Speakers

Studied chemistry at Keio University Graduate School and began working at Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. in 1985. Hirosi has been engaged in product development using ETFE film for over 25 years.

In 2015 he received a doctorate in agriculture at Ehime University in the development of ETFE film for Green House. Over the past few years he has focused on the development of ETFE film for membrane structures.

Bill possesses over 7 years of successful technical sales and marketing experience. In his current role at Liquid X, Bill is responsible for product development oversight, strategic partnerships and market analysis. Prior to joining Liquid X, Bill ran the day to day operations for a regional distributor of water treatment products for the municipal water and wastewater industry. Bill has also acted as Marketing Manager/Technical Recruiter for a national engineering services firm with over 350 employees. In this role, Bill managed a multi-faceted marketing program to develop and refresh the marketing strategy; business intelligence tools; promotional materials; and public website. Bill received a B.A. in Psychology from Allegheny College. He completed a one year, full time program at Duquesne University and received an MBA with a focus on Sustainability.

Sable Badaki is the Global Strategic Advisor at SheWorks. Her corporate and entrepreneurial experience spans across the USA and several countries in Africa. She worked in corporate America for almost 20 years, before resigning and relocating and with her family to Nigeria.

She brings to her audiences global business experience with in-depth understanding of business start-up, building teams, and leadership. She incorporates her corporate HR, experience, entrepreneurial training and business building experience into her presentations.

She holds a M.sc in Human Resource, recipient of the 10,000 women Goldman Sachs award for women entrepreneurs, IFC certified SME Trainer and nominee for the Yale Visiting Women Executive Exchange Program. Her client portfolio includes aviation, manufacturing, financial institutions, and telecommunications.

Apurba Banerjee is the Chief Scientist at brrr° Inc, an Atlanta based smart textiles company , where she researches and helps develop permanently cooling technology for woven, non woven and knitted fabrics. Utilizing the proprietary brrr° Triple Chill Effect, she helps develop new cooling product categories and indulges in testing the new products for performance and efficiency of cooling. She has a passion for smart technology for fabrics and believes that passive cooling technology is the future of day-to-day apparel and other materials that influence human performance.

She is a 2017 graduate of the PhD program of Polymer , Fiber and Textile Science in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors at the University of Georgia. While at Georgia, she spent years researching biodegradable plastics that are derived from marine algae and their application in the biomedical field.

Coming soon ...

Sara provides government consulting services and trade analysis to U.S. manufacturers and associations and works in government relations advocating on behalf of the domestic textile industry. Her work focuses on tracking pending trade initiatives and pressing for strong textile rules in U.S. free trade and preference agreements. Sara represents the United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) and Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), two divisions of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), and the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) as well as serving on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Clothing (ITAC 13).

Ronnie is Coated Fabrics Technical Manager for OMNOVA Solutions in Columbus, Mississippi. With more than 40 years of experience in the coated fabrics and wallcovering industry, he has held positions in manufacturing, quality assurance and product engineering. Ronnie has been awarded nine OMNOVA Technology Awards in the past twelve years for his expertise in product innovation, new product commercialization and marketing technology Innovation. Most notably, he developed the technology for ReCore Recycled Wall Technology. Ronnie continues to play a major role in new product development and innovation. His commitment to this role has helped OMNOVA improve new product commercialization, technical service and ultimately customer satisfaction.

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 of Function and Care. Since of Function and Care, mainly specializing in research and testing in the fields 2016, Jan has led the Development of clothing physiology, fit and workmanship of garments, functionalization of fabrics, textile UV protection, textile reprocessing. Dr. Beringer has extensive knowledge in textile and fiber chemistry, functionalization, nanotechnology, coating and finishing and clothing physiology.

Katie started Custom Marine Canvas in 1985 in an unheated shed in Connecticut where seagulls dropping clams on the roof would shake foundry soot down on her work, because she always sailed, and always sewed. Now in 3000 square feet of heated (and cooled!) space, she and her six staff members produce award winning work for boats and homes around the world. She joined the MFA board in 1993, eventually serving as chairman. Certified MFC in 1996, and IFM in 2006, she tirelessly promotes association activities. She united the MFA Upper Atlantic regional workshop with the Northeast Canvas Products Association’s annual expo in the 1990’s, and it stands out at one of the largest regional workshops. She has served four terms on the IFAI board and is currently immediate past chairman.

