Speakers

Timothy Akes is the representative in the Americas for MPanel Software Solutions, LLC which specializes in fabric design and engineering software primarily for industrial fabrics industry clients.

More than 25 years of experience with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and hardware has given him a vast amount of knowledge on the subject. He currently provides sales, technical support and training services to more than 300 fabric-related companies in various market segments such as tensile structures, tent & awning, marine and textile exhibits. As a certified trainer he has taught more than 500 students during instructor-led events on the correct use of CAD software systems and production techniques for fabric structures.

Tim resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoys camping, canoeing & fishing in the Ozark Mountains and is an active coach for his sons’ baseball and soccer teams as well as being a life-long St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.

Dr. Shaghayegh R. Arangdad is a Research Assistant Professor at Wilson College of Textiles. She received her Ph.D. in Textile Technology Management from the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. As a post-doc she focused much of her research in dynamic interactive data visualization and utilization in support of research grants with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and a private foundation grant with the UNC-CH WHO Coordinating Center focused on maternal and child health. This work is in direct support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 and UNICEF. Dr. Arangdad has acquired knowledge and extensive experience during years of education and research in the field of textiles, sustainability, data science, and quality improvement in healthcare. She leads the joint development of the Dynamic Interactive Data Visualization & Utilization Lab for UNC-CH and North Carolina State University. She has published papers in medical textiles, statistics and data science, and apparel and textile sustainability and consumer behavior. Dr. Arangdad has also supported over 300 graduate students in Lean Six Sigma courses and projects and over 300 undergraduate students in textile and apparel entrepreneurship and new product development.

James Auerbach has spent the past 25 years in customer facing leadership rolls in the special event, equipment rental, and hospitality industries. Known for his hands-on approach he has built regional and national teams with a focus on strategically growing organizations and employee development.

Currently James works at the American Rental Association as the Vice President for the Event Rental Segment. Prior to that he served as the Senior Vice President of Sales at CE Rental, Inc., James was part of a management team that successfully acquired and integrated seven event rental businesses over a 24-month period with 8X revenue growth. Throughout his career he has held executive level positions within private equity owned businesses ($40M - $250M), as well as mid-sized and startup companies. James has also owned and operated his own businesses.

In his private life James spends most of his time with his family and two energetic dogs. He is an avid sports fan and University of Connecticut alumni (Go Huskies!). He enjoys binging Netflix series, going to his daughter's dance recitals, and watching every superhero movie with his son.

Brett Baird is in his 33rd year working with Trivantage in various capacities including sales, branch manager, and currently Regional Sales Manager for the Southern Region. Contributions to the industry include 20 years serving as board member for the Zone 4 Virginia-Carolina Canvas Products Association and currently Vice Chair of the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association where he also serves as chair of the architectural committee.

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).

Gregg Burrows has over 20 years of successful selling experience. In 2014 he began selling shade sails wholesale in San Marcos, California. Gregg's focus is on experienced contractors and shade sail installers in the industry. He works to support his customers with top-notch customer service, technical aspects of shade sail design, installation and maintenance, ordering, and more.

Marco Cimillo is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, where he is currently also serving as Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching of the School of Design and Director of the Building Physics Lab. He was awarded his Master’s Degree in Architecture and PhD in Environmental Design by Sapienza University of Rome, and is also a fully registered architect, a LEED Green Associate and a member of IBPSA (International Performance Simulation Association) and SITdA (Italian Society of Technology of Architecture).

Charlene worked in sales and marketing in the hospitality industry for over 23 years with companies both domestically and internationally establishing and executing marketing plans, building brand awareness, increasing revenues, and identifying strategic marketing opportunities. In April 2010, Charlene left the hospitality industry to become the CEO of Signature CanvasMakers, alongside her husband Chandler. Charlene holds an Associate’s Degree in Travel & Tourism Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and recently completed an intensive 6-month “Streetwise” MBA degree.

Christian Cowan is a senior executive with more than 20 years of experience in technical manufacturing operations and marketing in the IT networking, energy and textile industries. He brings both domestic and overseas hands-on manufacturing experience to the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation (URIRF), Polaris MEP’s parent organization. He most recently served as the Center Director of Polaris MEP. Christian earned his BSEE degree from Villanova University and his MBA from the University of Rhode Island.

