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Woman with brown hair wearing a white jacket stands next to a table displaying red awnings, with a logo reading "LIBERTY" in the background.

Liberty Awnings and Shades’ Amy Huette shares business tips

March 1st, 2026

Photography by Matt Young Photography In the Valley of the Sun, there’s no shortage of companies selling awnings. That’s why Amy Huette wasn’t quite sure how to respond when about 25 years ago in Colorado, her father proposed a new business venture in Phoenix, Ariz. “He asked, ‘Do you want to sell shade in the […]

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L-shaped seating area featuring light gray upholstery and a sleek white frame, designed for comfort in a modern setting.

Sitting pretty: Upholstery trends in vehicles

March 1st, 2026

Canvas Designers Inc. gave this outdoor seating area a more modern, updated look using a Sunbrella® furniture fabric with a Dri-Fast® foam interior for the new flybridge cushions. Image: Canvas Designers Manufacturer advancements in upholstery textile technology are enabling fabricators to meet a broad range of end-user needs and to stay on top of the […]

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Two workers on ladders adjust a large red awning above a porch with white railings, surrounded by greenery and a gray house.

Businesses boost revenue through value-added services

March 1st, 2026

Employees at Al’s Awning Shop Inc. take down a residential awning in Erie, Pa. The family-owned business offers installation, maintenance, takedown, and repair services for its custom-made outdoor curtains and awnings. For businesses of all sizes, expanding into service-based revenue streams can unlock new income, deepen customer loyalty and even spark spinoff companies. Added services […]

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Soldier in camouflage gear prepares to descend from a helicopter, overlooking a lush green landscape and dirt paths below.

Doing business with the U.S. military

March 1st, 2026

Students in the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course conduct a paradrop from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter July 25, 2025, at Ledo South Drop Zone on Fort Benning, Georgia. Image: U.S. Army/Capt. Stephanie Snyder How to introduce a product into the U.S. military marketplace is a big question for companies. For many of those who have […]

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Group photo of Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures employees outdoors, in front of a building with a blue and gray design, under a clear sky.

The ESOP solution

March 1st, 2026

The team for Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures gathers in St. Louis, Mo. The company has been 100% employee-owned since 2015. Image: Lawrence What happens to an owner’s company when they retire and no successor is available to take the reins? The answer might be all around them—on the shop floor, among the sales staff […]

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Scientist in a lab coat and gloves operates equipment, interacting with a touchscreen on a device, with a computer monitor displaying data.

PFAS testing: What textile companies need to know

March 1st, 2026

Scientists at ClarosLabs™, a division of Claros™ Technologies Inc., can analyze textiles for PFAS at detection levels reaching parts per trillion and provide companies with a benchmark for their products. Image: Claros™ Technologies Inc. Many jurisdictions have current and forthcoming regulations banning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a variety of products, including textiles. Laboratory […]

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White, oval roof surrounded by dense greenery, with pathways and structures visible below, depicting a spacious outdoor area.

Shelter-Rite roof replacement has acrobatics above and below

March 1st, 2026

Circus Juventas, St. Paul, Minn., replaced the Shelter-Rite tensioned fabric roof on its building as it was making insulation upgrades. Image: Seaman Corp. Last summer, performing arts circus school Circus Juventas in St. Paul, Minn., looked into improving its building’s efficiency, including better insulation to reduce energy use and to address condensation concerns. Although the […]

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Reju announces site selection for French Regeneration Hub

February 27th, 2026

Image: Reju Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company based in Paris, France, has announced the site selection for a new Regeneration Hub in Lacq, France. "This French Regeneration Hub builds on our strategy to industrialize a circular post-consumer textile-to-textile model," says Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. "By leveraging France’s ambitious circular-economy agenda and advancing our technology […]

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Logo featuring "ATA" in bold black letters, accompanied by colorful circular accents in red, green, and blue, with "ADVANCED TEXTILES ASSOCIATION" below.

ATA State of the Industry survey responses due March 6

February 26th, 2026

Advanced Textile Association's (ATA's) annual State of the Industry survey is accepting responses through March 6. The survey allows members to share their thoughts on the current state of the textile industry and what they envision for the future. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. Survey results will be […]

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Black text spelling "itema" with a red dot above the 'i', presented on a plain background.

Itema America acquires Palmetto Loom Reed

February 26th, 2026

Itema America, the U.S. subsidiary of Colzate (Bergamo) Itema Group, has acquired Greenville, S.C.-based Palmetto Loom Reed. The move expands Itema’s capabilities and signals a long-term commitment to localized service and manufacturing support for North American textile producers. "This is the best outcome I could imagine,” says Gladys Richardson, Palmetto president. “Itema shares our customer-first […]

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