A Career in Textiles
Do you ever think about what impact you are making at your current job? For example, have you done enough meaningful work that it will live past the day you leave? Does this even matter? Well, you are not alone! As a professional over-thinker, I’ve spent hours, maybe even days thinking about the job positions I’ve held throughout my career. After years of reflection, I have reached the conclusion that it’s not the work you do (day-to-day tasks) but the impression you leave on the people you work with. What would your co-workers say about you as a person? Were you always helpful, willing to listen, putting forth your best work? Lasting connections with colleagues and co-workers are key to any job. Each person has different knowledge and over the years, I’ve taken bits and pieces of everyone’s expertise with me.
Things I’ve learned are:
Value everyone’s perspectives and input; be open to different ways of doing things.
Nobody likes to hear complaining or anything negative! Be a ‘yes’ person; a problem-solver. One of my favorite movies is “Yes, Man!” starring Jim Carrey and Zoe Dechanel. If you’ve seen it, you know what being a ‘yes’ person can do (within reason).
Education is the key to unlocking a successful life journey and career.
Put forth the most effort into developing your working relationships with key decision-makers in your organization; the rest will fall into place.
Find a mentor to help guide you and learn from their experiences. I’ve been lucky enough to have exceptional role models, both men and women. See below for specific individuals and how they helped.
Be honest and true to yourself. Be a confident leader. Think for yourself.
Perhaps the most important lesson of all (I learned after having kids) is to live life, have fun, and don’t take anything too seriously. Life is too short!
I have been lucky enough to have teachers and mentors help guide me through the formative years of my pre, early, and senior-level career. Each of these exceptional people gave me an opportunity, and it was all I needed to propel my life and career forward. Their impact is immeasurable. I hope this information is useful to those searching for meaning in a career.
Michael Durniok - Store Manager at Hilo Hattie (Orange, CA, 2004). Fresh out of college, he taught me how to communicate and relate to employees as an Assistant Manager. His natural charisma and leadership was inspiring. (I also learned a few months later that I was not cut out for retail management!).
Dr. Ajoy Sarkar - Professor, Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO, 2008). Dr. S, my Graduate Advisor, and mentor. Where do I begin?? He taught me everything textile from fiber to fabric construction, finishes, and beyond. He gave me an opportunity to learn, the confidence to write, teach, and grow without micromanaging a single thing. My colleagues and I had absolute freedom to explore the textile and fiber world under his guidance.. His attention to detail and research allowed us to soar to new heights. Dr. S had the patience of a saint, intellect sharp as a needle, and sense of humor that made you remember to act like a human. That academic life is not always as serious as you thought. The best years of my graduate student life was crammed into a tiny office next to his.
Dr. Greg Haggquist - Founder, Cocona, Inc. (Longmont/Boulder, CO, 2012). Dr. Greg and I got off to a great start. After graduating from CSU, he graciously offered me a job as Lab Manager of Cocona, Inc. in Longmont. To say I was excited was an understatement. I was thrilled he would give me the opportunity to share my knowledge of textiles and laboratory testing with everyone at Cocona. I miss the days where we would all have lunch together in Boulder on Pearl Street. I miss all of the incredible testing equipment and performance fabrics at the Cocona testing laboratory. Looking back, I mostly miss Greg’s relentless enthusiasm for the Cocona product. I learned about performance fabrics from some of the most experienced textile professionals in the business (Jeff Bowman, Howie Ackerman, Dr. Fred Wilson, Alan Lekan, Gordon Roe). After some years, the branding changed, and it actually changed everyone that worked there. Working with Dr. Greg was one of the highlights of my career and it changed my perspective on the textile industry forever.
Kirit Wadhwana - Director of Quality, SanMar (Issaquah, WA, 2016). Kirit hired me for the role of Product Integrity Manager at SanMar. He saw something in me that sparked his interest: it could have been my excitement for textile testing, or the energy and excitement of a young textile professional. Whatever it was, who knows. What he got was an extremely hard-working, motivated woman that was willing to take direction but also not be taken advantage of. I did my work diligently, took criticism with a grain of salt, and drove the testing activities of the company forward. Working with such high-caliber individuals such as Karen Perkins (Color Manager) and Bob Stathopoulos (Quality Control Manager) made me feel small and awe-struck by their knowledge. To say I learned a lot is an understatement. I felt kind of lost amongst all of it. I wondered if there was anything else to life besides the day-to-day grind at the office. Looking back, I worked incredibly hard and loved every minute of it. Kirit was patient with me, allowing my voice to be heard and respecting my point of view. Kirit had some of the best quotes and advice about working in the corporate world. He was old school, but I really appreciated his experience, ways of thinking, and advice on how to conduct myself in a large, corporate setting.
Jennifer Larson - Chief People Officer, SanMar (Issaquah, WA, 2019). Jennifer was head of HR at SanMar. She became my mentor at SanMar as part of a Mentorship program. To me, this was a huge honor because she worked directly under the owners of the company, so she was really high up there. I admit I was nervous to interact with her. At the time, I was very pregnant with my second child. Navigating through that, plus being a productive worker and Manager was challenging to say the least. Despite this, she was so casual, but clearly a very accomplished and intelligent woman. Jennifer had a natural confidence and charisma that was completely non-threatening. She was genuine and methodical. She also happened to be highly organized, which I envied. The thing I learned from her the most was organization, prioritization, and how to be “professionally casual” in the workplace for lack of a better description.
Diana Wyman - (Past) Executive Vice President, AATCC. (Raleigh-Durham, NC, 2016). Currently Diana is at REI (Kent, WA). I am not sure mentor is the correct word here, but I am certainly an admirer of Diana. She has always inspired me. I had the opportunity to work with Diana on the Executive Committee for Research and the Technical Committee for Research at AATCC. I always admired her vast textile knowledge that extends far beyond mine. She is one of the biggest textile nerds in the industry, which to me, is cooler than I’ll ever be. I think what draws you to Diana is that she makes you feel good about yourself. She gives you confidence. In this traditionally male-dominated industry, when you talk with Diana, you just get this girl-power vibe like you want to start up a girls-only textile club.
Michael Lew - Owner, Imaginary Concepts (California, 2024). If you have ever talked with Michael Lew, you know that he’s inquisitive. Whether it be text or LinkedIn messaging, this guy will connect with you one way or another. Professional (independent) product development expert, Michael gave me help when I really needed it. He spends an hour at a time with me on the phone, guiding me to the next steps in my business. He is objective, unbiased, full of great tips and practical advice. Michael states things in a confident, matter-of-fact way that really resonates with you. I think what I admire the most about Michael is his perseverance and fearlessness. Michael has been a great business mentor to me, at a totally unexpected time in my life. I am glad to have met him, worked with him, and known him for all these years.