Speakers

Kiarash Arangdad is a Research and Development Chemist at Burlington, a devision of Elevate Textiles, INC. He has a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science and a minor in Chemistry from North Carolina State University. Kiarash acquired extensive knowledge and experience during years of research in the filed of polymer chemistry, characterization and chemistry of additives, dyes and finishes. He lead the engineering of new functional fabrics across multiple division of Burlington. He recently received the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) Future Leaders Award at the International Conference 2019.

Dr. Roger Barker is the Burlington Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Research on Textile Protection and Comfort (T-PACC) at North Carolina State University. He is internationally recognized for his work in the field of protective heat resistant materials and clothing and test systems for evaluating the performance of firefighter PPE. Dr. Barker is an active member of NFPA Committees that are developing test methods and consensus performance standards for protective gear used by the Nation's firefighting community. He is a member of the NFPA Technical Correlating Committee, a body which has oversight for PPE standards relied upon by emergency responders ranging from firefighters to HAZMAT and EMT personnel.

After studying chemistry with a special focus on textile and fiber chemistry at the University of Stuttgart, Dr. Beringer started his career as Head of the Competence Center Innovative Textiles at Hohenstein Institute. From 2009 to 2015 he was the Head of Research and Development of the Department Function and Care. From 2015 to 2017 he was the Head of Development of the Department Function and Care. Since 2018 he is the Scientific Export of the Department Life Science and Care, Dr. Beringer has extensive knowledge in textile and fiber chemistry, functionalization, coating and finishing and clothing physiology (comfort) for applications such as performance apparel and PPE.

Lauren Birrittella is a co-founder of the Glen Raven Concept Gallery, a collaborative resource for innovative thinking with the mission to discover, inspire, and create new opportunities for growth. In her role as Senior Curator, Lauren designs and implements material libraries and thought-provoking exhibits across the US, Europe, and Asia. Her international team’s sole purpose is to provide a platform for ideation.

Prior to joining Glen Raven, Lauren thrived as an archivist and project manager for Material Connexion in New York City. Consulting with Fortune 500 companies, her work has received a Red Dot Design award and she has been recognized as a Notable Alumni by the Fashion Institute of Technology. Never forgetting her roots as a buyer and visual merchandiser in NYC, Lauren gives back by developing curriculum, mentoring students, and guest lecturing.

David Bowick is the senior principal at Blackwell Structural engineers in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1987, Blackwell is a firm of 60 employees with offices across Canada, known for challenging projects and innovation in structural engineering.

David has received many industry honors since he began his career in 1990 including five IFAI international achievement awards and awards of excellence. His inventive approach to design has made him sought-after, particularly when a project calls for innovative solutions.

An avid teacher, David frequently lectures on the topic of structural engineering and architecture. He is a frequent conference speaker and contributes to the industry through committees and events.

David is a licensed professional engineer across Canada and practices throughout the world.

Fitzroy Brown has over twenty-five years of experience in the medical device industry. Brown is responsible for understanding OEMs’ needs and solving their technical and non-technical textile and ePTFE challenges, as well as providing guidance in the operation and production of textile products for vascular applications.

Brown holds two patents for self-sealing ePTFE grafts. In 2006 he won the International Society of Endovascular Specialists’(ISES) Excellence in Research, Development and Technology Award.

As Project Manager for the Attachments Energy Rating Council (AERC), Ms. Burns works with program partners to develop technical standards, certification procedures, and educational materials for a new energy efficiency certification program for residential window attachments. Erika also leads the development of AERC's commercial program. Erika previously managed the Low-E Storm Window Market Expansion Pilot for Focus on Energy Wisconsin, which incentivized retail sales of low-E storm windows, exceeded the stated pilot goals, and then facilitated the expansion to a statewide program in 2018. Ms. Burns has experience with data analysis and reporting for certification and utility efficiency incentive programs, and has engaged with window attachment industry stakeholders in addition to leaders and stakeholders of the lighting, builders hardware, and HVAC industries.

Gregg Burrows has over 20 years of successful selling experience. In 2014 he began selling shade sails at Wholesale Shade in San Marcos, California. He quickly learned that, although shade sails are very common, a lot of companies were still trying to expand into the shade sail market, and they had a lot of questions.

