Promote awnings with the “All About Fabric Awnings” guide
March 15th, 2024
Awning fabricators and installers have another tool to educate the construction industry about the benefits of awnings. The Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA), a division of the Advanced Textiles Association, has issued a revised All About Fabric Awnings: A Guide for Architects, Design Professionals, and City Officials for the first time in more than a decade. The […]
Valcourt Group acquires AwnClean USA
December 12th, 2023
The Valcourt Group, a provider of window cleaning, waterproofing, and facade restoration services for commercial properties, announced its recent acquisition of woman-owned AwnClean USA, based in Tampa, Florida. This strategic move maintains the momentum Valcourt has been building to strengthen its position as an industry leader in exterior commercial building services while expanding its presence within […]
The role of fabric, shade in reducing embodied carbon
August 1st, 2023
Using the Adaptive Reuse strategy, FTL Design Engineering Studio retrofitted an unused baseball stadium in Bridgeport, Conn., to reduce embodied carbon with an all-fabric roof and signature entry marquee. The ROI was a tenfold increase in tickets sold vs. the original baseball team. Photo: Carl B. Vernlund Photography By now it is standard baseline that […]
Awnings encourage natural light and offer shade protection
June 1st, 2023
Natural light can help reduce energy usage in our buildings. This is a lesson known for centuries but seemingly forgotten after the 1940s with postwar technological advances in air conditioning (coupled with the Modernist design movement that declared “ornament is a crime”). These stripped-down building facades spoke volumes about a new era of high-tech materials […]
2023 Specialty Fabrics Showcase, Part 2
May 1st, 2023
Awnings, tents, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: Regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to send us information about their latest high-performance textiles. We’ve organized the […]
2023 Specialty Fabrics Showcase, Part 1
April 1st, 2023
Tents, awnings, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: Regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to send us information about their latest high-performance textiles. We’ve organized the […]
Keeping up the shade market momentum
April 1st, 2021
Incorporating Sattler, Sunbrella and Norbar fabrics, ShadeFLA recently shaded the pool deck at Goodtime Hotel in Miami, Fla., including 17 cabanas, awnings for two bars and coverage for a 1,200-square-foot restaurant. Photo: ShadeFLA. Shade is on everyone’s mind, according to Margueritte Ramos, owner and sales manager of ShadeFLA. The Miami, Fla.-based company designs and installs […]
Get stand-out awnings with digital printing
November 10th, 2020
With today’s digital printing options, there’s no reason for an awning client to be limited to colors and patterns in a book or traditional customization methods, according to Andrew Medley, regional sales manager for Trivantage. “Digital printing offers unlimited capabilities, and it is a solution to providing the customer exactly what they want—personalized messaging, the […]
Tips for making the right product decisions
November 5th, 2020
A Trivantage-sponsored education session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 called “Making the Right Product Decisions” was filled with detailed information about product choices and installation tips to help fabricators successfully create shade projects in commercial, vertical, shade sail, upholstery and marine applications. The session gave participants an in-depth survey of the company’s shade products and […]
Finders, keepers: long-term customer loyalty
November 1st, 2019
Attracting customers in the market for shade products is one thing; retaining them for future business is another. Managing both objectives requires establishing connections that are meaningful and lasting. by Pamela Mills-Senn A quick Google search on “connecting with customers” reveals all sorts of advice, usually in the form of the “seven best ways,” or the […]