Living architecture

January 1, 2010  |  Business

Green roofs and walls, firmly planted in geotextiles, are a growing market. By Frank Edgerton Martin Jeffrey Bruce, FASLA, recalls that when he first came to Kansas City, Mo., from New Jersey as a young landscape architect, he drove out west into Kansas to see the plains. As the sun was setting, the…
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Belli relies on relationships

January 1, 2010  |  Features, Management, Perspective

Joe Belli drives business by making the most of relationships. By Sigrid Tornquist “Relationship selling is absolutely where it’s at,” says Joe Belli, design and estimating department manager and part owner of Eide Industries Inc. in Cerritos, Calif. “Sometimes people think it’s the lowest…
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To lay off or not to lay off?

January 1, 2010  |  Management

The Shared Work program can help answer the question of how to keep employees while reducing labor costs. By Sigrid Tornquist Anyone who’s been laid off from a job knows that the experience is usually accompanied by emotional and financial hardships. And anyone who’s had to lay off a val…
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Fabrics, coatings and finishes

December 1, 2009  |  Business, Features

Coatings customize fabrics for the perfect match with customers’ applications. By Barb Ernster There are countless combinations of fabrics, coatings, finishes and coating methods to achieve different specifications for a wide spectrum of applications. From simple vinyl tarps to highly engineer…
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How green is your supply chain?

December 1, 2009  |  Business, Features

Strong, sustainable performance management strategies create links among like-minded businesses—and with your customers. By Don Carli If your company isn’t planning to address greening your supply chain this year, you may want to rethink your plan. More likely than not, your customers, y…
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How to prepare for a natural disaster

December 1, 2009  |  Management

Why you need a good disaster-preparedness plan, and how to put one in place. By William J. Lynott Many of the thousands of small businesses destroyed by the catastrophic effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will never reopen their doors. Many others are already back in operation and on their way t…
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Welander solves design problems for fabric structures

December 1, 2009  |  Features, Management, Perspective

Mark Welander uses his penchant for simplicity and accuracy to solve fabrication dilemmas. By Sigrid Tornquist “When you’re trying to get information, try to find the bull’s-eye,” says Mark Welander, MFC, owner of Fabricon in Missoula, Mont. “You need to have accuracy and good information …
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Good media relations can grow your business

November 23, 2009  |  Marketing

Free publicity is available when you develop relationships with the press. by Pam Lontos As a business owner, you’ve probably heard media exposure can greatly help your company, especially during tough economic times when marketing budgets are low and competition is high. Learning to leverage …
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What do customers really want?

November 1, 2009  |  Business, Features, Management

Perfecting the art of mind reading. By Jamie Swedberg It’s conventional wisdom that in a sluggish economy, what consumers desire more than anything else is a low price. But when business owners in the specialty textiles industry ask themselves the question “What do our customers want fro…
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Planning ‘forever’ tax savings

November 1, 2009  |  Management

Strategies to keep your tax bill at its legal minimum, year after year. By Mark E. Battersby Now is the best time to think about reducing your operation’s tax bill—even lower than the point the economy may have driven it to. And, of course, to keep that tax bill at its legal minimum for …
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