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 challenges, as well as providing guidance in the operation and production of textile products for vascular applications.

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

Coming Soon...

As Project Coordinator 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 window attachments. She also 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 is under consideration for expansion to a full-scale program. Ms. Burns has experience with data analysis and reporting for certification and 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.

With over 12 years of Sales experience, Kalen oversees the entire east coast and Texas cutting and sharpening needs. He is also currently leading the development of Wolff I.C.S. (Inventory Control System) for Wolff Industries. Kalen focuses on ergonomics, scissors selection, proper sharpening and maintaining of industrial scissors and sharpening equipment.

Carole Carey, founded C3-Carey Consultants, LLC. She has over 23 years of experience at U.S. FDA CDRH as Expert Regulatory Review Scientist, Standards Liaison in medical devices consensus standards, Director of International Staff and Mansfield Fellow in Japan. Currently, she is a regulatory consultant providing advice and strategic approaches in premarket submissions and postmarket issues. Cadre trainer supporting ASEAN medical devices global harmonization programs. Chair, IEEE EMB Standards Committee; Chair, CRFID Standards Committee; Member, Translational Engineering and Healthcare Innovation and the Brain Initiative Steering Committees; Co-chair, Digital Reality Initiative, IEEE Future Directions. IEEE Senior Member, IEEE Eta Kappa Nu and IEEE-SA Standards Medallion Award. Engineering degrees from Johns Hopkins University (BS Electrical Engineering) and Loyola University (MEng Sc, Computer Engineering).

Sebastian Collet is the Vice President and Senior Design Principal at GuildWorks. He studied Architecture and sustainable design at the University of Oregon. Sebastian is one of the primary designers at GuildWorks as well as Installation lead and the primary photographer and drone operator.

Darrel Collier, B.Sc.Chem. Eng. - Mr. Collier is currently a Business Manager and editor of Tecnon Orbichem’s Synthetic Fibers and PET Resin Chemical Business Focus Newsletters after working for the company for fifteen years. Prior to working for Tecnon, Mr. Collier worked 25 years for E.I. DuPont de Nemours leading several major fiber businesses and sales organizations in both the domestic and international arenas. He has more than 30 years of international marketing, management, and consulting experience, including more than seven years developing and leading large businesses and joint ventures in foreign countries as an expatriate. Other international experiences included global fiber sales and procurement, government trade negotiations, developing and refining global fiber supply chains, and international merger and acquisition projects.

Jim is a solutions-driven leader with over 25 years of combined experience managing territory sales, key accounts, and production operations in the US, Caribbean, UK, and China. His diverse background spans product development, management, and marketing.

Previously Jim has held positions in sales, product and sales management with Cutting Edge Inc., Gerber Technology and Lectra. During his career Jim has helped dozens of companies to automate their cutting rooms as well as drive savings in this key cost area.

Ben is Founder & Managing Director of IoClothes, an industry leading platform providing tools, resources and key insight for the emerging area of smart textiles, apparel and footwear. Ben is also the host of the weekly podcast, The IoClothes Podcast that interviews thought-leaders and innovators fusing tech and textiles. The show can be found on iTunes, Google Play and RadioPublic.com.

Previously, Ben was a founding member of VF Corp's Global Innovation Center where he led footwear product research and testing initiatives for Timberland, Vans and The North Face. He also led VF Corporation’s wearable tech exploratory group.

Before that, Ben co-founded the "smart" infant monitoring start-up, Sensible Baby, which gained international recognition for its innovative approach to disrupting the juvenile products space. Prior to that, he was the Lead Footwear Project Engineer for the US Army and successfully led many fast-paced multi-million-dollar development efforts for the United States Department of Defense.

Martin Denney is the President of Bondcote Corporation, a HEYTex Group Company. Mr. Denney has over 30 years management experience across industry and region including USA, Australia and Asia. For the past 12 years, Mr. Denney has held senior leadership positions in the US outdoor performance fabric market and has a track record of successfully developing new products and accelerating revenue and profit growth.