Whitney Carman is the Owner of Even Keep Canvas, LLC. Whitney’s training started when she was about 3 years old. She was old enough to walk so her father, Dennis Carman of Vermont Custom Canvas decided to bring her to work. She didn’t realize at the time how much she was leaning or what unique upbringing she had been gifted.

During winter breaks in high school, she would go to restaurants and gyms to pick up work for extra money. Whitney graduated in 2005 and began working full time for her dad. She was his apprentice for 4 years and completed her Associate’s Degree while expressing her creativity through fabrication. In 2011, Whitney ventured off and started her own business in California working everywhere in Marina Del Rey. In 2018 she got a request to do a project on Aquila, the largest yacht in America. She has been in the industry full time for 14 years.

Sebastian combines a strong architectural design background with a love for climbing and heights, making him a perfect fit for the world of pioneering large-scale tensile structures. He loves the pure geometric forms and minimal use of materials inherent to the world of tension architecture. Seba leads the California design office north of San Francisco, and is GuildWorks Lead Installer and Photographer.

Michael Compton, Print Media Product Marketing Manager for Top Value Fabrics, a graduate of Purdue University is an industry veteran. Mike has a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of digital textile printing and has experienced the dynamics of digital textile printing throughout its history. His expertise proves helpful both to customers who are learning the technology and to those with advanced capabilities. With a track record of 20 years of success working in all aspects of digital printing on textiles globally, Mike is an innovative leader who enjoys new challenges and working to identify the total solutions for specific needs of customers. He appreciates the progressive nature of the graphics industry and the opportunity to share developments with the industry. Mike was elected as Chairman of SGIA's Sustainability, Health, Safety & Personnel Advisory Council and to serve as Vice Chairman of the IFAI Fabric Graphics Association Advisory Board.

David Dean is the director of Research and Development for Sunbrella fabrics at Glen Raven Inc. With 20 years of experience in the fabric industry, David is responsible for running the R&D team for Glen Raven Custom Fabrics accross all their markets. Prior to working for Glen Raven, David worked for Gale Pacific USA managing both their consumer and commercial shade product lines and their US cut and sew facilities.

Prof. Emiel DenHartog: Has worked in the area of human body temperature, effects of clothing and heat exchange for over 20 years. Starting as a researcher on modeling human heat exchange in extreme environments he moved towards the impact of protective clothing on the human body. Since 2013 he has worked at the Textile Protection And Comfort Center (TPACC) at NC State University (USA) on the interaction between clothing and the human body to optimize protection, performance and comfort of the human body. Recently his worked has focused more on the local interaction of fabrics and materials with the skin and the effects of the local microclimate on skin health. He teaches classes on Clothing Physiology and Textile Testing and publishes on comfort and protection evaluations of textiles and clothing.

Patrick Diebel is VP, R&D at Morbern, Inc., a leading supplier of coated fabrics used for seat and related covering used in automotive, trucking, health care, contract furniture, marine and ATV’s. Patrick is a licensed professional engineer with Masters in chemical engineering from McMaster University. Prior to Morbern he worked at CGT. He has worked in the polymeric coated fabrics industry for 31 years.

Robin DuBroy brings over 10 years of educational and training experience to Shade Sail University. While she wears many hats at Wholesale Shade, her main focus is the creation and implementation of Shade Sail University's training workshops and materials.

Elaine Duncan, M.S.M.E., RAC, is the founder and president of Paladin Medical, Inc. Elaine is a certified regulatory affairs professional with a master’s degree in engineering (mechanical/biomedical). Elaine has guided numerous medical textile products through the regulatory approval process and specializes in the biomaterial requirements for new devices.

Paladin Medical, Inc. has served the medical device industry since 1987.

Bob Falahee has over 20 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and business owner. In 2010 he started Marygrove Roll Screens, a manufacturing business in Florida. Marygrove Roll Screens manufactures and distributed products to over 70 dealers across the US and Canada. Their large motorized screens can be seen at Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Applebee’s across the nation.

In 2010, Bill joined AGC Chemicals Americas as Business Manager for the AGC Fluon ETFE Film products and is currently responsible for business planning and development for all of AGC Fluon fluoropolymer resins and film offered in the North American market. Bill has been involved in both commercial and technical project development activities for a wide variety of tensile membrane structures including sports, entertainment, transportation, agriculture and general commercial projects.

AGC Chemicals Americas is a group company owned by Asahi Glass Company (AGC) located in Tokyo, Japan. AGC is the world’s largest manufacture of ETFE copolymer resins that are used to produce a broad array of AGC Fluon ETFE film grades.

