Posted April 6, 2016

 

I knew by the birds chirping and the trees greening that things were heating up, but I guess I didn’t realize just how much the warming temps meant textile activity would begin to reach a fever pitch.

 

Then I looked at my calendar.

 

One peek and I realized: Starting this Sunday, I won’t sleep in my own bed for 22 of the next 26 days. I’ll be zigzagging the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to Goldsboro, N.C., to Williamsburg, Va., to Charlotte, N.C., to Tampa, Fla., back to Charlotte, to Greensboro, N.C., then on to Atlanta, Ga. Virtually all stops are business related, although one – the most important – will be for the purpose of wishing my mother a happy birthday with a fresh bouquet of spring flowers. (One can never be too busy for Dear Ol’ Mom.)

 

Just the thought of that circuitous expedition made me quickly realize something: Y’all are trying to kill me, huh?

 

But, seriously, you won’t hear any complaints from me. Those of you who know me know I’m doing something I love dearly, and that’s being with many of you fine folks in this industry and reporting on your various functions. The only problem I see with the upcoming schedule is the fact that several events are booked on top of each other, which will prevent me from covering them ALL. It really troubles me to have to say no, especially when a company or association is hosting a good-news or networking event.

 

And isn’t it a great time to be in textiles? In a past life, that was a hard statement for me to make. Too much doom and gloom surrounded us all just a few years ago, and putting lipstick on that pig was difficult from where I sat.

 

But I like the view from this new perch better. Like the flowers popping out all around us, the U.S. textile industry is showing new signs of growth every day. And it’s a privilege to witness that rebirth and share stories of your metamorphosis. As your transformation continues, I think it’s fair to say you’re kicking butt and taking names these days, as evidenced by my calendar and the much larger number of name tags I’m seeing at industry meetings.

 

We, as in industry, do have a wonderful story to tell. And I’m anxious to see a presentation next week during the National Council of Textile Organizations’ (NCTO’s) 13th Annual Meeting in D.C. next week. There, P.R. agency Wray Ward will present a first-look, in-depth view of the messaging themes and visuals that will make up an industry rebranding campaign commissioned by the council.

 

After nearly a year of work on the campaign, it will be fascinating to see how the agency will define us as a highly innovative, technically advanced and globally competitive industry. We know this already, but now the world needs to know. I was among those interviewed for industry background information. Stay tuned for news about that.

 

Meantime, I’ll keep the engine revving, the Starbucks’ brewing and the keyboard sizzling (not necessarily at the same time). My mantra over the next few weeks: I’ll sleep when I’m dead. (If y'all don't kill me first.)

Zooming, zipping and zigzagging