Weaving Connections That Keep the World Spinning
ANDERSON FIRE BRIGADE Cares for the Community
MFA RECAP
Bill McDaniel Receives Honored Life Member Award
SUNBRELLAÂŽ x LAGOON ÂŽ
Build a Thoughtful Partnership
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âWinningâ this year is going to mean tapping into our creativity to grow our existing business, while also focusing on gaining new opportunities.
With the New Year celebration behind us and the Chinese New Year right around the corner, Iâve been thinking a lot about the way Glen Raven will show up in this next chapter. As I mentioned in our recent Coffee Talk, I am struck by the amount of opportunity I see, even amid the disruption and change weâve watched unfold in recent years.
When I consider the markets we serve, I see business available that would help us reach our full potentialâif weâre willing to get after it. I know the effort every associate puts in each day, and that effort is what puts us in a strong position to win.
âWinningâ this year is going to mean tapping into our creativity to grow our existing business, while also focusing on gaining new opportunities. Itâs going to mean putting our teams in a position to succeed, going to market with creativity and a commitment to earning new business, and achieving operational excellence.
In this issue of Connections, you'll see how this partnership of excellence and creativity is already showing up across our business. You'll read about a collaboration between Sunbrella and Lagoon that shows what happens when inspiration is combined with performance. We're also celebrating the talent of our associates worldwide through two craft and design contests, along with a lifetime achievement award for a longtime Glen Raven employee.
Creativity is the engine that drives us forward, helping us to solve some of our customers' unmet needs, because if we help our customers achieve their goals, then we all win. This is a team of winnersâand I'd bet on us every time.
Thank you for bringing your best ideas to Glen Raven every day.
Leib Oehmig, CEO
May all your wishes come true!
Later this month, people around the world will celebrate the Chinese New Year, marking the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendarâand the Year of the Horse. This cherished holiday brings families together to honor tradition, share festive meals, and welcome the promise of prosperity and good fortune in the year ahead. The Glen Raven Asia offices will be closed from February 15-23 to observe this celebration. ć°ĺš´ĺżŤäš,ä¸äşĺŚć!
Xčn Niån Kuà i Lè, Wà n ShÏ Rú YÏ!
The GRA team recently celebrated the upcoming Chinese New Year together
Sunbrella recently launched an exclusive collaboration with Lagoon, the world leader in cruising catamaransâa partnership that makes it easy to dream about sunny days on board.
When Lagoon began designing the EIGHTY 2 catamaran, they sought an integrated partnership with Sunbrella from the very beginning to create fabrics for all outdoor spaces on the boat. âThis project wasnât simply supplying textiles,â said Claire Turpin, Category Manager at Sunbrella Europe. âIt incorporated a creative and strategic approach from the very earliest
stages of the project. We wanted to create a full sensory experienceâto tell a story with the fabrics.â
Amandine Fournier, Senior Designer at Sunbrella Europe, partnered with the Lagoon team to create mood boards inspired by Polynesian lagoons. âWe wanted to convey the emotion of traveling by
sea,â she said. âWe drew direct inspiration from the lagoons of the Pacific, a world rich in vivid hues, textures, and light. Our fabrics achieve their vitality thereâtransforming from a cool blue in the shade to a brilliant green in the sun. The stripes echo the intricate patterns of reef fish; the textures resemble rock, scales, and aquatic flora.â
This preliminary design work guided Lagoon in its choice of fabrics, not only for their marine performance, but also for their ability to create an immersive, elegant atmosphere consistent with the DNA of the EIGHTY 2 catamaran. Each fabric chosen had to withstand the harsh conditions of the sea, including sunlight, mold, and weather.
âLagoon is a longtime partner of Sunbrella,â said Claire. âItâs this relationship that enabled us to be involved at such an early stage, influencing not only fabric choices, but the aesthetic direction of the EIGHTY 2. We both have a commitment to enduring beauty and a sensory experience honed to the finest detail, and this new project is an opportunity to push our alliance even further.â
Learn more about the partnership between Lagoon and Sunbrella.