Katherine Fisher, textile fabricator for the last 10 yeas in both the Marine and Shade markets in Bermuda. Katherine has been mentored by MFC Mark Hood of Hood Canvas and Patrick Howe of Shazeebo. Awarded sail shade contract for Americas Cup 2017, Bermuda National Museum's playground and Fairmont Princess Hotels Beach Club. Katherine loves designing shade with maximum shade coverage. She is passionate about using technology to improve ROI.

Steve Fredrickson is the Sales Director for Sattler Corp. He has been in this industry since 1996 having started in distribution with Unitex, then commercial and residential awning sales for Rainier Industries. Following his time at Rainier, Steve was the first outside sales person hired by Serge Ferrari to develop their commercial awning and shade product lines in 2001. In 2007, he transitioned to National Sales Manager for all products for Serge Ferrari before leaving in 2018. Steve has worked extensively with architects to develop product lines, specification, and multiple projects around the world as well as in the US. He has presented at multiple AIA events as well as speaking about Fabric Architecture to various University classes around the United States. Former Chairman of Fabric Structures Assoc.

Kimberlie Freund is a Senior International Trade Analyst with the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Chemicals and Textiles Division. During her 26 years at the Commission, Ms. Freund has contributed to and led numerous investigations on industry competitiveness, free trade agreements, trade preference programs, miscellaneous tariff bills, and rules of origin. Ms. Freund also worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for six years, working on supply chain modeling in the textile industry.

Jesse Goodman has been involved with the awning and screen industry for over 6 years. He has specialized in the management of retractable roof and retractable pergola systems. This includes the design and development stage within in the architectural community by way of webinars and on site AIA presentations, rendering technologies and streamlining the ordering and processing.

Ryan Gundling is an engineer with 15 years of experience developing a variety of inflatable structures. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University before beginning his career with Vertigo Inc. and quickly became a key member of the team that developed the high pressure AirBeams that were adopted by the US Military, with over 5000 shelters deployed. Ryan has been involved with inflatable shelter designs from 100 square feet to 100,000 square feet that employ inflatable technologies such as high pressure braided beams, low pressure woven beams, drop stitch, and air supported skins. In 2015, he founded Ryzing Technologies with the vision of advancing textiles and inflatables through sound engineering practices.

Molly is a designer in the Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) Softgoods Lab at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. She studied Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and previously worked in the Habitability Design Center at JSC on the interior architecture of future deep space habitats.

Dr. Derek Hass received a B.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1993. A Ph.D degree in Materials Science was received from the University of Virginia in 2001. From 2001-2002 he was employed as a research scientist in the Intelligent Processing of Materials Laboratory at the University of Virginia. He is a co-founder of Directed Vapor Technologies International (DVTI) and is currently employed as the Vice President of Research and Development at DVTI. His research interests include the development of a novel electron beam directed vapor deposition technique. His work in this area has consisted in the development of manufacturing techniques for the application of functional and protective coatings onto complex shaped substrates (i.e. high performance fibers; components).

Ron Houle is Founder and President of Pivot Step Consultants, LLC.

Prior to founding his consulting practice, Ron served for twelve years as vice president of Washington Operations for HDT Global, which had acquired DHS Systems/DRASH in February, 2015. Ron’s focus was on opportunities and programs of record in the defense, homeland security, first responder and community hospitals sectors. He has led company partnerships with federal, state and local emergency response agencies, including strategies supporting military support to civilian agencies.

Since joining HDT Global in 2003, Ron was actively involved with the company’s growth in both the defense and non-defense applications of core products. He was involved in building relationships and programs with the Army National Guard, Philips Healthcare, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics, to name a few. In his last three years, Ron was leading the company’s initiative to develop and deploy technologies that will result in a highly mobile tactical power grid.

Prior to joining HDT Global, Ron served as the director for legislative affairs and later as the chief of staff at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross. Prior to the American Red Cross, Ron served on the staff of the Secretary of the Army as the Director of the Programs Division, Office of Legislative Liaison, the Pentagon. Other experience includes an assignment as assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, United States Military Academy; congressional fellow in the office Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN); various command positions in the U.S. Army and service in Desert Storm. In addition to two assignments in Washington, DC, he served nearly six years in Germany, and assignments in Kentucky, Georgia, and Kansas.

