Fiber sculpture commemorates historic plaza

June 1, 2018  |  News

Madrid’s historic Plaza Mayor, a popular gathering place and tourist destination, celebrated its 400th anniversary in February 2018. In honor of the occasion, the city of Madrid, Spain, commissioned an original sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman. Known for colorful large-scale fiber sculp…
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Craig Briggs of Vertilux earns LEED credentialing

June 1, 2018  |  News

Craig Briggs, a senior director at Vertilux Ltd., has earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credential from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Vertilux, headquartered in Miami, Fla., seeks to be a trend setter in the solar shade protection industry, creating, educatin…
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G & J Awning purchases Hoigaard’s Custom Canvas and Awning

June 1, 2018  |  News

Gary Buermann and Beth Brenny, owners of G & J Awning, have announced the purchase of Hoigaard’s Custom Canvas and Awning, Plymouth, Minn. Hoigaard’s, an awning manufacturer, was founded 120 years ago and was one of fourteen companies that founded Industrial Fabrics Association International…
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Choosing between fabric and metal awnings depends on customer needs

June 1, 2018  |  Features

If you have ever had to source sustainable materials for a building design, you know about rating systems like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), administered by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, (USGBC). The LEED systems consider the amount of energy used to manufacture …
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Fabric structures defined by technology and sustainability

June 1, 2018  |  Features

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Fabric Architecture (FA) magazine. The inaugural issue editor, Gene Rebeck, touched on a number of topics that proved to be insightful, clairvoyant and representative of how FA (originally called Fabrics &…
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Miami Awning takes the heat and creates quality results

June 1, 2018  |  Company News

“A lot of what I’ve accomplished in this industry was about survival—being able to have what I need to get the job done,” says Mike Reilly, owner and CEO of Miami Awning Co. in Miami, Fla. “Now, my aim is to convey what knowledge I can to my sons to make it easier for them … <div><a…
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Diversifying can prevent seasonal downturns in the shade business

June 1, 2018  |  News

Roller coasters belong in amusement parks, not on a company’s balance sheet. Yet for many specialty fabricator businesses susceptible to seasonal ups and downs, it may sometimes seem as if the operation is being taken for exactly that kind of ride. Not every business is prone to periodic slowdowns…
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Tracking supplier compliance is a tricky for sustainable textile companies

June 1, 2018  |  News

The issue of compliance can be complicated for textile companies, which have to comply with various regulatory and voluntary company standards for product safety and restriction of substances. In the United States, for example, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) contains provisions …
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