ITMA ESTABLISHES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Furniture World Magazine

The International Textile Market Association, producers of Showtime, announced today the creation of the ITMA Educational Foundation. Tom Forrester who will be president of the new entity stated, "The creation of the Educational Foundation is in keeping with the goals of the ITMA which supports the growth and development of the home furnishings industry." Forrester, a vice-president of Covington Fabrics Corporation, served as the ITMA's first president and currently serves on its Board of Directors. The ITMA Scholar program which was started in 1993 and the ITMA Design Award which was begun in 1995 will be two of the beneficiaries of the new foundation. "The current programs underscore the importance our association gives to nurturing and bringing new talent into both the marketing and design areas of our industry," Forrester said. "The Scholar program is a merit award given to a rising senior in the Home Furnishings Program at High Point University. The ITMA Design Awards are presented to textile design students and schools throughout the nation who have their work evaluated in an annual competition." Additional educational programs could be funded through the foundation in the future according to Forrester. The new foundation is the latest example of the significant and growing role that ITMA plays in the industry. ITMA, a not-for profit membership organization, began in 1990 when 60 fabric companies joined together to exhibit their new introductions to upholstered furniture manufacturers. Organizers of the exhibition, which soon became known as Showtime, remember being nervous over whether anyone would attend. "There were skeptics on both sides of the fence," said Pete Thompson who was on the steering committee which helped put together the first show. However, by Showtime's third edition, in July of 1991, most of the early skeptics were in attendance. Furniture companies were well serviced by their reps in the area, but by attending Showtime they realized the benefit of complete fabric viewing in addition to the presence of management and design staff. Fabric companies benefited from a week's worth of comments about their new lines and were able to make adjustments as suggested by the buyers. As the ITMA membership grew and buyers attendance continued to move upward, word of the show's importance spread. Today Showtime is considered one of the top eight fabric shows in the world and is the largest fabric viewing show in the Western hemisphere. Over the past seven years, the show has seen an increased number of buyers from the home textiles and jobbing industries. Showtime has made it easy for these buyers to see all the new product for the coming season while at the same time the show allows them to find new resources not available in New York. Also attending are a small number of furniture retailers who seek to partner with the fabric and furniture manufactures as they seek the perfect combination which will appeal to the consumer. While Showtime has grown, its initial focus of bringing an increased professionalism to an industry has remained. "We are an important part of the home furnishings industry and Showtime has given us the arena in which we have gained respect for our endeavors. We are proud of the market which we have established and the programs which we support. It is important that we continue those programs and introduce our fine industry to the next generation," Forrester said. "The new foundation will help us do that." Serving with Forrester on the foundation's governing board will be Doug Henderson, Mastercraft Fabrics; Lee Kabat, P. Kaufman; Richard Krapfel, Valdese Weavers, Inc.; Bob Mathews, Burlington House Upholstery,; Jesse Rector, Arcona Leatha; Sid Roberts, Culp, Inc.; and Pete Thompson, Phillips Mills.