The Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association (SYFA) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary fall conference under the theme ‘Past, Present and Future’ while reflecting on its 50-year history and looking forward to the future of the industry.
Keynote speaker Kim Glas, President and CEO of the Washington-based textile advocacy group National Council of Textile Organisations and six business leaders Amy Bircher, Founder and Owner of MMI Textiles Inc.; Brooklyn, Ohio — a supplier and manufacturer of technical textile products; Cameron Hamrick, President of Gaffney, S.C.-based weaving company Hamrick Mills Inc; Charles Heilig, President and CEO of yarn manufacturing company Parkdale Mills Inc., Gastonia N.C; Eddie Ingle, CEO and Director of Unifi Inc.; Leib Oehmig, CEO of Glen Raven Inc., Burlington, N.C.; and Jeff Price, Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Milliken & Company discussed the experiences, concerns and opportunities for the textile industry in the coming year.
The event was sponsored by diamond Sponsor Premiere Fibers Inc.; Gold Sponsors Goulston Technologies and Jomar Softcorp International Inc.; Silver Sponsors Pulcra Chemicals LLC and Teijin Aramid USA; Bronze Sponsors Avient, Thies Corp., Measured Solutions Inc., and Unifi Inc.; and Patrons Mariplast North America Inc. and Textile World.
“The conference was a fitting celebration of SYFA’s 50-year history of education and relationship building, and it was a great launching pad for what lies ahead,” SYFA President Hardy Sullivan said, adding, “For a normal SYFA conference, we would be happy to bring in a speaker from Walmart to discuss re-shoring, Gildan to cover resource conservation or have a panel of top industry leaders hosted by Jim Borneman. But to have them all, and more, in a single conference, was really special.”
The next SYFA conference is scheduled for 20-21 April 2023, at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel in Charlotte, N.C.
The Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association is USA’s non-profit association comprising of over 265 individual and corporate members across the globe that are affiliated with the synthetic yarn, fibre and fabrics industry.