SUNBRELLA AND TRIVANTAGE MADE A SPLASH AT THE 2026 MARINE FABRICATORS CONFERENCE, THEIR FIRST TRADE SHOW OF THE YEAR.
The MFA National Conference is one of the most important shows for Glen Raven within in the marine industry. A subgroup of the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), MFA serves as the hub for marine fabricators to connect and help advance their businesses.
The three-day conference was jam-packed with education sessions, networking, and a strong vendor showcase. âThe Trivantage team stayed busy with live sewing demos that featured TENARA thread and showed off the incredible strength of our exclusive line of Fast Fabric Adhesives,â said Lindsay Shakarjian, Marketing Director at Trivantage. âThese adhesives have a bond comparable to sewing and are engineered for use with woven canvas fabrics to save valuable time during onsite installations and field repairs.â
Sunbrella used this event as an opportunity to launch the expanded collection of the Horizon Marine Vinyl to the marine industry. Used for seating, headliners, and sun pads, Horizon has a leather-like emboss to help customers elevate style while still maintaining high durability and easy care.
Not only did Sunbrella and Trivantage have the opportunity to connect with customers new and old, they also had the opportunity to celebrate Bill McDaniel as his impact was recognized with the ATA Honored Life Member Award.
Longtime team member Bill McDaniel was recognized at MFA with the ATA Honored Life Member Award, a designation given to individuals who have done outstanding work on behalf of the association. Bill spent more than 40 years in the textile industry, including 30 at Glen Raven, finishing his career as the Marine Market Manager before he retired last year. Bill has made many contributions to the marine industry and has a longstanding connection with MFA, serving from 2001-2006 as Director, Vice Chair, and Chairman. Billâs peers weighed in on what made him standout within the industry:
Allen Gant, Jr., Chairman:
Glen Raven has been the extreme benefactor by having Bill McDaniel on our team for decades! Billâs love for people worked miracles in his relationships with customers and associates. Billâs integrity, coupled with an awesome sense of humor, provided a path to industry leadership that was second to none.
Brett Baird, VP Sales, Trivantage:
In my 37 years in this industry, Iâve met no one more committed to the marine community at both OEM and fabricator levels. Bill was an early mentor whose guidance shaped how I serve customers. A true legend by contribution, though his humility would deny itâan outstanding professional and an even better person.
Jordan Mahaffey, Brand Activation Manager:
Bill McDaniel has been one of the most influential mentors in my career. Before I fully understood the industry, he showed me what it means to truly show upâwith integrity, humility, and care. He leads by example, puts relationships first, and reminds us that our work matters because of
⢠MFA Savannah, GA Sunbrella Marine & Trivantage
⢠Nautipro Bordeaux, France Sunbrella EU Marine
⢠NECPA Mystic, CT Sunbrella Shade & Marine
⢠MFPA Rosemont, IL Sunbrella Shade & Trivantage
⢠ICFA Elevate Conference New Orleans, LA Sunbrella Furnishings
⢠Miami Boat Show Miami, FL Sunbrella Marine
February 18-21, 2026
Cambridge, MD Sunbrella Shade & Trivantage
February 24, 2026
Performance on Deck Seminar Mashantucket, CT Trivantage
Shades of Innovation Seminar Los Angeles, CA Trivantage
Jakarta, Indonesia Sunbrella EU Furnishings
March 11 â 13, 2026
Columbus, OH GlenGuard
Salone del Mobile Milan, Italy Sunbrella EU Furnishings
Raleigh, NC Trivantage
April 25 â 29, 2026
High Point, NC Sunbrella Furnishings
In October of last year, Glen Raven celebrated the launch of Sunbrella Signature Throws by announcing a design contest at Coffee Talk. We invited associates around the globe to submit their own design concept for consideration, spanning an incredible range of designs and styles.
After reviewing submissions against design and production requirements, the team narrowed down to six beautiful design finalists that were voted on by the global team.
