investment.
“I was on a trip with the governor to Stuttgart and Paris and learned that people have put Texas in a box,” Agarwal said. “They think Texas is only oil and gas. But we are leaders in semiconductors. We have the biggest medical center in Houston. We are big in pharmaceuticals. We have a diverse economy. As people realize it more and more, through our work, people and countries will get more and more interested in Texas. As big as Texas is, we have even bigger days ahead of us.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Mayor Johnson appointed Agarwal to chair the Community Bond Task Force Committee for the 2024 Capital Bond Program. The committee will work with Johnson, the Dallas City Council, and City staff in reviewing, recommending, and selecting $1.1 billion in projects for 2024.
“If we make the right investments, it will change the city for the next 15-20 years,” Agarwal said.
Johnson has said he wants the city’s next bond program to focus mostly on the “Three P’s” — public safety, potholes, and parks.
When the mayor appointed him, Agarwal said in a statement, “I’m particularly excited to help make major investments in parks, trails, and recreational facilities. I look forward to working with Mayor Johnson, my colleagues on the task force, and the residents of Dallas as we work to prioritize our city’s most pressing needs.”
Married with one daughter, Agarwal said his life is busy and exciting and that he would not change a thing, except his ongoing battle with kidney stones.
“It is invigorating,” he said of his life. “There are no two days that are the same. Work is going at a good pace, and I feel fortunate to be a part of what is happening with the city,” he told The Dallas Express.