Decoding standards, regulation and certification

November 1, 2021  |  Feature

With sustainability increasingly on consumers’ minds, textile end product manufacturers (EPMs) are tasked with ensuring that the eco-friendly claims they make about their products and production processes are valid. This can prove challenging, as can staying on top of industry-changing regulations…
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Hoover Architectural Products blends fabric, metal

October 29, 2021  |  Feature, Perspective

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” contains a lot of truth, but there’s also a risk of stagnation if a company doesn’t adapt to changing times. When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, Matt Carroll knew it was time for his family’s fabric-awning business to stretch its capabilitie…
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The exhibit experience

October 29, 2021  |  Feature

It remains a fact that it’s still too soon to know when life and work will truly get back to normal. An optimistic spring and summer in 2021 turned into an uncertain fall as the COVID-19 pandemic moved into its fourth phase. Nowhere is this more evident than the trade show sector. With the industr…
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Glenn Russell & Wayne Heflin: Strength in Simplicity

October 1, 2021  |  Feature, Perspective

In 1984, Wayne Heflin and Glenn Russell met in a hallway of a U.S. handbag manufacturer. A seasoned professional within the fashion industry, Russell was the company’s financial controller. Heflin, a Vietnam veteran who entered the leather goods and fashion arena after his service ended, had recen…
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In the market for new markets

October 1, 2021  |  Feature

The advantages of diversification are well-known. Serving multiple markets can help a business grow, and when one market experiences a downturn, other markets can help prop up a company. According to the 2021 State of the Industry report published by Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFA…
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Relocating your business

October 1, 2021  |  Feature

Growing the business is an objective for nearly every owner, but with this comes a sometimes unanticipated consequence—outgrowing the facility’s space, making a move the only logical recourse. Consider American Tent LLC. Currently housed in Green Bay, Wis., the commercial and party tent manufact…
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Booming business of self-care technologies

October 1, 2021  |  Feature

The idea of caring for our health and wellness is no longer confined to New Agers or the self-obsessed. According to “Feeling Good: The Future of the $1.5 Trillion Wellness Market,” a report by global consulting firm McKinsey & Co., “A rise in both consumer interest and purchasing power pr…
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Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes

September 1, 2021  |  Feature

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up tens of thousands of public gathering spaces by forcing proprietors to move their services outdoors and onto sidewalks and street fronts. While it is unclear how long these outdoor public sheltered spaces will remain in place, reports across the U.S. indicate that…
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