[pageLogInLogOut]

#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

Milliken & Company presents fourth-annual Milliken Honors

Now in its fourth year, Milliken & Company announces the 2021 Milliken Honors award recipients highlighting Milliken associates from around the globe who champion its five core company values. The diversified global manufacturer honored more than 100 associates across 21 award categories during its virtual awards celebration this morning.

“It’s been another extraordinary year—another year where our associates met and exceeded the challenges of a changing world,” shared Halsey Cook, president and CEO for Milliken & Company. “Milliken Honors is one more way we can say thank you to an incredible group of Milliken associates who confidently lead, selflessly serve and boldly pursue our vision as a company.”

Milliken is pleased to present the 2021 Milliken Honors associate and team winners:

Integrity Awards

The Do The Right Thing Award is presented to the associate or team of associates embodying the value of integrity and making a positive impact on Milliken through their ability to do what is right. 

Claudia Menzel

The Resiliency Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who overcame a challenge and driven something forward to succeed despite adversity. Pennington Seed Team:

Andrew Canada, Steve Huntley, Michelle Mason, Adam Newberry, Dominick Valenti, Adam Wilson

The Values Role Model Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who modeled Milliken's values: integrity, excellence, innovation, sustainability and people.

Morgan Wilder


Excellence Awards

The Manufacturing Excellence Award is presented to the team or plant with outstanding operational performance, production ingenuity, quality and process excellence.

Chemical: SiVance Plant — Jason Roe

Flooring: Beech Hill Plant — Warren Collier, Darren Cunliffe, Steve Ellis, Andy Greenall, Anthony Hargraves, Mike Kerr, Lesley King, Jayne Murray, James O'Brien, Andy Sweetmore, Barry Townsend, Emma Thomas

Healthcare: Healthcare Production Leadership — Rosa Barrios, Ivan Collado, Ida Lela, Mayra Lemus, Anayuris Perez

Textile: Polartec Tennessee Manufacturing Plant — Audra Atwood, Errol Doyley, Jeff O'Mealy, Matt Smith, Tommy Tilley  

The Marketing Excellence Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who has achieved greater financial performance and customer satisfaction through the application of marketing best practices while embodying Milliken values.

Textile Marketing Team: Natalie Bieber, Lauren Balmer, Mallory Donn, Michael Eckert, Alexa Hudson, David Karstad and the Polartec Team, Cammie Mackie, Stephen Morrill, Meg Patel, Tamika Prince, Maggi Whiston, Doreen Yin  

The MPS Results Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who has worked to go above and beyond to deploy and leverage Milliken Performance System (MPS) principles and methodologies to achieve measurable performance improvements and operational excellence in their organization.

Longleaf Plant: Chandler Avery, Allee Colson, Dale Green, Tosha Hobbs, Michael Hollingsworth, Matt Hutcheson, Gary Newman, Jack Pruett, Ronda Pruett, Wally Sasser, Hannah Steed, Correy Walker

The Sales Excellence Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who has achieved greater financial performance through the application of sales best practices while embodying Milliken values.

Korea Sales Team: Richard Ko, DH Lee, Stella Moon

The Support Excellence Award is presented to the associate or team of associates in a support function who has demonstrated excellence in operational performance, advancing strategy and business results.

Brexit Team: Stephanie Broadbent, Nick Hodgson-Fasolilli, Denise Melling, Bernadette Thompson

The TEAM Excellence Award is presented to a team of manufacturing associates or a Milliken plant that has made outstanding progress to adopt and implement the TEAM organizational health initiative.

Cushman Plant: Dustin Coats, Kevin Cox, Ann Garrett


Innovation Awards

The Breakthrough Innovation Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who demonstrated the innovation of a product, service or process that yielded significant business results.

Textile Special Research and Development Team: Tim Godfrey, Phil Knutson, Petr Valenta, Eric Wamsley

The Customer Centricity Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who engaged a customer to build insights and identify a new product or service that helped the customer achieve their objectives and yield a business result.

