Posted February 18, 2020
GASTONIA, N.C. – More than 100 members and guests attended the Southern Textile Association’s (STA’s) annual Winter Technical Seminar on February 12 at the Gastonia Conference Center here.
The annual event took place under the theme, “2020 Vision: Focusing on Networking, Safety, Economics, Technology and More!” STA First Vice President Rick Carpenter of Conitex Sonoco organized and presided over the meeting, which included a greater amount of time for networking than usual, sandwiched between six speakers offering discussions on a diversity of topics.
“When I was thinking about this meeting, safety was one of the topics that came up,” Carpenter said. “My first thought was, the offices of probably half the people in this room is in their car. I know I spend 50,000 miles a year on the road, and I know a lot of you do the same. So I thought we need to have someone talk about highway safety.”
So Carpenter was able to secure a highway patrol trooper to speak on that topic, as well as the North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Cherie Killian Berry to talk about safety in the workplace. Meanwhile, two speakers from Glen Raven Custom Fabrics discussed building a safety culture in the workplace.
Other speakers covered the economy and a technical topic, wet finishing in textiles.
– Devin Steele
STA Winter Technical Seminar brings, diversity, clarity for 2020
STA First Vice President Rick Carpenter of Conitex Sonoco introduces the Winter Technical Seminar program. Photo by Devin Steele
 Dr. John Connaughton, Barings Professor of Financial Economics at the Belk College of Business at University of North Carolina Charlotte, discusses election-year economics. The current expansion began in July 2009, or 127 months ago, he said. This is the longest of 33 total expansions since December 1854, he added. As a rule of thumb, a recession is two successive quarters of downturn in a real GDP. “I predict when we have the next recession, we won’t have two quarters of downturn.” |  Many members of the textile industry spend a lot of time on the road. So North Carolina Highway Patrol Officer Raymond H. Pierce discusses an apropos topic – traffic and highway safety. He noted that 19.2% of all traffic fatalities in North Carolina in 2018 involved driver distraction – including visual, manual and cognitive. “Cell phones combine all three of these types of distractions,” he said. “Trust me when I say this: That text can wait. I’ve unfortunately seen bad outcomes from this." |  North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry gives a homespun presentation that reflects on her life and years serving the North Carolina. She said she has fond memories of growing up in a Carolina Mills mill village in Maiden, N.C. Berry, who has served as labor commissioner for 20 years, said she will not run for re-election after serving five terms. |
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 Jack Woodson, director of operations at Glen Raven Custom Fabrics’ Anderson, S.C., Plant, offers insights into the company’s safety culture. |  Kevin Nix, safety, training and risk mitigation manager at Glen Raven Custom Fabrics’ Anderson, S.C., Plant, discusses the company’s behavioral-based safety culture journey. |  Kevin Nix, safety, training and risk mitigation manager at Glen Raven Custom Fabrics’ Anderson, S.C., Plant, discusses the company’s behavioral-based safety culture journey as colleague Jack Woodson, director of operations at the plant looks on. |
 Preston Aldridge, vice president of sales at FTA, Inc., discusses the “Evolution of Chemical Applicators for Textiles: An Historical Review of Chasing Water.” |  Mike DiRuscio of Engineered Industrial Textile Products and Fabiola Campi of Luxon Group Corporation |  Jasmine Cox of the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College and Rick Carpenter of Conitex Sonoco |
 Carey Hice (L) and Mike Kingsmore of Hitec Chemicals, Travelers Rest, S.C. |  Mike Zavaglia (L) of Apollo Chemical Company and Andy Fitzpatrick of Founders Hemp |  Betty Cole (L) of Valdese Weavers and Lillian Link of the Southern Textile Association |
 Tony Webber of Adaptive Control Systems speaks with Samantha Burdett of Shima Seiki USA |  Thomas Tisdale (L) of PhilChem and Todd Wemyss of Glen Raven |  Edmundo Duarte (L) of EU Power Management Systems and "Mr. STA" George Abbott of Inman Mills (retired) |
 Jennifer Whisnant of SWF Agency and Sam Buff of the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College |  Chuck Mattina (L) of SWF Agency and Dr. Andre West of N.C. State's Wilson College of Textiles |  Melissa Sharp (L) of N.C. State's Wilson College of Textiles and Jasmine Cox of the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College flash the Wolfpack sign. |
 Mike Strader (L) of Pharr Yarns and Keir High of Teijin Aramind USA flash the N.C. State Wolfpack sign |  Jan Justice (L) of Graf Metallic of America and Tony Webber of Adaptive Control |  Kenny Goodman (L) of National Spinning Co. and Khal Shreitah of Carolina Mills |
 (L-R) Jim Ciccone of Unifi, Khal Shreitah of Carolina Mills and Thomas Poston of Daikin America |  Brian Francois (L) of SDL Atlas and Barry Brady of Organic Dyes and Pigments |  N.C. Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry with Mike Strader of Pharr Yarns |
 Karl Sherrill of Marsh & McLennan Agency and N.C. Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry |  N.C. Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry and Andy Sagcal of Shakespeare Company LLC |  Sam Buff of the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College and N.C. Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry |