October 17, 2019
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new initiative to expand the use of biofuels like E15 across the country. The proposal follows the administration’s decision earlier this year to lift the summertime ban on E15 sales. The newest initiative seeks to pump more than 15 billion gallons …
October 16, 2019
Registration is brisk for the annual Marine Fabricators Conference, which will be held Jan. 9-11, 2020, on the sunny shores of Daytona Beach, Fla. The conference features three full days of education and networking designed to help marine fabricators cultivate industry connections, improve their efficiency and increase revenue. Educational sessions include upholstery methods, photo digitizing, …
October 15, 2019
The recently launched Ennis Fabrics e-commerce website now has promotional discounts that are regularly offered to customers. The responsive website is user-friendly and visually pleasing, with more than 10,000 different products. Customers may now place orders, view stock levels, and access their pricing, invoices, and order history all online. “We are very excited to announce …
With a growing desire to use data to enhance the performance and enjoyment of sailing, Sail-Sense is a new sensor that helps boaters be smarter about sail management. The sensor attaches permanently to the sail, measuring key performance data such as hours of use, UV, G-force and flogging (movement). Like a “passport” for a boat’s …
October 10, 2019
Gary Westlund, of Awning Tracker, knows what he’s talking about when he says, “Overhead is a real cost. Unless you properly account for overhead on job bids, you are just guessing.” Westlund gave a straight-talk presentation at Expo 2019 in early October, telling attendees he owned and operated his own awning business for 25 years, …
October 8, 2019
At this year’s annual meeting during IFAI Expo 2019, IFAI presented the Outstanding Volunteer Awards, recognizing members who generously gave of their time to serve on different boards, task forces and committees, judged competitions and provided education and leadership to others in the industry. This year’s winners: Amy Bircher, president, MMI Textiles Inc. Jonathan Chakales, …
The Chairman’s Award (originally, the President’s Award) is an honor bestowed by the chairman of IFAI to an individual that has had an extraordinary and meaningful impact on the association. It is rarely given, and awarded at the sole discretion of the IFAI chairman. At IFAI’s annual meeting at IFAI Expo 2019, IFAI chairman Steve …
The 2019 IBEX Innovation Awards, managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and judged by Boating Writers International (BWI), were presented at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in early October. Eight BWI judges with various technical backgrounds in boating selected the new product winners from more than 100 entries submitted by marine …
October 4, 2019
Keynote speaker Thom Singer hosted IFAI’s annual award ceremony October 3 at Expo 2019, continuing his message to “see people.” As Expo exhibitors and attendees entered the breakfast event, Singer encouraged people to separate from familiar colleagues and sit with new people. This year’s award ceremony was infused with an additional goal—that of networking with …
October 3, 2019
All the best from Florida: Thursday morning, Oct. 3, at IFAI Expo led off with lists of winners for the year, including the most popular products on the show floor. The eighth annual Show Stopper competition was designed to showcase the best of the best in the industry, from fabrics, equipment and chemicals to services …