Hailey Werthaiser Parnes

Mason, Ohio – Downlite’s newly appointed business development exec literally grew up in the down & feather industry.

Hailey Werthaiser Parnes, who has been promoted to VP of business development for the outdoor division, is the only daughter of Marvin Werthasier, owner and one of the original founders of Downlite.

She joined the manufacturer after working for some time in education. Growing up, she was exposed to the world of down & feather processing from a young age and frequently joined her father on many trips to trade shows, sitting with him in the meetings with customers and suppliers.

“I often think about, and truly appreciate how lucky I was, to gain so much experience at a young age.” she said. “I learned so much from my father during those years.  Downlite is a unique family business that is growing tremendously. To be a part of this and work with people I have known all of my life and the new team members who have since joined the Downlite family, has been and continues to be, an incredible journey for me.”

Downlite CEO Joe Crawford said the promotion was well-earned.

“Hailey grew up in this industry, travelled with her father domestically and around the globe, and has deep understanding of sourcing, quality and down processing. This gives Hailey a unique perspective in a unique industry.   It is not possible to overstate Hailey’s value to Downlite’s outdoor division and we look forward to Hailey’s continued contributions as she steps into this new role.

See also:

Downlite taps former Himatsingka exec for marketing

Downlite hires former Hollander exec for marketing and merchandising

Burlington, N.C. – Textile producer Glen Raven Inc. has made progress in its corporate sustainability efforts over the past year, including achieving a 25% use of renewable electricity and a 50% increase in its use of recycled products.

“Our corporate sustainability report reflects what we’ve been doing through history, and it’s our opportunity to really articulate what Glen Raven has stood for over time,” said Leib Oehmig, CEO of Glen Raven Inc. “We want to be transparent both internally and externally and hold ourselves accountable. We want to make sure both our customers and the larger community are aware of what we are doing.”

Since last year’s initial report, the company has also attained a 33% decrease in Scope 1 and 2 net carbon emissions between 2019 to 2021,  recycled 108,309 pounds of fabric in partnership with customers and increased its waste diversion from the landfill rate to 97%.

“We feel like it’s an achievable goal to become 100% powered by certified renewable electricity by 2025,” Oehmig said. “25% of our energy use today is from renewable sources. We are learning every day, working with power suppliers. We own two of the largest privately held solar installations in North and South Carolina, and we consistently push ourselves to do more.”

The concept around the company’s Recycle My Sunbrella program goes back a decade with the company’s focus on motivating consumers to return fabric so the company could recycle it into reusable fiber that has the look, feel and texture that consumers expect from Glen Raven.

“We went through a lull in that program in terms of interest,” he said. “But we’ve seen a renewed energy in the program over the past several years. It took us a little while to recycle 1 million pounds, but we believe we’ll get to that next million much more quickly.”

The company also has made progress in its goals to support its people and communities by establishing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team to lead the company; creating six new positions to help foster associate growth and inclusivity; achieving safety rates that were 50% better than the latest OSHA benchmarks; and completing 2,193 hours of volunteer work via the company’s associates.

One of the areas that’s been important to Glen Raven for generations has been early childhood education, both at the local level and in a broader way.

Leib Oehmig

“We want to have a role in ensuring that the next generation can have access and the opportunity to get the education they deserve,” said Oehmig. “The company’s culture is such that if employees require time away from the office to volunteer, no one is looking at the clock. There is a high level of trust here. We schedule these initiatives in a way that has a minimal impact on operations. We are flexible with our associates and haven’t felt the need to formalize that.

”When the company issued its first corporate sustainability report last year, the goal was to share a set of aspirational goals with the public. This updated report is another step to demonstrate Glen Raven’s commitment to accountability, according to the company.

“We’ve always operated with the belief that business growth is most valuable when done alongside the growth of people and preservation of the planet,” Oehmig added. “I thank our dedicated team and partners working toward our ambitious goals in spite of the pandemic and supply chain challenges. I commend them for the wins made last year and for their continued drive for more wins to come.”

For more information and to view the progress report, visit GlenRaven.com/sustainability.

See also:

• Glen Raven takes steps to grow domestic capacity

New York – Declared a national health emergency on Aug. 4, Monkeypox cases in the U.S. surpassed 10,000 this week.

The most common method of spread is through personal, skin-to-skin contact. Although less common, Monkeypox can also spread by touching fabrics such as clothing, bedding and towels that have been used by someone with the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Could this lead to a spike in demand for health & wellness home textiles similar to the one that grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic?

