National Clothesline

The Textile Care Allied Trades Association honored one company for 75 years of continuous membership and two 25-year members during the association’s annual conference in Hilton Head, SC, in May.

Marking its 75th consecutive year of membership, a special award was presented to Robbie Adair of Southern Mills by TCATA President Marty Haubenstock.

Haubenstock noted that Southern Mills’ level of commitment is rare in today’s world but shows the value the company places on trade association.

Said Adair, “There have been a number of reasons that Southern Mills has excelled over the years but chief among them is the relationships that have been formed over the years with TCATA and the high caliber of companies that chose to participate and contribute to its goals and ideals.

“Not only does Southern Mills count many companies in the TCATA roster as customers, but also as friends. Many of the changes that have been introduced into the company were borne out of the programs presented at these conferences.† With the challenges that the industry has faced over the years, it has been Southern Mills’ association with TCATA and its members that has provided us with the information and the contacts to navigate through the storms.”

Southern Mills operates five manufacturing facilities, all located in Georgia. The company manufactures a variety of textile and textile-related products and operates an in-house UL and NFPA approved lab and research facility. Its manufacturing processes include yarn formation, weaving, piece dyeing, knitting, non-wovens and cut-and-sew operations.

Honored at the conference for 25 years of continuous membership were Southeastern Plastics Corp., New Brunswick, NJ, and O’Dell Equipment, Inc., Louisville, KY.

With attendance up 35 percent over recent conferences, including double the number of distributor firms represented, TCATA declared the Hilton Head Island conference an overwhelming success.

TCATA awards scholarships

TCATA announced the recipients of its two scholarships during its annual conference.

Matthew Fulgo of Slidell, LA, received the 2004 Dean Allen Education Fund and Kevin Schulte of Cicero, IL, received The Max Zimmerman Education Fund. Each will each receive $4,000 toward college tuition.

Fulgo is one of four students in his high school to maintain a perfect scholastic record, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. He is involved in the Naval Junior ROTC and, during his senior year, he served as the battalion's commanding officer. He also has placed in several marksmanship pistol and rifle competitions.

Planning to major in computer engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, he has already founded a business with a partner that provides Internet solutions for businesses.

He is the son of Richard Fulgo, who is employed by Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company of Kenner, LA.

Schulte scored in the top one percent on his ACT tests and will graduate second in his senior class. He is a member of the National Honor Society and was inducted into the Spanish Honor Society.

In high school, he was a member of the baseball and track teams for two years, was a member of the Math Club and participated in a tutoring project and worked in a soup kitchen. The son of James Schulte of R. R. Street & Co. Inc., he plans to pursue a degree in chemical engineering at Northwestern University.

An informative business program and open exchange of ideas augmented the social events and networking opportunities at the conference.

Bill Odorizzi, vice president of sales for the FH Bonn Co. in Springfield, OH, assumed the TCATA presidency during the conference in South Carolina. His term runs through the 2006 Conference.

Odorizzi has been an active member and contributor to TCATA since he became involved in the industry 10 years ago. He just completed a two-year term as TCATA’s secretary-treasurer, was program chair for the 1998 conference and general conference chair for the 2000 conference, served as a member of the ACME Committee, Directors Nominating Committee, Officers Nominating Committee, Executive Committee and has been on the TCATA Board since 1999.

In remarks delivered at the conference’s closing dinner, Odorizzi noted that the primary focus during his term will be implementation of TCATA’s core mission.†

Alex Atwater of A-1 Products, Birmingham, AL, began a two-year term as Secretary-Treasurer. Also elected were three vice presidents: Janet Hickman, Dow Chemical Co., representing the Supply Manufacturers Group; Rick Kelly, Pellerin-Milnor Corp., representing the Machinery Manufacturers Group; and Lawton Jones, Phenix Supply Co., representing the Distributors Group.

Also at the conference, Leslie Schaeffer of National Clothesline received the 2004 L. Frank Wright “Young Timer of the Year” which honors a member for significant contributions to the association.

In presenting the award, TCATA Young Timer Committee Co-Chairs Shelly and Jim Hericks, Dallas Tailor & Laundry Supply, Dallas, TX, noted that Schaeffer exemplifies the true spirit of the L. Frank Wright “Young Timer of the Year,” as she has contributed much both to TCATA and to the textile care industry. “Those who know Leslie cannot help but feel her enthusiasm for TCATA and for our industry,” Shelly Hericks stated during the presentation. “She has not only contributed directly to TCATA in several appointed positions but continually spreads the word about the value of TCATA to those in our industry.”

Schaeffer is currently a member of the TCATA Board of Directors, served as General Conference Chair of the 2003 Dana Point Conference and was First Timer Committee Chair for the 2002 Cancun Conference.

The Young Timer of the Year Award is named after one of TCATA’s founders, L. Frank Wright of Huebsch Manufacturing Co. The award was first given in 1964.

TCATA has scheduled its 2005 Annual Management and Educational Conference for April 27-30 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort in Phoenix, AZ.

Jason Goldenberg of Cleaners Products Supply will serve as general conference chair. Details on the conference will be posted on the web site, www.tcata.org, as they become available.