Supply chain delays and challenges are one of the top issues facing the textiles industry today. Listen in on this special panel discussion of Talking Textiles, where we’ll talk to industry leaders about the causes of these problems, the outlook for the coming year and how companies can best prepare themselves to deal with shortages and longer production times.

It's time to nerd out on material sciences. This episode of Talking Textiles interviews George Sun, founder of Nextiles, a company merging electronics with textiles to measure range of motion, micromovements and more. We learn how George walked a path from creating shoes to conductive fabrics and hear his advice for job seekers to get involved, connect and just show up. 

Hear from two textile product business owners, their history, challenges, and involvement with the Advanced Textiles Association and the Demo Area at Expo. Jonathan Sweet interviews Tom Auer, Bearse USA, a third-generation business owner and Bob Rosania, CEO Ehmke Manufacturing, a company that was started by a baseball player. Discover what’s happening in the ATA Expo Demo area, get their take on networking, opportunities to learn, and unique ways of attracting employees.

Jamie Gallagher has over 50 years of experience in the fabric engineering business and the relationships to prove it. Working along the way with his 4 brothers, Jamie explains why a bit of healthy family competition can fuel innovation.  Born into a family with an already successful textile-based business, the brothers were not content to simply work within that company and instead each struck off in their own directions within the industry, while maintaining cooperation among themselves.  Listen to our latest Talking Textiles podcast to learn how cooperation can lead to big wins in business.

About ATA

Dan Walczyk and Glenn Saunders have always enjoyed tinkering and taking things apart. This passion eventually led them to work as engineers and professors in the study of industrial robots, textile automation, fusing and composites. Today, as professors at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, they strive to produce the best engineering students and thus restore the manufacturing businesses globally. Listen in and learn more on our latest episode of Talking Textiles.

From Fawcett to Fawcett to Fawcett! Lethbridge Canvas has been in business going on three generations. In our latest episode of Talking Textiles, Craig Fawcett and heir apparent, Jonathan Fawcett share the history of the family’s shade and covers business, the handing down from one generation to the next, and the lessons learned bringing the business into the 21st century. Learn why Jonathan (out of all the siblings) decided to join the family business; following his father’s footsteps to start at the bottom and now lead the company.

What do a Smithsonian exhibit tent, a synthetic leather clutch and renewable energy all have in common? On today’s Talking Textiles, learn this and more from Colin Touhey, founder and CEO of Pvilion, a company whose mission is to integrate solar cells with fabrics and build fabric products that generate electricity. Interviewed by Haskell Beckham of the Colombia Sportswear Company, Colin gives advice for students and how they should push their way into a company they love. 

Thad Ribner loves problem solving. Now a research and development senior engineer, learn how a young adult adventure novel helped to shape his future career and peak his interest in the engineering and fabric fields. From early projects designing lift systems for helping patients with muscular dystrophy to working with unmanned underwater vehicles—Thad looks at each new assignment as a puzzle to solve. Interviewed by Mary Koutras, also a Research and Development engineer, Thad shares how his schooling, mentors and work experience have shaped his career. Tune in today to this edition of Talking Textiles brought to you by IFAI’s Advanced Textiles Products Division.

King Mukherjee knew he was destined to work in the textile industry. His interest piqued after grading a student’s essay, Mukherjee began researching different types of mills and from there his fabric career was born. Today he is still a professor as well as founder and director of a custom fabric company. In this episode, The Golden Age of Textiles, get King’s perspective on the textile world—why it has tremendous room for growth and why students to need to be flexible with what they study.  

Du Cirque à l'industrie du tissu, découvrez comment l'entreprise canadienne de textile architectural, Sollertia, s’est établi.  Sollertia a déjà pris en charge et réalisé certains des projets de structure textile les plus ambitieux au pays. Dans cet épisode, Claude Le Bel nous raconte en toute franchise comment entreprendre de nouveaux projets, ses débuts dans l'industrie, y compris son travail avec le Cirque du Soleil et comment sa carrière et son entreprise ont évolué jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient aujourd'hui.  Découvrez comment Claude contribue à façonner notre industrie et à repousser les limites de la façon dont les gens imaginent l'utilisation de l'architecture en tissu au Canada.