Ms. Justine Decaens is R&D Manager at CTT Group. She graduated from an engineer textile school, ENSAIT, in France with an equivalent to a Bachelor degree and completed a Master in Mechanical engineering at Ecole de Technologie Superieure (ETS), in Quebec. Her work focuses on technical textiles, mostly for personal protective equipment as well as smart textiles and thermal comfort evaluation methods. She has led project aiming to develop new performance index for winter clothing in arctic climate and incorporated the development of a new test method to evaluate the impact of active heating technologies. She has managed a large number of projects, most beneficiating from public funding. She is also part of the ASTM committee for smart textiles standardisation (D13.50) and the head of a task group for market research. She is also very active in the textile community and has a seat on the board of the Institute of Textile Sciences (ITS).

Mr. Vincent Deregnaucourt is a Project leader R&D at CTT Group, graduated from ENSAIT, an engineer textile school, with an apprenticeship masters degree in textiles. His work involved the financing facilitation and management of research & development projects in various fields such as medical protective masks, eco-friendly materials and high-performance textile solutions.

Robin DuBroy brings over 10 years of educational and training experience to Shazeebo Shade Sails. While she wears many hats at Shazeebo - selling, marketing, training, project management, etc. - her main focus is developing the Shazeebo brand and ensuring that all of our customers and contractors get the support they need to enter the industry.

Ron worked for Gerber for over 30 years. Has served GERBER's customers in many capacities over those years with a focus on optimizing the production process and material savings. Hobbies: fly-fishing, hiking, primitive camping, organic gardening.

Matt started his career burning the midnight oil as a banker on Wall Street but after a few years realized his lamp was out of gas. Trying a different tact, he went from advisor to acquirer which landed his most recent gig managing M&A and international territories for Implus, a global consolidator of fitness and sporting goods accessories. At Nextiles, Matt ensures John and George don’t overcommit themselves by saying yes to every opportunity (even though he secretly wants to) and performs a Swiss Army knife of roles from Finance to HR. Although hard work is still core, he occasionally takes calls from the beach, a golf course or whatever boat is willing to take him fishing.

Andrea Ferris is Co-Founder & CEO of Intrinsic Advanced Materials, as well as a co-inventor of CiCLO bio-accelerant technology. She has spent the past 25 years building her diverse career in project, product and supply chain management, including everything from design, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, client services, and business development. CiCLO technology was her brainchild and stemmed from a belief that "built to last" shouldn't mean "here forever."

Coming soon!

Skip Gehring is the president and CEO of Gehring Tricot Corporation. GTC is a 75 year old family-owned and operated vertical group of companies that manufactures warp knits, circular knits, and stretch woven fabrics in NY and MA. Since 1946, GTC has been providing custom engineered solutions to meet a variety of industry needs, including those in the medical, sports, safety, aerospace, apparel, and defense industries. GTC prides itself on being a forerunner in textiles manufacturing, able to supply traditional fabrics for mainstream industries while also engineering custom fabric solutions.

After graduating Villanova University and spending time in the military as an engineer, Skip also spent six months in Germany with the Mayer Praktikant Course. With more than 30 years experience in the textiles industry, Skip has been able to take Gehring into the new century of fabric technology. He is an integral part of the textiles industry through membership in the IFAI, AATCC, National Safety Council, NCTO; amongst others. Through his memberships, he is able to keep Gehring on the cutting edge of technology while always being open to new innovation.

As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, Skip believes in doing more in each day than most people do in a week. As such, Skip believes strongly in community engagement. He has been a coach for all levels of girls and boys basketball, along with baseball and softball, from CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) to high school and AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) on to college.

Barbara Griffith established SCL Equipment Finance, a division of Southern California Leasing Inc. in 1992. Throughout her career, she has originated millions of dollars of funding for businesses in the U.S. This steady growth is attributed to her company’s reputation, strong beliefs in professional work ethics and proven successful customer relationships. As a well-respected industry leader, she has been featured in many online and print trade publications, served as a committee member for several leasing associations and been a highlighted speaker at conferences and tradeshows. 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.

Torey wants to streamline your business and simplify your life. Combining his experience with manufacturing, marine fabrication, software development, and workflow consulting, he helps eliminate the daily frustrations that come with the multitude of software systems needed to manage your business.

Frank Henderson began his career at Amoco Fabric and Textile Division of Amoco Chemical in Nashville, GA; after finishing Auburn University in Textile Engineering. Frank’s work at Amoco began with engineering with polypropylene fabric in fabric development.

In 1976 Frank returned to Henderson Sewing Machine Company, a family owned distributor of industrial sewing machines, parts, supplies and automatic systems for sewn product manufacturers.

