Fabric on the frontier

February 1, 2016  |  Features, Perspective

Eric Walton and Devlin Mckee bring fabric solutions to Alaska’s wild and wondrous terrain. “The remote area where we work can be a challenge so we have to be flexible and willing to do lots of different things,” say Eric Walton, MFC, and Devlin McKee, CC, owners of Custom Canvas Alaska…
Back to shore

January 1, 2016  |  Business, Features, Management, Perspective

Jeff Schmitt balances the reality of off-shore manufacturing with how to bring production back to the U.S. “At the end of the day we’ve got to figure out ways to be competitive,” says Jeff Schmitt, senior vice president of operations for The Coleman Company Inc., Golden, Colo. “As the pe…
Charting a course

December 1, 2015  |  Business, Features, Management, Perspective

Incoming IFAI board chair Katie Bradford takes the helm, using business expertise and networking know-how to lead the association. “I believe good leadership encourages participation and embraces differences,” says Katie Bradford, MFC, IFM, incoming chair of the Industrial Fabrics Associatio…
Demand + supply = prevail

October 1, 2015  |  Awnings & Canopies, Business, Features, Management, Markets, Perspective, Tents

Robert Cole brings decades of experience and common sense to the time-honored but always evolving economic model of supply and demand. One of the great things this industry has to offer is the quality of its suppliers,” says Robert Cole, IFAI Honored Life Member (HLM) and owner of Goodwin-Cole, Sa…
No fear

September 1, 2015  |  Features, Perspective

Per Lindstrand sees obstacles as stepping stones as he develops new methods and products for fabric engineering. Never be afraid to stick your head out. I’d rather have my head slapped one time too many than too little,” says aeronautical engineer Per Lindstrand, founder and president of Lindstr…
Selling shade

August 1, 2015  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Markets, Perspective

Conrad Masterson builds his business by focusing on what clients really want—and what employees need. “The first thing I learned when I entered the shade sail industry was to focus on what the customer really wants,” says Conrad Masterson, president of SHADE Industries, Phoenix, Ariz. “T…
Beyond the competition

July 1, 2015  |  Fabric Structures, Features, Perspective

Patty and Charly Smail build their business by learning from each new customer—and finding gaps in what the competition offers. We’ve always been service-oriented people. That’s our style,” says Patty Smail, president of Shelter Structures Inc. in Philadelphia, Pa. “We wanted to find marke…
Form & function

June 1, 2015  |  Features, Perspective

Dr. Maureen MacGillivray uses her functional apparel expertise to design and test textiles and teach those skills to the next generation. By Sigrid Tornquist People sometimes feel like all the good ideas have already been thought of and nothing new can be created,” says Maureen MacGillivray, Ph.D.…
From surviving to thriving

May 1, 2015  |  Business, Features, Management, Perspective

Dan Hooks propels his organization to new heights by maximizing regional opportunities and building a management team. “Surviving the latest recession taught us several lessons about the financial health of our company and what we needed to change in order to go from surviving to thriving,” …
Productivity paired

April 1, 2015  |  Features, Management, Perspective

Father and son team Stewart and Ross Brown embrace the challenge of change by making the most of their strengths.