Ryan Derrick is the Shade Wholesale Business Manager at Rainier Industries. He oversees sales of power screens and retractable awnings through a nationwide dealer network as well as shade production in the company’s Tukwila, WA and Statesville, NC facilities.

Ryan joined the Rainier team in 2013 and has risen through the ranks from Product Control Coordinator and installer to Shade Supervisor to his current role. Under his leadership, the shade division has increased sales by a double-digit percentage and produces products with a lead time of 8 days or less. In early 2018, his team boasted a 2 day production lead time.

He has been involved in the development of Rainier’s new Glacier Building in Tukwila, which is dedicated to shade product manufacturing. The new automated production line will increase the capacity by over 200% with a new unit being produced on the line every 5 minutes. The new building also has zero landfill initiative.

With her extensive background in bespoke clothing and industrial design, Genevieve Dion’s design work is in the permanent collections of the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Her research focuses on the investigation of flexible production methods and mass customization of textiles for the development of seamlessly integrated knitted electronics into "Textile and Garment Devices". In 2012, she launched the Shima Seiki Haute Tech Lab at ExCITE to conduct transdisciplinary research on functional fabrics. Dion was named Fast Company's Top 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2014 for her creative approach toward the design and fabrication of functional fabrics. She now directs the Center for Functional Fabrics at Drexel University and works closely with the newly founded Advance Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Manufacturing Institute located in Cambridge, MA. In 2018, the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center will open at Drexel under Dion’s direction in coordination with AFFOA. Her research receives funding from the NSF, NIH and Keck Futures.

Alan is the Market Development Manager – Coatings for Rubberlite, Inc. located in Huntington, WV. This is an interesting opportunity for him that follows more than 26 years working with the Netherlands based company Stork (now called SPGPrints) where he interacted within the textile rotary screen printing and coating as well as digital printing markets.

The combination of screen manufacturing experience combined with capital equipment sales and support understanding are enabling him to expand the reach of this well-known supplier to the gasket and fabrication company into the coating, lamination and technical composites flexible substrate markets.

Mareesa Frederick is an attorney at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP's office in Washington DC. She focuses on complex, high-stakes intellectual property litigation, with a particular emphasis on Section 337 proceedings before the International Trade Commission (ITC). She was named by The Legal 500 U.S. as a Next Generation Lawyer for ITC patent litigation. Mareesa also has extensive experience counseling clients on pre-trial strategy, strategic licensing opportunities, and patent portfolios. She holds a J.D. from George Washington University, National Law Center.

Luisa Gil Fandiño is an English-trained Colombian textile designer whose design practice is grounded in creative approaches to material construction. Her research centers around incorporating geometry and algorithms to produce highly textural fabrics in Jacquard looms and embroidery. Her work has been exhibited, among others, in New Designers in London, premier Vision in Paris and ICFF in New York.

Luisa currently teaches Textiles for the Textiles and Apparel Program at UT Austin where she also is a visiting guest lecturer for the School of Architecture and the College of Fine Arts. She also works with the engineering school in material and robotics projects.

Luisa has been a guest designer for companies and trade shows. She also works with architects to create one-of-a-kind pieces for different projects. Through her company Fandindo, Luisa sells her own collection of fabrics at local stores and her finished textile products at museums stores like Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian in NY.

Nic Goldsmith, Founder & Principal of FTL Design Engineering Studio in New York is a Fellow of the AIA and former Chair of the Lightweight Structures Association. Prior, he was a designer for the Pritzker Prize Winner Frei Otto in Germany. Nic’s firm explores lightness as a visual, physical and sustainable approach and has received numerous design awards including the Carlos Moseley Pavilion for the Metropolitan Opera, the Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit and the Sun Valley Pavilion in Idaho. Nic has designed exhibitions for the UN and on solar energy for the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and featured in innumerable publications including an Architectural Monograph, FTL: Softness, Movement, Light and his new book, Mass to Membrane to be published later this year. He has taught over 20 years at U Penn, Pratt Institute, Columbia and Cornell on lightweight structures.

