ADVANCED TEXTILES - Key Persons
Anton van Druten's knowledge of the stretch tent industry spans the globe, literally. As owner of Swift Tents, a Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada-based business that specializes in the installation of stretch tents and in the training of riggers and event crews, van Druten became familiar with th…
Job Titles:
- Partner and Engineering Manager at Aerospace Fabrication
Brent Anderson is a partner and engineering manager at Aerospace Fabrication & Materials, a Farmington, Minn., company that specializes in the design, fabrication and installation of Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) Blankets for use on spacecraft, launch vehicles and cryogenic applications. The comp…
Job Titles:
- General Manager of the House of Canvas Inc., Glendale, Ariz.
Debbie Lacy, general manager of The House of Canvas Inc., Glendale, Ariz., takes pride in her family owned and operated custom awning business. From residential and commercial window awnings to shade screens and roll curtains, everything from start to finish is done in-house. Here, Lacy shares her t…
Job Titles:
- Owner of Shade One Awnings
Donald Franks is the owner of Shade One Awnings, a Toms River, N.J.-based awning company that specializes in residential and commercial awning sales, service and installation. Franks started the company in 2002 and has since set himself apart from competitors by focusing on motorized retractable awn…
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…
Job Titles:
- Incoming IFAI Board Chair
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…
Job Titles:
- Owner and Designer of Uncharted Marine Canvas, Gulf Breeze
Leo Pohlmann, owner and designer of Uncharted Marine Canvas, Gulf Breeze, Fla., has been serving the Gulf Coast's boat canvas and marine upholstery needs for more than 25 years. Recognized by the Marine Fabricators Association for his achievement in design, Pohlmann's business objective of provi…
Job Titles:
- CEO of NC Carpet Binding & Equipment Corp
Mal Maher is the CEO of NC Carpet Binding & Equipment Corp., a Newark, N.J.-based company that manufactures machinery and offers supplies for the flooring trade. Founded in 1947 by his uncle and grandfather, Maher got his start in the family owned and operated business in 2000. Here, Maher share…
Michael Catalano treats his clients as strategic partners-and that keeps them coming back. "We have a saying here: It's not about the first job. It's about the next job," says Michael Catalano, CEO of Capitol Awning Co., Jamaica, N.Y. "And probably 90 percent or more of our work ends…
Michael Lester doesn't shy away from a challenge. He builds a team of fellow innovators and comes up with tensioned fabric solutions. "We're always innovating," says Michael Lester, managing director of MakMax Australia Pty. Ltd. in Brisbane, Australia, a world-renowned company build…
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…
Job Titles:
- Estimator and Project Manager at the Chism Company Inc., San Antonio, Texas
Ryan Chism, estimator and project manager at The Chism Company Inc., San Antonio, Texas, is the third generation working in a family-owned and managed company. Founded in 1951, the company has grown from a small home improvement business to a recognized industry leader in fabric and metal shade and …
Job Titles:
- Company Founder and Retired CEO of Herculite