People

Canadian Linen and Uniform Service, a leading supplier of linen and uniform rental services in Canada, today announced the appointment of Tom Kozelj to...

Textiles: Tom Langdon, Encompass Group I am vice president of sourcing and purchasing for Encompass Group. I have spent the past 30 years in a...

Santa Barbara, CA – May 18, 2011 – Mission Linen Supply, one of the oldest and most successful family-owned businesses in the linen and...

Lance Matiste has been promoted to Strategic Account Manager for Fire-Dex.  In his 10 years with Fire-Dex Lance has been recognized various times for...

Hedy Woodrow possesses the type of style, confidence and poise that can captivate a room. These are also the qualities that the senior vice...

"I like to be part of a team," says Karen Donavon. "I don't want to do it all on my own," The feisty 67 year-old takes time from her job to perch on a tall stool, and tells what it's like to be a part of "the back of the house." The apparel business relies on thousands and thousands of people like Karen. Some do one or two tasks; others are multiply trained and find themselves to be rarer than hen's teeth in an industry that treasures them.

Gary Schultz, president of Edwards Garment Company, offered Karen a job on the spot when he met her, and asked her if she wanted to move to Kalamazoo. "I've got only three like you, and one is about to leave!" he wailed. Jest or no, the longtime multi-taskers are hard to find.

Whether larger corporations like Edwards, small manufacturers, or distributors, all of us need the folks who are the backbone of our industry. The more talented they are, the more quickly they rise to the top. But there are also those whose "top" is about doing their jobs well, no matter how great or how small. Karen is the perfect example.

She was raised on a 160 acre farm in Illinois, and learned from day one how important it was to do her work well; survival depended on it. She learned the value of producing something that benefitted her own family, and helped others at the same time. "Uniforms are the same as my Daddy's crops, or Mommy's grapevine in her garden," Karen recalls. "When I work, I feel important because I know that I'm helping to make clothing that makes people feel proud. I know that while I'm earning a salary and keeping busy, others are going to be looking mighty nice in the special outfits we do for them. What could be a better job?"

The board of directors of Weinbrenner Shoe Company announced the appointment of Patrick Miner as the new president of the 120 year old company....

ALEXANDRIA, Va., October 7, 2013—Richard J. L. Senior, chairman and CEO, Morgan Services, Chicago, has received the 2013 TRSA Operator Lifetime Achievement Award in...

Alex McCrery was never a fan of traditional chef wear — those high-necked, long-sleeved white coats and baggy pajama pants. Even when he made the...

She intended to retire in August, but she said, "they kept asking me to stay." For Baylor's Air Force ROTC program, Betty Spencer's contributions have...