The exhibit experience

December 1, 2021  |  Features

It remains a fact that it’s still too soon to know when life and work will truly get back to normal. An optimistic spring and summer in 2021 turned into an uncertain fall as the COVID-19 pandemic moved into its fourth phase. Nowhere is this more evident than the trade show sector. With the industr…
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Hoover Architectural Products blends fabric, metal

December 1, 2021  |  Features

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” contains a lot of truth, but there’s also a risk of stagnation if a company doesn’t adapt to changing times. When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, Matt Carroll knew it was time for his family’s fabric-awning business to stretch its capabilitie…
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Decoding standards, regulation and certification

December 1, 2021  |  Features

With sustainability increasingly on consumers’ minds, textile end product manufacturers (EPMs) are tasked with ensuring that the eco-friendly claims they make about their products and production processes are valid. This can prove challenging, as can staying on top of industry-changing regulations…
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Relocating your business

November 1, 2021  |  Features

Growing the business is an objective for nearly every owner, but with this comes a sometimes unanticipated consequence—outgrowing the facility’s space, making a move the only logical recourse. Consider American Tent LLC. Currently housed in Green Bay, Wis., the commercial and party tent manufact…
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In the market for new markets

November 1, 2021  |  Features

The advantages of diversification are well-known. Serving multiple markets can help a business grow, and when one market experiences a downturn, other markets can help prop up a company. According to the 2021 State of the Industry report published by Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFA…
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Glenn Russell & Wayne Heflin: Strength in Simplicity

November 1, 2021  |  Features

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 recen…
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Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes

October 1, 2021  |  Features

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up tens of thousands of public gathering spaces by forcing proprietors to move their services outdoors and onto sidewalks and street fronts. While it is unclear how long these outdoor public sheltered spaces will remain in place, reports across the U.S. indicate that…
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Parking structure punctuates Miami skyline

October 1, 2021  |  Features

Big Span Structures LLC, a provider of concept-to-completion solutions for signature lightweight tensile membrane structures, has completed a new tensile membrane shading structure on the top deck of the parking garage of the Care Resource Community Health Centers facility in Midtown Miami, Fla.&nbs…
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Shade sails find a place in the sun

September 1, 2021  |  Features

For something that’s been around for thousands of years—as far back as the Roman Colosseum, if not longer—shade sails in North America have a reputation as “the new kid on the block.” While using tensioned sails to provide shade for both commercial and residential structures has been a fun…
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Birdair installs tensile roof retrofit

September 1, 2021  |  Features

Custom membrane provider Birdair Inc. has brought a modern look to a shopping mall in Lancaster, Pa., with the installation of a retrofitted Tensotherm™ translucent insulated tensioned membrane system. The three-layer Tensotherm roof replaced a single-layer tensile membrane roof Birdair installed …
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