HTT reached out to manufacturers who developed targeted products during the COVID-19 outbreak well as producers of anti-microbial and anti-viral textiles treatments. Here are 3 things to know:

1. Monkeypox is not on the buy-side radar – at least not yet. While a few manufacturers said they are following the issue, those contacted by HTT said unanimously that none of their retail or hospitality accounts have been asked about it.
2. First things first. Should demand arise, the first logical step would be to test existing textiles treatments against the virus. However, those tests don’t come cheap. “A COVID test costs us about $25K to get done with our protocol. Monkeypox would be way more expensive,” said one manufacturer, who added that absent significant interest from buyers, testing is not worth the expense at this point.
3. Few consumers are worried about Monkeypox. Whether this is a matter of pandemic fatigue in the aftermath of the protracted COVID-19 era or simply because confirmed cases are relatively small in number, surveys have consistently shown that less than 20% of consumers are concerned about contracting the virus.

Of course, the home textiles industry already has a fleet of products available in the market that foster cleaner, healthier living environments. So if something changes, suppliers will be ready.

Duquesne, Pa. – American Textile Company (ATC) recently opened a tech center in downtown Pittsburgh as part of its digital transformation, which also extends to its manufacturing business.

The tech center is located in Nova Place, home to startups and more mature companies specializing in digital innovation. The new site fosters collaboration via an open plan design, but balances openness with areas where employees can focus. With its central location in the city and its proximity to high-tech companies in robotics, AI and autonomous vehicles, the operation is situated to attract top-tier technical talent, according to Blake Ruttenberg, EVP of American Textile Company and president of its AmeriFill division.

“Our continued growth as a company created the need for additional space. As we looked at the talent we needed to help lead our digital transformation, we had a choice to expand our existing site in Duquesne, go fully remote or bring talented people together in an environment that was truly built for collaboration,” he explained.

The office has dedicated project rooms that serve as a command center for coordination and collaboration of cross-functional teams during the implementation of new software systems and in scaling business processes using technology. Most of the company’s IT staff works permanently from the office. They include product owners, developers, analysts and engineers.

“But since the space is used by cross-functional teams, on any given week you will find, team members from other departments such as operations, human resources, finance or sales,” said Ruttenberg.

ATC is also investing to support growth in its manufacturing base. It has expanded its satellite warehouse in McKeesport, Pa., to help handle periods of peak demand. The newer facility in Tifton, Ga. consolidates manufacturing and distribution in facility to improve speed and efficiency by minimizing the movement of inventory. Additional changes include the automation of the facilities in Dallas, Salt Lake City and Duquesne.

“Across our manufacturing network, we have implemented technology to automate previously manual tasks. For example, automated fiber opening and weighing has improved our precision and increased our capacity by eliminating bottlenecks. Another example is the use of voice technology in our drop-ship operation. This again improves accuracy and speed since the system directs an associate on the most efficient walk path, eliminating steps and time,” said Ruttenberg.

See also:

American Textile makes key hire for digital transformation

American Textile Company promotes from within

Hickly, N.C. — HS Foam Fabricators, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Co., is opening a second foam fabrication facility in High Point to further expand capacity for its business and provide additional support to current and new customers.

“The High Point region is a significant area for furniture, and we are excited to be increasing our capacity to better serve our customers” said Jason Porter, vice president of sales.

The addition of the 60,000-square-foot foam fabrication facility is expected to increase HSM’s production volume in the Triad and North Carolina area, as well as improve the overall flow of production in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Called High Point East, the multi-purpose facility houses assembly and cutting operations. It is the ninth foam fabrication location for HSM, which already operates in six states: North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana and Mississippi.

“Over the next six months, HSM will be adding various career opportunities in High Point to support operations,” said Michael Heyn, vice president of operations.

Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company, based in Hickory, N.C., has more than 25 manufacturing plants in 13 states.

See also:

• Wm. T. Burnett acquisition marries 2 independent foam suppliers
• This foam producer to expand production with new factory in Maryland

Farmingdale, N.Y. — Bedgear has added three and promoted three as part of its commitment to create strong teams in both the U.S. and Asia-Pacific.

Bedgear has added two directors of marketing and sales: Tony Catanza for the U.S. Southeast territory and Jonathan Mullinax for the U.S. West territory. Both will report to Leslie Clay, vice president of marketing and sales for North America.

Catanza previously held vice president of sales roles at both Serta and Restonic. Mullinax was vice president of sales at Simmons, America’s Mattress and Hollywood Bed & Spring Manufacturing Co.

Bedgear has also promoted three to the position of player development specialist:

• Nicole Felix-Coschignano, who joined the company in 2018 as a sleep coach and is a bilingual Spanish speaker, will be serving the U.S. Southeast and South American territories.
• With the company since 2019, Frank Lopez is also bilingual Spanish speaker and will be serving the central Florida and spearheading industry-specific events.
• Colin Wolf, who joined Bedgear in 2019, will be serving the U.S. Northeast and Tri-State territories.

All three report to Holly Adorno, director of player development.

