TEXTILES.ORG
Andrea Lynn on how shade sails have kept her creative
November 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
August 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
February 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 […]
Exceeding expectations
March 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
November 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
May 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
February 1st, 2021
Matthew Dickerson took a chance on shade sails and succeeded—by welcoming failure and hard work while chasing goals. by Holly Eamon 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 […]
Disaster shelter design competition tests engineering students
May 1st, 2020
John Brown University’s disaster shelter contest challenges students to develop and demonstrate solutions for emergency scenarios. By Holly Eamon Global economic losses from natural disasters topped $232 billion last year, rounding out a decade that cost the world nearly $3 trillion, according to the 2019 Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight Annual Report published by global […]
Safety Components puts its business acumen to work for charity
November 1st, 2018
Following the events of 9/11, Joey Underwood, senior vice president of Safety Components in Greenville, S.C., witnessed several neighborhood efforts to raise money for families of the fallen firefighters in New York City. “I remember driving past a bake sale and thinking, ‘We’re in that business—we should do something, too,” he says. Safety Components develops […]