Growth Path
February 1st, 2022
Photography by Mark Skalny / www.markskalnyphotography.com Like many textile entrepreneurs, Amy Bircher got her start in the industry in a family business—even as she blazed her own path. “I got into the textile industry because my family owned a dyeing and finishing facility of wide fabric, broad-woven fabrics in the Carolinas,” Bircher says. In 1980, […]
WVU Davis College unveils Amy A. Bircher Textiles Laboratory
April 19th, 2021
Amy Bircher (center), Beth Shorrock (left) and Darrell Donahue cut the ribbon on the new Amy A. Bircher Textiles Laboratory at West Virginia University. Photo: Brian Persinger/WVU Photography. A gift to the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design will provide fashion, dress and merchandising students with enhanced educational opportunities in […]
The specialty textiles market copes with COVID-19
November 1st, 2020
While some industry suppliers and end product manufacturers have found ways to remain afloat, the economic effects of the pandemic have proven devastating to many, and the future can only be described as uncertain. by Pamela Mills-Senn The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the overall economy, and on the specialty textiles industry specifically, is […]
Tactical advantages in the military market
October 1st, 2019
Department of Defense contracts can be lucrative, but it takes work to get in—and to stay in. by Jeff Moravec Any company in the specialty fabrics industry would be interested in doing business with a client that has a budget of more than $700 billion, right? You’d think so. But big numbers can come with […]
2017 IFAI Board of Directors election results announced
November 1st, 2017
IFAI’s immediate past chairman Katie Bradford, MFC, IFM, reported the results of this year’s call for candidates at IFAI Expo 2017 in September in New Orleans, La. The following positions were announced: Steve Ellington, president of Trivantage LLC, is IFAI’s 52nd chairman of the board. Kathy Schaefer, IFM, owner and CFO of Glawe Awning and […]