Barbara Griffith established Southern California Leasing in 1992. Throughout her career, she has originated millions of dollars in equipment financing. This steady growth has continued due to her strong beliefs in professional work ethics, her company’s reputation and the successful customer relationships that she feels are the most important factors in a business. As a lessor, Barbara takes pride in working with her lending partners to establish vendor, dealer and manufacturer relationships, as well as providing vendor-driven platforms to a targeted market in the equipment finance industry. As a well-respected industry leader, she was featured in many online and print trade publications, served as committee member for several leasing associations including UAEL, NEFA and NAELB, and was selected as speaker at conferences and trade shows. She has distinguished herself as a speaker, educator and provider of equipment financing services to companies nationwide and in Canada. She is a firm believer of paying it forward and educating the next generation.

Freddie Groce, Vice President of Marketing at Fil-Tec, Inc., helps leading companies to solve application issues and maximize thread performance in various sewing environments. With over 25 years of experience in the industrial thread and yarn industry, Freddie has worked closely with many manufacturing operations in the military, outdoor, furniture and automotive industries.

Freddie has overseen the development of patented thread technologies that have eliminated extra manufacturing processes used by auto manufactures and companies producing gear for the US Armed Forces.

Freddie is a member on the board for the Industrial Fabrics Association International Makers division.

Luke Gusman is the head of marketing at Sta-Lok Inc. who design and manufacture stainless steel fittings. Luke oversees the delivery of Sta-Lok's worth of experience of working with blue chips organizations such as the Fiat Group, Disney, Vinci and so many more. His eclectic mix of marketing experience has allowed Luke to learn various lessons from multiple strategies to Sta-Lok. In Luke's first 18 months with the company, Sta-Lok has won multiple awards including, being a finalist for "Best use of social media." With a new marketing strategy Sta-Lok has entered new markets and geographical spaces and their social media has grown at the fastest rate in the company's history.

Frank Henderson is a Third Generation, Textile and Sewn Products Executive, that leads an Organization committed to the Growth and Development of Textile and Sewn Products in the Western Hemisphere. Henderson Sewing Machine Co., Inc., Sells New and Used Industrial Sewing Machines, Parts, Supplies, Accessories and Custom Designed and Manufactured Automated Solutions for the Textile Sewn Products Industries. Frank speaks to Industry groups Globally on Innovation, Global Manufacturing Shifts, Policy Changes and Disruptive Challenges and Changes within the Global Textile and Sewn Products Industries.

Coming soon...

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.

Connie Huffa, a Textile Engineer, is the President of Fabdesigns, Inc. a 3D engineering firm in Malibu California. Connie is an alumnus from The Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, where she also taught in the Masters’ of Textiles program. With over 30 years of advanced textile experience, Connie has built a solid reputation for a successful 'fiber upward' textile materials focus, in several markets, including performance & 3D knitted apparel, footwear, composites, extreme environment, automotive, medical, and e-textiles, emphasizing integrated manufacturing, which uses only what’s needed. Realizing the importance of true sustainability decades before it became popular, she and her husband Bruce founded Fabdesigns, Inc. in 1988, focusing on building manufacturing platforms with nearly zero waste. Connie has presented on cutting edge engineering and sustainable Textile industry best practices throughout her career and continues to do so representing Fabdesigns, Inc.

Danielle Iverson, Sr. Regulatory & Product Compliance Consultant with TÜV Rheinland of North America provides guidance and recommendations to clients in regards to testing and quality assurance programs and protocols designed to protect their brands, ensure compliance with national and international compliance regulations and minimize risk for apparel, textiles, footwear as well as toys and children’s products.

Before joining TUV Rheinland, Danielle was the Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Danielle also served as Director of Government Affairs with the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA). She received a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Japanese Language & Literature from the George Washington University, and also holds an Associate in Applied Science degree in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design.

Judy leads Mitchell Allen in developing marketing solutions for business-to-consumer and business-to-business companies in a variety of categories for small to medium sized businesses.

She delivers innovative and effective marketing campaigns by aligning the strategic direction of marketing efforts with overall growth initiatives, and executing tailored strategies for diverse product and service offerings.

She’s savvy in textile marketing having worked with retailers, fabricators, manufacturers and distributors of specialty fabrics and hardware in residential, commercial and architectural markets. She “gets” your business and how to market awnings, signs, casual furniture, tents, umbrellas, marine, signs and upholstery. In addition to leading clients in their marketing, Judy also leads the American Marketing Association Hampton Roads Chapter as the current President.