Having just completed his 44th year at Henderson Sewing Machine Company, Frank has had the opportunity of travelling domestically to 42 states and internationally to more than 60 countries, visiting manufacturers and suppliers of more than 80 different product types of textile sewn products.

Frank speaks at industry events and conferences numerous times a year across the global textile industry.

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 Shazeebo Shade Sails located in San Marcos, California. He started in the shade sail business over 20 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 the Shazeebo Dealer Support Program, a comprehensive resource for contractors that are looking to enter into the shade sail industry.

Mary Johnson is the Manager of 401 Tech Bridge and concurrently leads the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network. She facilitates collaboration across industry, government, defense agencies, and academia and leverages the resources and expertise of the region’s vibrant textiles, composites and technology ecosystem to accelerate innovation and growth. She previously served as the Manager of Growth and Strategy at Polaris MEP, as the Executive Director of Rhode Island Students of the Future, a youth robotics organization. 

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.

Clare King, President of Propel LLC, has been at the cutting edge of textile technology innovations for her entire career. For over a decade, Clare has led a team at Propel focused on developing new textile-based solutions from fiber to complete systems for the US military. She is particularly excited and engaged in the intersection of textile technology with other scientific and technical fields and by the opportunities this creates for applying textile innovations in completely new ways. Clare holds degrees from Oxford and Princeton Universities.

Dr. Kihong Ku works in the area of emerging design technology and studies how design technology changes, facilitates, and improves concept design and design development processes. Currently he focuses on integrating building performance with innovative material strategies and performance based design practices. Ongoing work includes research on adaptive facades and textile material based building envelopes. His research has been funded by various public and private funding entities including NCARB, NIOSH, Skanska USA Building, Virginia Tech, Philadelphia University, and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Brian La Plante has an extensive background in design and materials innovation. As Director of Outerwear at the outdoor brand Marmot, he and his team fused sustainable design with technical performance leading to many industry awards. Now as Manager of Sustainability for YKK’s Global Marketing Group he is responsible for identifying new materials and technologies, and developing the products necessary for a more sustainable future.

Daniela Leal joined the textile world as the Sustainability Specialist at Piana Group, an organization comprised of Tintoria Piana, Piana Eco Planet, and Piana Nonwovens. Daniela’s educational background consists of a B.S. in Environmental Science and a P.S.M. in Environmental Policy and Management, eventually leading into her first job in the textile industry. Her career-focused ambitions are founded on the belief that all economic sectors are responsible for their environmental and social impacts, supporting her goal to help businesses outpace the sustainability challenges facing the industry.

Mr. Alejandro Maupomé is a Project leader at CTT Group. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from ENSIC (Nancy, France). He has a 30+ years professional experience in polymer technology, mainly in thermoplastics, composites, coatings and foams.

Nora McCafferty has over two decades of experience in the U.S. Military’s personal protective equipment selection and procurement process. Her focus is on identifying, educating and influencing technical, user and economic buyers at various government defense organizations. She is the owner of Maples & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm that helps clients navigate the complex network of organizations, agencies and program offices that make up the department of defense. They work to match their clients’ existing and emerging capabilities with near and long term opportunities within all branches of the U.S. Military. Before forming Maples & Associates, she worked in the technical fabrics division at W.L.Gore&Associates as a Government Specialist for their U.S. Military Team. Before her time at Gore she held several Production Manager positions. She is a graduate of Clemson University and holds a Masters in Textile Engineering.

Ben Mead serves as the Managing Director of Hohenstein Institute America. In this role, he serves as the company’s liaison with government agencies, industry collaborations and trade associations. He also oversees OEKO-TEX® responsibilities for the U.S.

Prior to joining Hohenstein in 2014, Ben consulted with various brands and industry associations, including Textile Exchange and AFIRM. In those roles, Ben established partnerships with industry leaders and experts to increase industry engagement in green chemistry and sustainable textile processing.

While working for Nike, Ben helped develop a restricted substances program and was involved in the implementation of sustainable materials and water programs.

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

Jeff Mills has worked in the textiles industry for over 43 years, with the last 10 concentrated in dye sublimation. For over five years, he has utilized his extensive experience managing Beaver Paper’s textiles division. As TexStyles® Product Manager, Jeff is responsible for sales, inventory, and the development of new innovative textile products including the new four-way stretch Backlit and eco-friendly NatureSeries product lines.

Global Impex USA’s founder, Kingshuk Mukherjee (King), has been an active participant in the global textile industry for over 20 years and he has conducted business in over 40 countries. It was King’s drive and knack for global business that allowed him to create Prestige Impex, a multi-million-dollar international textile company, early on in his business career. Currently, King teaches as a professor of global business at St. John’s University and at St. Benedict’s College and heads Global Impex USA and its subsidiaries.

