TEXTILES.ORG
Growing demand for graphics
November 1st, 2023
Fred’s Tents mastered the look and feel of a cabin for a Chattanooga Tent customer’s lodge-themed birthday party by printing the tent’s roof panels and sidewalls with a wood pattern and applying a faux wood finish to the tent’s framework and poles. Image: Fred’s Tents While ushering the world into a new digital era, the […]
Andrea Lynn on how shade sails have kept her creative
October 1st, 2023
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 has been more than worthwhile, but if I […]
Scott Neville: Prioritize trust to join legacy companies
July 1st, 2023
Fifteen years ago, Scott Neville was a newcomer to the shade industry. In partnership with his father, Ron, he has since acquired three renowned awning companies with more than 300 years of combined industry leadership. And he’s just getting started. An avid challenge-seeker, Neville joined the industry in 2008 in Springfield, Mo. He and his […]
Weathering all seasons
January 1st, 2023
© Mark Skalny Photography Sails have propelled Brydon Roe’s personal and professional paths for as long as he can remember. He and his brother grew up boating and windsurfing on the lakes of Ontario, Canada, before getting their first jobs at a windsurfing shop and eventually opening their own. Enticed by its sunny beaches, they […]
Mike Charlton defines success on his own terms
November 1st, 2022
Brian Newson Photography. Mike Charlton begins most weekdays with a leisurely cup of coffee on his back porch with his wife and business partner, Rachel Charlton, in Yorktown, Va. They typically leave for work by 9 a.m., where they fabricate custom marine canvas projects until 5 p.m.—at the latest. If they’re a few minutes late, […]
Exceeding expectations
February 1st, 2022
Shari Albertson is vice president of sales at Austin Canvas & Awning, a commercial and residential awning manufacturer and installer in Charlotte, N.C. She has over 15 years of awning sales experience and is the qualifying representative for the company’s general contractor’s licenses in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Yet nearly every time Albertson […]
Glenn Russell & Wayne Heflin: Strength in Simplicity
October 1st, 2021
Photography by Evan Anderson Photography / Film 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 recently established […]
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 […]
Matthew Dickerson: Daring to succeed
January 1st, 2021
A 6-by-4-inch yellow paint chip sits in a shadow box on the office wall of Matthew Dickerson, president and CEO of Tenshon, a shade sail manufacturer in Mesa, Ariz. More than a conversation starter, it symbolizes one of the most profound moments—and failures—of Dickerson’s career. Low on funds and barely two years into getting the […]
Breaking barriers in the textile industry for people who are blind
November 1st, 2020
National Industries for the Blind creates growth opportunities in the textiles industry for people who are blind or visually impaired. by Holly Eaman For many, 2020 has been a year of recognizing and working to overcome limitations—a technique that partners and employees of National Industries for the Blind (NIB) have mastered since 1938. Headquartered in […]