Ron is a retired Army Colonel with over 24 years of Active Duty service, and a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He holds a master of science degree in applied mathematics, and a master of science degree in industrial engineering, both from Stanford University. Additionally, he holds a master of science degree in national security studies from the National Defense University and completed a curriculum in Foreign Policy Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins University. He also studied national security policy in one-year executive seminar with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a past chair of the Corporate Advisory Panel of the National Guard Association, and past chair of the board for the US Industrial Fabrics Institute, and the founder and a past chair of the Berry Amendment Textile Coalition.

Patrick Howe is the owner of Wholesale Shade located in San Marcos, California. He started in the shade sail business over 15 years ago as a contractor in Phoenix, making shade sail models out of cardboard and welding posts on the dock of a friend's warehouse. Patrick continues to innovate the shade sail trade with the announcement of Shade Sail University, a resource for contractors that covers shade sails from design and selling to installation and troubleshooting.

Ken Huber is the Product Specialist for Industrial Fabrics and Technical Textiles at Leister Technologies, the worldwide leader in plastic welding and hot-air equipment. During his tenure, he spearheaded the strategy of technical textiles and industrial fabrics product lines and witnessed its exponential growth. Ken is a graduate of Purdue University and currently resides in Illinois with his wife, two children and three dogs. Ken enjoys golfing, biking and playing sports with his children.

Mr. Jones served in the United States Navy as a Naval Aviator for over 20 years. The Navy refined his talents for Leadership, Production Control, Quality Control and working with his team to get challenging stuff done safely. To better prepare himself to add value to the private sector, Mr. Jones added degrees in Finance and Marketing to his earlier Engineering training. He served as a Director and Plant Manager for one of America's largest aluminum processing facilities and as a consultant for manufacturing improvements and organizational culture development before joining the Shelter Structures Team in 2014. He has helped design and deliver over 371,000 square feet of fabric shelter and he passionately pursues his mission to educate Government and Private Sector clients. It's all about value for the Customer.

Chris Jorgensen is Director Technology Transfer with IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries, a worldwide trade association for the electronics interconnect industry. As a member of IPC’s technical department, Chris’s primary responsibility is staff liaison to standards development committees. These committees include the IPC D-70 E-Textiles Committee, IPC D-70-INT-EU E-Textiles Committee in Europe and IPC D-60 Printed Electronics Committee.

Chris also represents IPC as a member of AFFOA – Advanced Functional Fabrics of America and NextFlex–America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, for which he is a co-lead of its Standards, Reliability and Test Technical Working Group.

Chris has nearly 20 years of experience in standards development, nonprofit management and marketing. He received his degree in communications from Columbia College in Chicago.

Renee M. Kalmes, MSPH, CIH, is a Principal Scientist at Exponent at their Oakland California office. She is a certified industrial hygienist and with over 25 years of health risk assessment experience. Ms. Kalmes conducts and directs studies to assess potential exposure to consumer and personal care products including evaluation of lead, phthalates, silica, asbestos, benzene, toluene, cadmium, arsenic, ethyl benzene, formaldehyde and flame retardants. She has developed sampling protocols to evaluate numerous Proposition 65 claims and assisted clients in developing Proposition 65 compliance programs. Ms. Kalmes has extensive experience in evaluating state and local regulations pertaining to potential community and consumer exposure issues including safer chemical alternative assessments and green chemistry initiatives and has provided exposure assessment and toxicology support for addressing potential consumer product recall claims. Ms. Kalmes teaches courses on health risk assessment, industrial hygiene and toxicology at the University of California Extension program. Renee received her BS in Environmental Sciences from Purdue University and her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

As Co-founder and President of First Line Technology, Amit develops unique solutions to complex disaster preparedness and response problems for clients such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Defense. Amit holds a BS and an MS in computer science and has a passion for problem solving.

Amit is the Chairman of the Advanced Textiles Products Division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International, a member of Mission Link, and was named one of the Washington, D.C. region’s 40 Under 40 by the Washington Business Journal.

In the past several years, Amit has helped the company make it onto Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies in America, the Washington Business Journal’s list of best places to work, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Fantastic 50 list of Virginia’s fastest growing manufacturing companies.

Amit is a football fan, avid beer home brewer and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, son, and daughter.