In addition, Jodie Cartwright joins Bedgear as one of the first sleep coaches for Australia. She breports to Ross Stuart, president of Asia-Pacific.

See also:

Basic bedding suppliers seeing shift in consumer currents

New York – Chilewich is headed to this month’s Shoppe Object show with new collections of woven table mats and floor mats.

Tambour placemats and floor mats were developed through an iterative process of combining multiple weaves into one design, revealing patterns within patterns and stripes within stripes. Balancing the horizontal and the vertical to create a versatile visual rhythm, Tambour debuts with two colors: ivy and pop.

Twist

Twist placemats and floor mats were inspired by the abstract illusions of Op Art and combine layered curves and softened zigzags with the depth of a woven textile. The larger-scaled design was developed by Chilewich’s master weaver, who began by cutting shapes out of paper to experiment with composition, overlay effects and negative space. It launches in two colorways: magnolia and ocean.

Chord

Chord placemats and floor mats marry geometric rigor with a quieter surface. The line was designed to offer foundational texture via a dobby weave that evokes the woven rush of tatami mats. It is offers in two colorways: oak and ocean.

In edition to its wove collections, Chilewich is introducing three new pressed collections.

Daisy

Daisy placemats take the form of a tightly clustered bouquet of daisies as viewed from above. The flexible openwork placemat acts as a decorative base for whatever is placed on top. It is available in three colorways: black, gilded and gunmetal.

Domino shag mats employ a variegated stripe  in lines of varying widths to create an ombré effect that is heightened when viewed at a distance. The floor mats are stocked in four sizes and come in two colorways: black/white and oak.

Pop Stripe

Pop Stripe shag mats reimagines the rainbow by bringing together bold hues, dynamic lines and tufted texture.

Bands of color are softened by their interplay with white. The floor mats come in four sizes and one multi-hued colorway.

Shoppe Object takes place Aug. 14-16 at Pier 36 in New York

See also:

Chilewich’s new ownership ushers in CEO succession

Chilewich Contract launches first introduction since 2020

Logan, Utah – Malouf this week introduced a bundled set of sleep accessories designed for in-store and online promotions.

Launched during Las Vegas Market, the Weekender Essential Bedding Bundle includes two medium-firm shredded memory foam pillows, double-brushed microfiber sheets, and a liquid-proof jersey mattress protector.

“We’re always looking for ways to simplify the sales process for our retail partners, and that’s one of the things we’re achieving with this Weekender launch,” said Ashlee Willes, brand manager at Malouf. “When a customer purchases this bundle, they get all the sleep accessories they need in one convenient package that’s easy to ship and transport.”

Weekender is a sister brand of Malouf and focuses on value mattresses, bed frames, furniture and sleep accessories.

“Several of our retail partners have success with attaching accessory bundles to a mattress purchase,” said Jesse Gibbs, VP of national sales.

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Minneapolis – Bedding brand Siscovers is launching a new line under a licensing agreement agreement with one of the world’s most respected institutions of historical preservation, the Smithsonian.

Over the past year, Siscovers creative director Shari Hammer has sifted through thousands of digital records from the institute’s libraries and archives to create the debut Smithsonian bedding collection, which launches this week at Las Vegas Market.

The Smithsonian Collection by Siscovers encompasses 24 curated bedding ensembles featuring an array of illustrations of blackbirds and hummingbirds, butterflies and botanicals.

Orchidelia is one of 24 bedding ensembles Siscovers has created under its license with the Smithsonian Institute.

“It was both overwhelming and exciting to look through all of this artwork and to see the potential in each one,” said Hammer.

In addition to shopping the collection, designers and retailers can create their own custom Smithsonian soft-home products. Siscovers’ showroom at the World Market Center is located at B880.

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Siscovers unveils new Great Gatsby bedding collection

Los Angeles — Morgan Fabrics chairman and CEO Michael Gittelson passed away July 12. He was 73.

Born March 17, 1949, in Minneapolis, Gittelson was the eldest of four sons of parents Arnold and Pat Gittelson. At age four, his family moved to California to settle in the San Fernando Valley. There, Arnie Gittelson began Morgan Fabrics, the family textile business.

Michael Gittelson began working at Morgan Fabrics in the 1970s as a salesman for the company in the Pacific Northwest.

He moved back to Los Angeles and married Tina in May 1978. In 1991, Gittelson became business partners with his father, growing the company from a leading domestic wholesale supplier of upholstery goods to an international giant in the textile industry.

He spent more than two decades establishing relationships in China, eventually establishing Morgan Fabrics of Shanghai.

Gittelson is survived by his wife Tina, his son, one brother and a cousin, Steve Gittelson who continues to work with Morgan Fabrics.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to Women’s Guild Cedars Sinai (323) 904-4400; Agora Productions; The Rebecca Bender Initiative; or World Central Kitchen.