deering milliken company was co-founded by roger's grandfather, seth milliken, and william deering in 1865. the small woolens fabric company was initially based in portland, maine, but moved to new york city in 1868 after william deering left deering milliken to start the deering harvester company (which is today known as navistar international). in 1884, deering milliken company invested in its first property near spartanburg, south carolina, where the company's headquarters have been based since 1958. in 1976, deering milliken officially became milliken & company.