As the Senior Technology Manager at Bolger & O’Hearn, Inc., Frank Keohan has led the development of high performance fabric effects including repellents, odor control agents, and adhesives for the past six years. Mr. Keohan holds a BA-Chemistry from Holy Cross College, an MS-Chemistry from Virginia Tech, and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Before his position at Bolger & O’Hearn, he served as a Materials Program Manager at 3D Systems developing novel polymers for 3D printing, an Applied Technology Manager at H.C. Starck performing business development for conductive polymer products, and Vice President at Cape Cod Research, managing government-sponsored R&D programs. Mr. Keohan has over 30 years of experience in polymer synthesis, applied chemistry, materials science, and textile finishing.

Bill McSpadden earned a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science from The University of Virginia. Bill worked in construction, hazardous waste before starting Pacific Chai, a tea company, with his wife Joy. Pacific Chai grew from a start up in their garage to a the 6th best selling instant tea brand in the US. 15 years later, Pacific Chai was sold to Hood Dairy and Bill retired. Bill was restless in retirement and was always looking for another manufacturing business to purchase. In 2007, Bill purchased Capitol Awning. In the last 11 years, the business has doubled and the company now stands as the dominant player in the Central Virginia market and has expanded to doing work as far away as Ohio, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.

Timothy Mitchell has worked in digital printing since 1994, and he has been involved in digital textile printing since its inception. He has hands-on involvement with the DuPont Artistry and is familiar with most processes of dye-sublimation, both transfer and direct. He joined the HP Latex team in 2010 and since then has been involved in all facets of HP latex technology—with a specific focus on applications, especially soft textiles and fabrics. Timothy is currently involved in the new HP Stitch dye-sublimation program that is being released at ISA 2019.

Timothy is a board member of the IFAI and ISA and represents both HP Latex and HP Stitch around the world at trade shows and events. His primary mission is the promotion of both HP dye-sublimation and the HP Latex Durable Textile line of soft fabrics.

Timothy Mitchell is a HP Latex and HP Stitch Applications Specialist and has worked at HP for the past 9 years.

Paige Mullis is Director of Concept Development at Glen Raven, Inc. With a focus on innovation and advanced projects, Paige is founder of Glen Raven’s Concept Group, the global resource for activating the next great idea. By bringing people, cultures and new ideas together her team has built an innovation ecosystem that seeds new business opportunities and enhances Glen Raven’s brand value and partner engagement. The group consists of the Concept Galleries, Concept Lab and Concept Studio all of which serve to elevate idea flow and enhance and develop Glen Raven’s inventive culture worldwide. Paige is also founding administrator of Glen Raven’s internal start-up incubator, an on-going innovation curator and is an active board member of the Advanced Textiles Products division of IFAI. She is a strong advocate for the arts as a cornerstone to economic growth and served several years on the board of trustees for Greensboro Ballet in North Carolina. She’s an explorer and adventurer in life which she shares with her husband, three daughters and dog Louie.

Dr. Amanda C. Myers is a fusion designer and project coordinator in the Nano-EXtended Textiles (NEXT) research group within the College of Textiles at NC State University. Her focus is on developing innovative methods for electronics integration into textiles. She creates full system demonstration platforms to examine the impact of the textile on the device and vice versa. For example, this has included system level electronic designs and knit structure designs for human energy harvesting and physiological sensing.

Andrew Nasarczyk is the subject matter expert at GALE Pacific on both coated and knitted Technical Textiles. He has been involved in various production, technical, and development roles over his tenure, including a three-year assignment to establish GALE’s world-class knitting plant in Ningbo, China. Leveraging 20 years of manufacturing experience, Mr. Nasarczyk is GALE’s Research and Development Manager and enjoys exploring new materials, technologies, and innovations to propel the company and broader industry into the future. Andrew sits on the Standards Committee for Australia’s Synthetic Shade Standard and has a Bachelor of Engineering in Polymers.

Chris Nolan, B.E.(civil), M.Eng.Sci, recently retired as Managing Director of the Nolan Group, which is a wholesale distributor of Industrial Fabrics throughout Australia. Through its subsidiary PolyFab Australia, the company also trades with franchise partners in the USA and the Middle East. Chris currently acts as a consultant to the company, responsible for the development and implementation of training and education programmes; and the update of its Technical Manuals, which have been widely circulated throughout the industry, particularly that on Shadecloth, first published in the late nineties. The death of a young teenager, which resulted from the failure of a shadesail structure, was the catalyst for Chris to act on the Coroner's recommendations, and develop standard designs and specifications for small shadesail structures, which were included in revised editions of the manual. Chris is currently a Director of the Blind Manufacturers Association of Australia, and served two terms as a Director of IFAI.