Clara Jiménez is an attorney at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP's office in Washington DC. She works closely with clients of all sizes, including Fortune 100 companies and startups in the chemical and medical device industries to develop intellectual property solutions tailored to their business needs. She counsels clients on patent portfolio management and trade secret protection policies. She holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Marc graduated from Mulhouse in Textile Engineering. He has worked in the Textile industry since 1995. Since 2001 he has wokred in Non-Wovens as a porject engineer and in 2004 took the position of Head of R&D within Norafin.

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.

Shavati Karki-Pearl is the Director of Engagement for Autometrix Inc. Shavati has held roles as diverse as Campus Administrator to Director of Global Business Development in the field of vocational education and workforce development for over 18 years. In the recent 5 years she has served as a member of the local Economic Development Council and Workforce Development Board. Shavati is the founder of Nevada County Tech Connection and Connected Communities Academy, both initiatives to build the local tech ecosystem as well as tech talent in Nevada County. She is in an envious position of working with a company like Autometrix that supports not only internal talent development but that of the community as a whole.

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.

Ed Keough joined Futureguard Building Products, Inc. in 2008 as Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing. Responsibilities include overseeing a sales and marketing team working with Futureguard’s nationwide network of NuImage and Bel-Aire branded professional awning dealers. His awning career began in 1994 as a regional salesman for Eastern Awning Systems where he progressed to national sales manager over 13 years. With extensive experience in the family hardware business, Ed is a hands-on, mechanically inclined person who likes to be involved in all aspects of the business. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St Michaels College in VT.

Dr. Valérie Lamontagne is a wearables designer, curator, and researcher. She holds a PhD in “Performative Wearables: Bodies, Fashion and Technology” from Concordia University, Montréal (2017). Lamontagne is currently a professor of Fashion Research and Technology at Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) where she is affiliated with the Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industries at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). She is also the owner and designer at 3lectromode, a wearables electronics atelier dedicated to avant-garde crafting and consulting in fashionable technologies and is the founder and director of the Fashiontech Festival. She has exhibited and lectured internationally on wearables and fashiontech at conferences such as: HCII; CAA; ISEA; ISWC; CES; DIS; as well as collaborated on notable exhibitions and events related to fashion innovation and media arts such as: ”The Future of Fashion is Now" at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2014); "TechnoSensual" at MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria (2012). Recently she launched, in collaboration with Art and Program, Inc. (Tokyo) a wearable device for environmental sensing called “synapseWear.”

Jeffrey Lee major polymer material physical properties and characterization. He has worked for ITRI to be researcher for developing advanced polymer composite, and Siliconix Vishay to be Power MOSFET packaging R&D process engineer and ASE Corp RD to be green program manager. Currently, he is Assistant Vice President in iST-Integrated Service Technology Inc., and main works are to develop global Open Collaboration engineering projects for ICT related Q&R technology with industry alliance including IMAPS, IPC, INEMI, SMTAI,TPCA and AATCC committee.

He has published more than 80 technical papers about IC package, PCB assembly and PCB technology on material, process and reliability study in international electronic conference and Journal.

Dr. Weifeng Liu works for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Group of Flex as a manager of wearable technology development. Before joining Flex in 2013, he worked for Hewlett Packard and Huawei, responsible for component and assembly reliability. Dr. Weifeng Liu has 20 years’ experience in electronics technology and process development, covering a wide range of products from consumer products to high end systems. His expertise includes technology development, mechanical design, material selection, process development, reliability evaluation, and failure analysis. Dr. Weifeng Liu holds a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from University of Maryland. He received the IPC standard leadership award and the IPC distinguished committee service award. He has published dozens technical papers, one book, holds over 20 US patents and has more pending.

This presentation will explore the latest advancements in extrusion technology which are enabling the next generation of drug delivery. It will also explore some of the medical applications that stand to be most significantly impacted by this technological advancement.

Previously at the Wyss Institute at Harvard and Otherlab in San Francisco, she developed wearable robotic exoskeletons for the military. She has since worked on a number of software and AI-related projects in the fashion space.

