Ron Nissenbaum reflects on Humphrys’ 150 years

September 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

With early but short-lived career aspirations of becoming a sports broadcaster, Ron “Boots” Nissenbaum instead built a 56-year career providing a different type of coverage—several types, in fact. As CEO of Humphrys, Nissenbaum oversees three separate Philadelphia, Pa.,-based companies under t…
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Boats and beyond: Vince Innocenzi’s Chicago Marine Canvas

July 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

Vince Innocenzi’s Chicago Marine Canvas business started with a coincidence. A boat owner himself, he noticed that the boat in a neighboring slip at the marina had been uncovered for months. At the time, he was working as a banker, with a side business importing patio furniture and selling it onli…
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Rian True connects Carolina CoverTech to core values

May 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

Founded as Bailie’s Furniture Company in 1858, Carolina CoverTech of North Augusta, S.C., is thriving in its third—and most transformative—era, due to the leadership of CEO Rian True. His early efforts in reshaping the company’s approach to manufacturing laid the foundation for a strategic v…
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Keri Ames grows Yachtsman’s Canvas, trains fabricators

April 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

Keri Ames' career path in the marine fabric world is full of statements that begin with “never did I ever.” Never did she ever think she’d take her family’s sailing hobby to the next level, run a marine canvas business or teach courses through Yachtsman’s Canvas Marine Canvas Training.
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The happiness effect at American Tent

March 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

Tony Ehrbar, owner and CEO of American Tent LLC, in Green Bay, Wis., didn’t realize he wanted to be an entrepreneur until he was 32. Burned out from years of consulting work and dissatisfied with corporate life, he was inspired to take on a new professional challenge after watching an episode of S…
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Rachal McCarthy builds on 40 years of progress at NTI Global

February 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

When life throws you curveballs, you either need to duck or hit them. Just ask Rachal McCarthy, who is redefining what’s possible for women in the textiles and manufacturing industries.
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Roy Chism on making the most of opportunity, ATA membership

January 1, 2024  |  Features, Perspective

In 2021, Roy Chism retired as owner and operator of The Chism Co. Inc., the canvas and metal fabrication shop his father founded 70 years prior in San Antonio, Texas. Though Chism occupied several roles throughout the years, his earliest task remained most critical to continuing his father’s succe…
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Banner Canvas’ Faith Roberts on the value of ATA networking

November 1, 2023  |  Features, Perspective

Although Faith Roberts’ business has been mostly a one-woman show for almost 40 years, she has always been a firm believer in the power of networking.
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Andrea Lynn on how shade sails have kept her creative

October 1, 2023  |  Features, Perspective

It takes less than a five-minute conversation with Andrea Lynn to appreciate her earnest enthusiasm for shade sails—which is why her reflection on a decades-long career in the industry may come as a surprise. “I jumped into the business with rose-colored glasses on,” she muses. “This journey…
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10 business lessons from Southern Stitch of Gulfport, Miss.

August 1, 2023  |  Features, Perspective

There’s a saying that chance favors the prepared. Sometimes that preparation can take some surprising forms. Just ask Steven Wayne, founder and operator at Southern Stitch Canvas & Upholstery LLC in Gulfport, Miss. 
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