Jonathan Palmer is the CEO and 2nd generation owner of Autometrix, Inc. and actively manages the development of new cutting solutions for the textile world. His first employment at Autometrix was in his teens, counting parts and crating them for new equipment installations. In the years that followed, Jonathan has gained experience in every area of the business and earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering. As the father of two young girls, a new son, and the owner of a family-owned and family-oriented business, Jonathan is familiar with the unique struggles faced by many family-owned manufacturers in the US, and works each day to brings a practical, problem-solving approach to the world of modern cutting rooms - from digitizing and pattern layout software to cut parts coming off the table.

Drew Pangborn is a Senior Energy Consultant with APPI Energy. He joined the firm in 2008.

Drew Pangborn, CEP, is a Senior Energy Consultant with APPI Energy. With over 10 years of experience in the energy industry, Drew utilizes expertise and data-driven procurement strategies to provide his clients with powerful energy solutions, designed to help them save time, reduce costs and create budget certainty. His clients are represented heavily in the automotive and manufacturing sectors of key deregulated markets across the country.

Drew also holds the energy industry professional designation of Certified Energy Procurement Professional through the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE).

A Maryland native and Salisbury University graduate, Mr. Pangborn now manages APPI Energy’s regional office in San Diego, California.

Anthony Pappalardo is the Sales Manager for Dickson Coatings USA, which is a manufacturer of coated textiles for the shade, structure and graphics industries. He has spent his entire 20 year career in the shade and graphics business. Prior to Dickson Coatings, he was the Site Manager for Trivantage Colorado and a Senior Account Representative for Astrup. He has an extensive knowledge of printing on outdoor textiles, from woven acrylics to coated vinyls and laminates. He is passionate about print technology and innovation in textiles. Anthony is currently on the Board of Directors for the Fabric Graphics Association, a division of the IFAI.

Jeff Post has spent the majority of his career building businesses that involve vinyl and other chemical coated fabrics. He is currently the Vice President and General Manager for Enduratex. Jeff is responsible for the P&L for CGPCA for North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Puerto Rico.

A leader in his industry, Jeff has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations including: The Circle of Excellence Award which he earned during his time with Uniroyal; an Outstanding Young Men of America commendation; and he has served as a member of the Leadership Council.

Jeff is a current board member and past president of the Chemical Coated Fabrics & Film Association, as well as a board member of the AAIA Upholstery and Trim International segment, and an active member of NADFD and on the BD Advisory Board.

Dr. Reinhold Schneider is senior scientist at the German Institute for Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) Denkendorf. Dr. Schneider is chemist and received his pHD degree at the University of Stuttgart in 1992. His scientific work focuses on the field of textile printing, dyeing and finishing of textile materials. Conventional textile printing as well as the innovative inkjet printing technology and the digital functionalization of surfaces are subject of his main research. This work includes the formulation of color and functional inks as well as the physico-chemical pre-treatment for inkjet printing and functional coatings. In particular, electrically conductive inks have been developed, with the help of which electrical conductors and electrical switches could be printed on textile materials. Furthermore, sensors for composite materials as well as electroluminescent textiles have been developed. In addition, there are innovative invisible markings on textiles that are of interest for the protection against plagiarism. These and other works are documented in more than 200 publications, technical papers and research projects.

Chris Semonelli is the President of Coated Technical Solutions and Vice President of Erez USA.

He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and MBA from Pepperdine University.

He has be involved with Technical Textiles for over 35 years also, holding previous positions at Cooley Incorporated and Intertape Polymer group.

He is currently on the board of the IFAI Advanced Textiles Products (ATP) group , a member of the Rhode Island Textiles Innovation Network (RITIN), and on the board of FabNewport in Newport Rhode Island.

He was a member of the ambassador design team, developed by The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education which developed and wrote the next strategic plan for elementary and secondary education in Rhode Island,

He has been involved in various volunteer activities for many years to enhance the educational and career opportunities available to middle and high students in the Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math ( STEAM) environment.

