Our Podcast: Talking Textiles

  • During the Marine Fabricators Conference in Corpus Christi, Kyle Van Damme sat down with David and Barbara Huntington to talk about doing canvas work for boaters vacationing in the 1000 island region. Barbara shares about her start in the quilting industry, and how the love of boating led the Huntingtons to the marine canvas trade. They touch on their business plan, how they fabricate and making the business work as a husband-and-wife team through homing in on their fabrication skills and separating out their marine canvas work. They also share about encouraging the next generation to enter the trade and their future exit strategy.
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Join us each month for insider views, best practices and tips from successful companies in the industrial fabric market. Discover the road to the fabric industry and gain insight from shared experiences.

Previous Episodes

  • USINFI: Understanding Advocacy

    Listen in as Mark Harries, Joey Smith, and Chad Twombly discuss the 2025 Advocacy Days held on March 4-5 in Washington, DC. They will discuss their own experiences participating and how being involved has helped them within their companies. In addition, they will discuss why it is important for members to be part of advocacy efforts, who should participate, and highlight the work that our USINFI consultants do on our behalf.

  • Going Head-to-Head with Instagram Worthy to Attract the Textile Product Workforce

    Listen in as Michael Woody, Rachal McCarthy and Bill Ackerley share about the challenges of training and recruitment in the textile product industry. They discuss attracting people to the industry while facing competition with the Instagram-worthy phenomenon and offer solutions to overcome it through explaining the why and what of their products. They also touch on the attraction to CAD and automation, along with tiered training and other strategies they are implementing to help retain the workforce. 

  • NC State Student Edition: Exploring E-Textiles with Erin Parker Tillery and Prateeti Ugale

    Listen in as Erin Parker Tillery, Ph.D. Student and Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles, interviews Prateeti Ugale, Ph.D. Student in Fiber and Polymer Science at North Carolina State University. Prateeti discusses her current research of working on integrating technology into textile structures with a particular emphasis on wearable applications. She also discusses why she chose electronic textiles (e-textiles) and how it is an interdisciplinary field that involves a research and intersection of textiles, electronics, material science, design, and product development.  

  • Live from Advanced Textiles Expo 2024: West Coast Connections

    Listen in as Jonathan Palmer, CEO of Autometrix and member of the ATA Board of Directors, interviews Ethan Halpern, President of American Awning & Blind Co., Daniel Cuppels, Operations Manager at Blithe Defense Industrial Covers, and Alberto Ramirez, CEO of Just 4U Custom Canvas, Inc. They will discuss what makes their textile businesses unique and different on the West Coast. They will also discuss how ATA has helped them become more knowledgeable in the industry with online resources like the member directory and holding Expo each year so they can meet and network with individuals and companies.