Leanne is the author of Fashion Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence for the Fashion Industry, released by Apress in Fall 2018.

Madeleine MacRae serves as CEO, Founder and Chief Innovator for MM MacRae, a national learning, coaching and consulting firm focused on the development and growth of pros and companies serving the home professionals industry. Madeleine has more than 13 years of experience leading, consulting and growing pros, contractors and corporations and has developed a time-tested process and “language” for effectively bridging the gap between the needs and expectations of the corporate world and the needs and expectations of their greatest asset—their pros in the field. Madeleine derives her energy from educating, inspiring and leading her clients. She is deeply connected and responsive and has a unique 360 degree view and understanding of objectives, goals and stakes.

Immersed in a world that is connected by products and services, but divided by a distinct disconnect in language, needs and motivators, Madeleine and her team serve as a compelling, engaging and proven bridge to awareness, education, loyalty and growth.

Madison Maxey is an award-winning technologist who is passionate about materials and creative technology. She focuses on bringing flexible, robust circuitry (e-textiles) to scale as Founder and Technical Lead at LOOMIA. Throughout the course of her work at LOOMIA, she has developed e-textile prototypes and workshops for companies like North Face, Google, PVH, Flextronics, Adidas and Corning. Maddy’s work has built the foundation for several pending patents and has led to invitations to lecture at Columbia University, Parsons School of Design, NYU and University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. In addition to e-textiles, Maddy has performed computational design and physical computing work for the F.I.T Museum, Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit, CNBC’s Jump Jive and Thrive and Google Creative Lab. She has also held creative technology residences at the School of Visual Arts, Autodesk, and Pratt’s BF+DA where she won the BF+DA Technology Innovation Award. She is a former Thiel Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, TED@NYC selected speaker, and Lord & Taylor Rose Award Recipient.

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.

As Managing Director of Hohenstein Institute America, Ben represents OEKO-TEX® in North America and promotes Hohenstein’s expertise as a globally recognized leader in textile research and testing. He also serves as the company’s liaison with governmental agencies, industry collaborations, and trade associations.

He previously consulted with various brands on content development, training, and establishing partnerships with industry leaders and experts to increase industry engagement in green chemistry and sustainable textile processing. Ben started his career at Nike, where he helped develop a restricted substances program and was involved in implementation of sustainable materials and water programs.

Ben has degrees in Chemistry and Textile Chemistry from North Carolina State University and a certificate in Green Chemistry from the University of Washington.

Coming soon...

Kevin Nelson received his Ph.D. from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas under the direction of Dr. Robert Eberhart. As a faculty member in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1996, he joined a team working on an NIH grant to develop a fiber-based, biodegradable vascular stent with the goal of delivering gene therapy to the vessel wall. Simultaneously working with Dr. Nathan Schwade to develop drug-loaded microspheres for improved wound healing, he eventually combined the drug-loading techniques of microspheres with the fiber for the biodegradable stent, and fiber-based drug delivery was born. Eventually patented, this technology has been the focus of Dr. Nelson’s professional life and the driver behind TissueGen, Inc.

Matthew Neri is vibrant sales representative of Blindtek Designer Systems and Markilux North America, Inc. Matthew specializes in unique interior and exterior shading solutions, which seamlessly integrates into any building envelope. Matthew’s main objective is to share his installation experience and product knowledge with architects, engineers, designers, contractors, and end consumers alike. Matthew has received extensive hands on training at the markilux headquarters located in Emsdetten, Germany. His knowledge of Lutron motors and home automation gives him an edge over the competition. He works to identify trends within the shading industry by attending yearly shading conventions. Matthew attended the Pennsylvania State University and studied business management, and marketing.

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 and the owner of a 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.

Don Pendleton is an expert in the areas of lawsuit protection, tax reduction, and estate planning and has authored several publications on the subjects. He is the co-author of the books, The Asset Protection Handbook, The Asset Protection Bible, and 7 Legal Tools Made Easy. Don has presented at numerous association meeting, advanced training seminars, webinars, and workshops on the subject of asset protection. He is one of the nation’s top asset protection advisors and has helped thousands of professionals learn how to property structure themselves for lawsuit protection and tax reduction.