After an enthusiastic round of voting, Jessica Small (Marketing Specialist, US MSG, Protective) was selected as the winner. Her design was brought to life as a one-of-a-kind Sunbrella Signature Throwâthe first to be designed by one of our associates! These throws are special because of the mĂŠlange yarns that give them a luxuriously soft hand and a clean aesthetic. Jess's throw is even more special because of her unique design!
We want to extend a sincere thank-you to everyone who submitted one of the 47 designs for the contest and to everyone who took the time to review the design submissions and cast their votes. We loved seeing everyoneâs participation and support, a great reflection of our shared creativity. Please join us in congratulating Jess!
Your ideas shape who we are. If you enjoyed this creative outlet or have other ideas to share, please email connections@glenraven.com
Glen Raven employees get a 40% discount on throws. Scan the QR code, log in using your Glen Raven email, and use promo code GREmployee40.
Glen Raven Asia recently celebrated creativity, sustainability, and volunteerism with a craft contest that ran throughout the holiday season.
âWe have so many dynamic, creative people on this team,â said Xu Dan (Dena), CSR and Admin Supervisor at GRA. âIt was important to us to create an opportunity that would celebrate holidays important to both US and Chinese culture, while giving back to our local community.â
The theme of the contest was âWeaving a Sustainable Future Through the Art of Sunbrella Recyclingâ Creative Celebrations for the Holiday Season.â Participants worked as individuals or
small teams to develop crafts that related to Christmas, the New Year, or the upcoming Spring Festival celebration. Each craft was made from leftover yarn, fabric, or other materials and
was evaluated on creativity, craftsmanship, and relevance to the theme.
In late January, the team staged an exhibition for the crafts before they were auctioned off. Proceeds from the auction were donated to Suzhou Foundation for the Disabled Welfare, a local charity.
"This project was a fun way to use our creativity, while also building our culture of volunteerism,â said Dena. âThirty-three associates participated in this project, making a total of 34 crafts. Each participant who submitted a creation, purchased a craft, or helped run the exhibition received volunteer hours for their efforts.
âSeeing the creativity represented at the auction was a beautiful representation of both our team and Glen Raven culture,â said Wally, GRA Vice President & General Manager at GRA.
This past Thanksgiving, Glen Raven team members Sean Miller (Anderson Yarn Plant), Joey Hudgens (Anderson Weaving), and Tracey Sanders (Anderson Safety) stepped up to support Meals on Wheels as part of their work with the Anderson Fire Brigade. The team joined six other fire departments to prepare and deliver over 225 Thanksgiving meals to those in the Anderson community who needed it most.
Sponsored by Sunbrella, this event helped us give back to the communities in which we live and work, an important aspect of the holiday season and the shared purpose we practice all year long.
Alamance County helped support holiday food drives as well, donating to two non-profits, Alamance Dream Center and SAFE Pantry, totaling nearly 3,000 pounds of food and household products collected. A big shout out to our Glen Raven Logistics drivers who helped make the distribution of these products possible!
If you participated in any volunteerism this holiday season, a reminder that you can log your hours in UKG and help the Community Impact team understand where associates are most passionate about spending their volunteer time. To learn more about how to log your volunteerism hours, scan the QR code or email volunteerism@glenraven.com
Have you ever gotten to the end of winter with a feeling of dread or regret that you didnât focus more on your health before outdoor season? We have tooâand this year we want to change that.
On February 23, Glen Raven is launching the Summer Stat Smash Challenge. Just twelve weeks from Memorial Day, this is the perfect amount of time to focus on measurable, meaningful gains in your health! âFor this
challenge, we want to take the focus off the scale,â said Jamie Martin, Dietitian at Glen Raven. âWe want to zero in on the factors that improve how you feel. Those factors are sometimes less visible but have a huge impact on our health.â
You can participate by choosing and tracking one stat alongside others committed to improving their health this year. Youâll receive a brief weekly newsletter outlining a focus for
the week, tips and strategies to achieve your goals, and encouragement along the way, with the option for one-on-one follow up, if you choose. There will be a prize drawing at the end for those who sign up, complete the program, and achieve their initial goal.
You can choose any stat you wantâand youâre only competing against yourself! Here are some ideas and examples, along with what you might consider tracking.