Thomas Stegmaier is the manager of research for Technical Textiles at the German Research Institutes in Denkendorf. He is involved in several German and European working circles and scientific committees and vice president of the “International Society of Bionic Engineering - ISBE”. With his teams he develops new applications with fiber based materials. He received several scientific awards.

Alan joined the MPanel Software Solutions team in 2017 after being a user and agent for the company for more than 10 years. He is tasked with developing and supporting global distribution channels while improving user access to the software and support.

Alan has been involved in the fabric and tensile structure industry in Australia for 20 years. He was the Director and founder of Structureflex, a wholesale supplier of fabric architecture products and services around the world.

As a user of MPanel products for 10 years, Alan has substantial practical experience in projects of all sizes around the world and will be happy to answer any project related questions you might have.

Ethan Ware represents businesses and industries in environmental and health safety legal matters. He has appeared on behalf of businesses in negotiations relating to environmental permits, in defense of environmental and OSHA enforcement actions by state and federal agencies, in defense of toxic tort lawsuits, and on behalf of industry in criminal and civil actions. Ethan is listed as a leading environmental attorney by Chambers USA (2016-present), and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation (2013-present). He earned a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Wofford College.

Bud Weisbart, Vice President of A&R Tarpaulins, Inc., and A&R’s Divisions, AR Tech and AR Industries, was born in Los Angeles, California, where he grew up and went to school. After graduating California State University, Northridge, with a degree in Political Science, he joined the Peace Corps, teaching English in Thailand from 1963 to 1965. He attended the CORO Foundation’s Fellowship as a post graduate program and then moved to Peru to run Foster Parents’ Plan’s program there with his wife, Carmen.

Bud and Carmen moved back the Los Angeles area in 1968, preparing for the birth in 1969 of their first son, Ken, and Bud managed a number of social service programs in Southern California and in 1975 their second son, Chris, was born. In 1978 the Weisbarts purchased 1/3 of A&R, which since its founding in 1976, had dedicated itself to serving the trucking industry in Southern California.

Under Bud and Carmen’s leadership, A&R capitalized on the culture and core competency it developed to expand and diversify into new markets, first serving the large aerospace industry in the local area and subsequently addressing the commercial and residential needs for architectural products.

At the foundation of A&R’s diversification is the company’s ability to build upon the longevity of its staff and their growth and development in ability to design and manufacture products required in the new markets A&R pursues.

Gary Westlund is a business consultant with Awning Tracker. Gary has actively worked in the awning industry for over 25 years. He began his career as the manager of a traditional canvas awning company. Gary eventually purchased the company, and grew it from only 7 employees, up to 37 employees. During that time, he survived recessions and dramatic shifts in the industry. His experiences along the way as both an owner and manager, of a growing and successful awning company, have provided many valuable lessons. Gary sold his company and retired in 2018. He now works part-time as a business consultant at Awning Tracker, where he mentors others in the industry.

Randy Westlund is an engineer and productivity expert who grew up in his father's awning shop, where he learned the ins and outs of running a small business.

He is the founder of Awning Tracker, the software that's helping awning, sign, and marine fabric businesses across the country take control of their sales and production workflows and be more productive than ever before.

As an expert in computer systems and data management, Randy has performed satellite communication work for NASA in McMurdo Station, Antarctica. He has also worked for MIT, where he created animal biometric software that is used to protect endangered species, and developed aircraft autopilot systems. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Brad Wolff is the People Maximizer. He specializes in helping companies make the most of their “human potential resources.” His passion is empowering people to create the business success and life fulfillment they desire, in a deep and lasting way.

Brad is Managing Partner for PeopleMax, an Atlanta-based Workforce Optimization firm. Its focus is helping companies gain control over their people problems to increase productivity, profitability and employee engagement while reducing stress and conflict. This encompasses employee alignment, development of a great culture, successful strategy and leadership effectiveness.

With more than 20 years of experience helping companies hire and retain the right people, Brad understands firsthand why people succeed or fail in different positions and environments. Brad’s background includes a Professional Coaching Certification, a certification in Managing Change in Human Systems and certifications in using multiple assessments. He has also published a book, People Problems? How To Create People Solutions For A Competitive Advantage. As a former CPA he also understands the numbers and quantitative side of every business.

Brad’s passions include human psychology, euroscience, adult learning and facilitating positive change. Brad continuously participates in research as well as training & development programs to continuously expand his learning and effectiveness in these areas. This translates directly to help his clients create greater, faster success that lasts.