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.

Zoe Newman is a graduate student in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. She is studying sustainable textile innovation through the integration of specialized knitting techniques. Zoe has helped develop the North Carolina Textile Hemp Consortium consisting of industry members across the United States focusing on sustainable economic development and processing innovations of hemp fiber in the Southeast. Her career goal is to enter academia where she may continue contributions to ground-breaking research and textile developments in the 21st century.

Brent Nussbaum has been with Miller Weldmaster over twenty years and has been the president for three. He began his career at Miller Weldmaster as a student in a co-op program working hand in hand with our founder, Al Miller. During his career he has held many positions within the business including manufacturing, field service, engineering and sales. Brent has also had the unique experience to work with three generations of the Miller Family. With an in-depth knowledge of the craftsmanship required to build long lasting equipment, Brent leads the organization with a customer first attitude, while continuing to instill the Miller work ethic, vision, and culture.

With global product development and supply chain experience that spans over 20 world-class brands, Courtney brings a deeply technical and strategic point of view to her role at Hologenix, inventors of Celliant. Having served as a senior executive at PVH and VF Corporation and also a member of the Cotton Board for over a decade, Courtney is an expert in textile science, global sourcing, product design and development.

John has been helping entrepreneurs, startups and brands innovate in the active lifestyle industry since 2013. John received his Bachelor’s from the University of MS and Master’s from Georgetown University. John started his career at the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and became passionate about merging the sports industry with technology. John manages business development and all commercial opportunities for Nextiles. He has worked alongside C-Suite leadership teams across the sports, apparel and broader active lifestyle industries. John has been involved with a variety of companies at all stages as an industry advisor. John is a connector, believes some dogs are better than people and has never shied away from a mic with a stage. When he’s not selling, John can be found spending time with friends, family and his Golden Corgi rescue, Ally.

Eric Petersen is the Director of Sales & Marketing for Enduratex. In addition to his role as manager of national sales for Enduratex, he oversees the marketing for the company. Petersen joined Enduratex in 2011 as Sales Manager. Previous to his current position with Enduratex, he was associated with Omnova Solutions and Avery Dennison respectively. His focus is on driving profitable growth and positioning the Enduratex brand as the premiere coated fabrics product line. Petersen is active in several industry associations including: CFFA, NADFD and NEWH. Petersen resides with his wife and children in Medina, Ohio.

Amy Poole is the Director of the Dealer network for Awnex, Inc. AWNEX designs, engineers, manufactures and installs aluminum canopies, awnings, trellises, wall louvers, roof screens and patio covers for the commercial chain store & quick service markets.

She works with fabric awning companies across the US to recruit them as dealers to to become a vendor for our products. Amy enjoys building relationships with clients and providing training and support for them to become a successful dealer.

Mar Ricketts is the Principal and founder of GuildWorks 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.

Shade Sails Canada is a family owned, proudly Canadian company designing, engineering and building Shade Structures for over 15 years. Brydon graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree. He travelled extensively in Europe, Asia & Down Under. In 2000, he joined with other members of the Roe family to form Shade Sails Canada. In 2007, Brydon migrated from Toronto to Revelstoke BC to expand Shade Sails in the West by opening the Western office. During the last decade, Brydon has gained extensive experience with tensioned fabric shade structures as well as Cyclone Umbrellas and out Tulip Umbrellas.

Michael Savarie is the Sustainability Manager of the Piana Group, a multi-faceted organization comprising of Tintoria Piana, Piana Eco Planet, and Piana Nonwovens. Michael has worked toward social and environmental sustainability across Canada, Europe, and the United States in various industries. Dedicated to driving sustainability strategy across the apparel and textile industry, he has helped businesses develop strategic initiatives to improve sustainability of materials, products, supply chains, and operations. Michael holds a B.B.a. in Sustainable Business Operations, a M.S. in Sustainable Design, is an accredited LEED Green Associate and Circular Economy Designer.

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 Vice President of Sales & Marketing at ESquared , and is the President of Coated Technical Solutions

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

He has be involved with Technical Textiles for over 40 years also, holding previous positions at Cooley Incorporated and Intertape Polymer group.

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

He was a member of the ambassador design team, developed by rhode Island Education 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.

Recently he has changed course and directed his efforts to help those in the disabled community, and as a result, today he is the Vice Chair of the Rhode Island disability Council, Chair of the Rhode Island Force advocacy group for the disabled , and Director of the Newport County Parents Disabled Advocacy Group.

