Posted November 3, 2015

 

We’re a few weeks shy of the day we give thanks in the U.S., but why wait when there are so many to whom to express gratitude? At least we’re in the right month. This fall has been a blur, but a good, exciting, productive blur – a season that saw friends step up to support me or to lend a hand, and a season that saw new friends emerge. You textile folks continue to amaze and delight me – which, as the finest people anywhere, is no surprise.

 

While it’s still hot, I’d like to spend this blog thanking all of you who helped make the visit by Turkish textile machinery delegation a success. I spent four days with 12 Turks interested in learning more about the U.S. textile industry and what type of business opportunities might exist here. That foreign interests are again curious about U.S. textiles is a great indication of all the cool things we’re doing these days. Clay Tyeryar of the American Textile Machinery Association (ATMA) reached out to me over the summer to help promote and organize a workshop designed to bring together the delegation and members of the U.S. textile community, as well as plan and host plant tours for the group. Working with Clay on this project was a pleasure, as always, and I thank him for thinking about me.

 

I’m also extremely grateful to Sam Buff and Sandy Hamilton of Gaston College, who worked diligently to help plan and execute the workshop at its Textile Technology Center in Belmont, N.C. I’m indebted to them for their attentive, behind-the-scenes efforts. And I appreciate all who attended the workshop with the Turkish gentlemen, who were delightful, inquisitive and professional. I hope it was educational and, perhaps, will be beneficial for you going forward. And, lest I forget, hats off to Carrie Kittrell of Messe Frankfurt for coming up from Atlanta to speak during the workshop about Techtextil North America/Texprocess Americas.

 

And many, many thanks to those companies who opened their doors for tours. Admittedly, that was a hard sell, but I’m forever obliged to Crypton, Valdese Weavers, Highland Industries and Mount Vernon Mills’ La France Division for their willingness to have members of the Textile Machinery and Accessories Industrials’ Association (TEMSAD) tour to their facilities. They were very generous of their time, and went beyond the call to make them feel welcome. I’m also appreciative of Palmetto Finishing, which agreed to host a visit but, unfortunately due to time constraints on a busy day, had to be left off the tour schedule. You rock, all of you.

 

And to my new Turkish friends, I’d like to say teşekkürler. Thanks for providing me insights into Turkey’s textile industry and culture, for your flexibility at times and for the goodies. See y’all in Milan.

 

I have tons of others to acknowledge for your support this year, but I’ll save that for the forthcoming, actual “Turkey Day.” Stay tuned for a huge THANKS.

Giving an early thanks