Caroline is an occupational therapist and nursing home administrator. She has worked in healthcare since 1995, providing direct patient care for over 20 years. She has provided services as a custom seating practitioner, worked in outpatient specialty clinics, and post-acute care. Her experience includes teaching at colleges and universities, and presenting lectures and workshops at the local, national, and international levels. She is a representative on the Corporate Advisory Council of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), and works as Senior Clinical and Education Specialist at Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc.

Wayne Rendely has 20 years of practice as a licensed Professional Engineer. He has provided services to more than 200 clients and has made a significant contribution on more than 1000 unique special structures worldwide.

Wayne Rendely Specializes in Tensile Membrane Structures both permanent and temporary, licensed in 50 jurisdictions and the Engineer of Record (EOR) for more than 350 projects.

Mar Ricketts is the CEO and founder of GuildWorks: Architecture of the Air. He studied architecture and engineering at Pratt Institute in New York. He began his career pioneering high performance tensioned fabric kites but has always been working towards innovative architectural solutions.

Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Nickolas Rivera started his journey in textiles almost twelve years ago when he was hired by MMI Textiles, Inc. After a year of dedication and training in customer service, Nick was promoted into the position of Production Manager. In this role, he was able to strive in meeting and exceeding customer expectations while strengthening long term partnerships with key suppliers.  In March of 2014, Nick was formally named as Director of Operations, during which time MMI has experienced consistent, double digit growth and expansion across multiple markets. Nick continues to serve as part of the management team headed by President and Founder of MMI Textiles, Amy Bircher and also has the pleasure of serving as the Chairman on the IFAI Military Division.

An expert in organizational excellence and the textile manufacturing marketplace, Robert L. Rosania brings a unique blend of technical knowledge, practical application and continuous improvement to his organization. Mr. Rosania’s extensive educational background and professional experience has led him to the position he holds today at one of the pre-eminent specialty fabrics end-product manufacturers in the United States.

Robert L. Rosania is Part Owner & Chief Executive Officer of Ehmke Manufacturing Company, Inc. Mr. Rosania joined Ehmke in 1993 as a Partner and Plant Manager, and was later promoted to Vice President, Sales and Marketing, before moving into his current position in 2000. During his tenure as CEO, Ehmke has grown tenfold and expanded into the Defense, Military and Aerospace marketplaces.

Prior to joining Ehmke, Mr. Rosania was Technical Account Manager for Nalco Chemical Company designing water treatment programs for nuclear and fossil power plants. Previously, he was a Production Control Engineer – D5 Trident Nuclear Missile Program for General Electric Company.

Mr. Rosania received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, he was a member of the Varsity Football Team that won the Ivy League Championships in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. He also attended Drexel University’s Masters in Business Administration program concentrating in Finance. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mr. Rosania attended the William Penn Charter School graduating in 1982 and now serves on that school’s Board of Overseers.

Mr. Rosania currently serves on the following Board of Directors: Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF), the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC), Enable Sports & Fitness (501c3) and MMI Textiles. Mr. Rosania also serves as President of the Philadelphia Little Quakers; an all-star youth football program that provides a “pathway forward” for Delaware Valley student-athletes through football & scholarship.

He has received two (2) Professional Certification by the IFAI: as an Industrial Fabrics Manager in 2001 and as a Certified Project Planner in 1999. A noted inventor, Mr. Rosania also holds two US Patents for “Methods for Ameliorating Oil Spills in Marine and Inland Waters.”

Dr. Satchell is the Technology Director for Situ Biosciences LLC and focuses his biochemical expertise on product development and testing for industrial and consumer products. With over 25 years’ experience as a research biochemist, Dr. Satchell’s expertise facilitates global product development, enhanced material performance and durability, regulatory support, and product registrations. Dr. Satchell participates in various committees that are directly applicable to common standards used with textile formulations, bringing scientific focus to the development of quality and durable products and materials.

Marc Shellshear, IFM, MFC has been in the Industrial Fabrics business for over 25 years, nicknamed Dr. Shade. Marc has held positions within 4 companies in the past 25 years from sales, sales administration, marketing, operations and almost every facet of manufacturing. Marc has worked with companies such as Nissan, Sirius XM, Martha Stewart, Wal-Mart, Play Power, MD Anderson Hospital, NASA, and Volkswagen to name a few and has worked all over North and South America. Marc is currently the Chairman of the Fabric Structures Association and has served on the Education Committee of IFAI, International Achievement Awards Judge, Certification Judge, and IFF judge for IFAI.

Karl Sherrill, CIC, CRM, MBA, is the Leader of Marsh & McLennan Agency’s National Manufacturing Group. With almost 30 years of experience in various manufacturing operations, he is responsible for assisting the national team in understanding the dynamics of the industrial manufacturing segment and the unique exposures in manufacturing environments. Karl’s experience in manufacturing includes operations management and consultative sales positions in textiles, furniture, chemicals, lubricants, food/beverage, automotive, plastics, and heavy machinery. He has experience in team building, consultative sales, leadership development, principles of management, professional communication, ISO Standards, and lean manufacturing. Karl frequently presents to manufacturing groups on industry topics and also serves on adjunct university faculty teaching various sales, marketing, and business courses.

"Jeff Sponseller has been in the industrial fabrics and graphics business for nearly twenty years. As an Executive Vice President of Miller Weldmaster, he has worked with numerous industrial fabrics manufacturers, government contractors, sign industry leaders, and has consulted on numerous projects requiring thermoplastic welding and fabric handling worldwide. Jeff has presented at seminars in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Jeff was the original chairmen of the Industrial fabric equipment division and formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Industrial Fabrics Industry for six years.

Prior to the industrial fabrics industry, Jeff worked as a biomedical engineer and as a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry. He has degrees in Engineering and Management.

"Thomas Stegmaier is the manager of research for Technical Textiles at the German Research Institutes in Denkendorf with the focus on bionic developments. 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 with the knowledge and help of living nature. 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.

Michael F. Sullaway, P.E., President and CEO of Sullaway Engineering, Inc. is a 1985 graduate of the prestigious Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Structural Engineering. He has over 30 years’ experience in the design of international bridge projects, nuclear containment structures, steel pedestrian bridges, post-tension concrete foundations, parking structures, commercial and residential buildings, remodels and retaining walls. In 2010, Sullaway co-founded Sullaway Engineering, Inc., a nationwide structural engineering firm and recognized leader in the sign and awning industries for providing structural analysis and stamped structural engineering drawings and calculations for projects throughout the United States and Canada. Sullaway currently serves as a director on the Fabric Structures Association (FSA) Advisory Board and holds professional engineering licenses in 48 states, including the District of Columbia.

Louis Troilo is an attorney at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP's office in Washington DC. He provides a full range of counseling services to a broad range of clients. He represents Fortune 100 companies to startups and universities looking for assistance in patent procurement, portfolio analysis, opinion drafting, and intellectual property licensing. For companies seeking to develop a strategic IP position, he provides patent landscaping and due diligence analyses. He holds a J.D. from Catholic America University, Columbus School of Law.

H. Lee Wainwright, sometimes referred to as the “Grandfather of E-Textiles” has created E-Textile products and production machinery since 1985. He has received over a dozen patents and awards for applications and production processes. Lee authored a chapter on E-Textiles for a textbook published in 2017 and shared his experience as a mentor at the New Orleans E-textile Conference in October of last year. Lee has presented E-Textile technologies at Smart Fabric, Flexible Display, LED, and Textile Conferences in Washington DC; Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego, CA; Melbourne, Australia; Japan and South Korea. Lee has developed E-Textile applications and products for dozens of companies including SONY, Sylvania, MACY’s, Target, Disney Parks, NASCAR, GIVENCHY, D&G, GM, WB, Mattel, MGM, NIKE and others.

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 is helping awning, sign and marine fabric businesses across the country take control of their workflow 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.

Lloyd has more than two decades of Washington experience in public relations and government affairs. He represents the U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) and Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI) divisions of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) as well as the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). Of note, Lloyd coordinates activities of the Berry Amendment Textile Coalition, an informal coalition of trade associations and companies dedicated to preserving and expanding the Berry Amendment, a law requiring the Department of Defense to buy textiles and clothing made with 100 percent U.S. content and labor.