Christopher Semonelli was the 2019 recipient of The Newport Daily News Community Service Award for Educational Outreach.

Bill is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support - Clothing and Textiles (C&T) Industrial Capabilities Program (ICP) Team Lead since 2013. The team assesses industrial capability and supply chain risk of vendors and suppliers supporting C&T managed items. Bill works with three other industrial specialists monitoring the C&T industrial base for constraints and supply chain disruptions that may negatively impact vendor deliveries. The team along with DLA buyers identify potential at-risk industrial base segments. Bill is also the C&T Warstopper Program liaison responsible for identifying industrial base investments that will close a gap in Service requirements and industrial capability. Prior to DLA, Bill worked as a publishing company project manager and a database programming consultant.

Sandy Smith is a communications consultant for the International Sign Association.

Jeff Sponseller has been in the industrial fabrics and graphics business for over twenty years. As an Executive for 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. Jeff is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Industrial Fabrics Industry and past Chairman of the Equipment Division of the Industrial Fabrics Industry.

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 studied mechanical engineering and control systems. in 1999 he made his PhD in Coating of yarns.

He is the manager of the Competence Center Textile Chemistry, Environment, Energy at the at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) in Denkendorf. With his teams he is developing new applications with fiber based materials.

He is involved in several German and European working circles and scientific committees.

He is president of the “International Society of Bionic Engineering - ISBE”

He gives lectures at two universities in Germany and received several scientific awards.

R. Trevor Stevenson is Vice President of Eastman Machine Company, a family-owned and operated business since 1888. Born in Buffalo and raised in Columbus, Georgia, Mr. Stevenson is a 1998 B.A. graduate of the University of Vermont and 2011 M.B.A. graduate from the University of Buffalo. Upon graduation and prior to joining the Eastman team, he worked in Europe for an internet company as well as a manufacturing firm in Colorado. He currently works closely with all departments at Eastman and is major influencer on product design, sales, and tech service.

Mr. Stevenson is married with twins (11), a daughter (20) and two dogs. He enjoys spending time with his family, skiing, hiking, travelling, and playing golf.

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.

George is the founder and CEO of Nextiles. George studied at Berkeley where he received his Bachelor’s in Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. He went on to complete his PhD in Biological Engineering at MIT. While at MIT, George was recruited to lead Puma’s Embedded Engineering team where he applied his materials science knowledge with his electrical engineering expertise to optimize footwear projects in the Puma innovation lab. After seeing shortcomings from wearable technology during his time at Puma, George set out to reinvent the industry — from the ground up with fabric. George spun out Nextiles from MIT after being awarded three patents around the domain of fabric-based sensors.

After graduating from the University of Delaware with a BS in Business Administration in 1982, Mr. Vavala joined Sony Corporation of America where he held various sales and marketing positions in the consumer products division. In 1988 he joined W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. a science and technology driven enterprise headquartered in Newark, DE. During his 30-year career at Gore, Mr. Vavala served in numerous business and sales leadership positions including, Business Development Leader for North American General Outerwear, Sales Leader North American Consumer Footwear, Business Leader of the Asia Pacific Domestic Fabrics Business, and Director of Military Government Relations. During his tenure at Gore Mr. Vavala served on the Boards of Directors for the Warrior Protection and Readiness Coalition and the National Textile Association. Mr. Vavala is currently the President of Vavala & Associates Inc. a government relations consulting firm specializing in helping clients navigate the complex environment of doing business with the U. S. Government.

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.

Dr. Andre West is the Director of the Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE) and an Associate Professor in the Department of Textile Apparel Technology and Management at the Wilson College of Textile at NC State University. His role as the Director of ZTE is to keep sustainable textiles at the forefront of future textiles, cultivating a more responsible ecosystem for the fashion industry. This is achieved by education and mobilizing students, industry, and consumers to be positive advocates while leveraging industry-related partnerships. He is involved in sustainable manufacturing techniques with Wholegarment knitting for zero waste. He has made numerous national and international presentations on how textile production should achieve a total circular economy.

Michael McKeldon Woody is CEO of Trans-Tex LLC, a textile company based in Cranston, RI. He is currently chair of the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network (RITIN), past president of the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), and a member of Rhode Island's Manufacturing Advisory Council. In 2017, his book American Dragon: Winning the Global Manufacturing War Using the Universal Principles of Fewer, Faster, and Finer was named a finalist for Business and Economics Book of the Year by Foreword Indies.