Ferrero Rocher Team: Sven De Vis, Veerle De Wolf, Toon Decaluwe, Jonas Messiaen, Ran Packo, Ruben Subira, Els van Isterdael, Yves Vileyn, Seppe Willems, Tamsin Wright

The Growth Catalyst Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who decisively activates and executes growth-oriented strategies more quickly and effectively than competitors.

Encapsys Acquisition Team: Mark Allen, Doug Callender, Jonathan Cote, Charles Crowell, Sanjeev Dey, Chandis Digby, Frank Fisher, Chauntel Graves, Robert Guest, Elaine Hare-Sturm, Jessica Hatchell, John Kellam, Robb Lanning, Robb Lovegrove, Gerry Murphy, Paul Pruitt, Randy Richeson, Scott Schwasnick, George Shira, Jim Stavrakas, Dominick Valenti, Nigel West






Sustainability Awards

The People Goals Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who contribute to Milliken’s 2025 People Goals by demonstrating a commitment to care for one another and the surrounding communities.

Kevin Henderson

The Planet Goals Award is presented to the associate or team who contributes to Milliken’s 2025 Planet Goals by positively impacting the company’s efforts to reduce its global footprint.

Pendleton Engineering Team: Paige Bensen, Kenneth Fincannon, Trey Funderburke

The Product Goals Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who contribute to Milliken’s 2025 Product Goals by positively impacting product sustainability.

Robert MacMeccan

The Value Creation Award is presented to the business unit that met financial goals and targets for the year.

One-Year: Chemical — Asia

One-Year: Chemical — Europe

One-Year: Coating Additives

One-Year: Commercial Flooring — EMEIA

One-Year: Commerical Flooring — Asia

One-Year: Engineered Performance Products

One-Year: Fine Chemicals

One-Year: Protective Fabrics

Multi-Year: Chemical — Asia

Multi-Year: Chemical — Europe


People Awards

The Leadership Award is presented to the associate or team of associates who consistently demonstrates leadership expectations and is viewed by others as a role model.

Jennifer Greene

The Production Hero Award is presented to the production associate who goes above and beyond in their role to support operational performance and models Milliken's values as a production team member.

Chemical: Robert Wilson Flooring: Ryan Carter

Healthcare: David Kope

Textile: Dewaine Washington

The Safety Champion Award is presented annually to the Milliken site, individual associate or team of associates who best represents the Milliken safety culture through their actions and results.

Richard Rodgers

The Roger Milliken Award is presented to the associate who has created lasting, changing and measurable differences within the company and has built a legacy of their own within the organization by creating lasting and measurable differences that have contributed to business success while being a role model of Milliken values as part of their performance.

Gary Newman

Jeff Price


More News from TEXDATA International

#ITM 2026

ITM 2026: The new geography of textile production

New production hubs are emerging across North Africa and Central Asia, while Türkiye is accelerating its transformation toward higher-value, technology-driven and more sustainable textile manufacturing.

#Research & Development

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

#Knitting & Hosiery

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

#Associations

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

More News on Textiles & Apparel / Garment

#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

C&S strengthens its governance to support its evolution

C&S announces the appointment of Marco Lucietti to its Board of Directors. With extensive international experience across the textile and denim industries, Lucietti will work alongside CEO Federico Corneli, contributing to the company’s managerial development, organizational structure and long-term strategic direction.

#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

Carrington Textiles publishes third Sustainability Report

Carrington Textiles has announced the publication of the third Sustainability Report from the RTS Textiles Group, highlighting another year of progress towards more responsible manufacturing across its global operations. The report outlines continued investment in technologies and initiatives designed to improve environmental performance and support long-term business resilience across the Group’s manufacturing facilities in the UK, Portugal and Pakistan.

#Textile processing

YKK develops concept EXCELLA® zipper tape using nonwoven fabric partially derived from used clothing

YKK Corporation has developed a concept version of its premium EXCELLA® zipper series made from nonwoven fabric sheets created by fiberizing used clothing and other textile materials. Based on a proposal by fashion designer Yuima Nakazato, this item was created as a result of collaboration between Nakazato, Seiko Epson Corporation and YKK. The concept zipper was incorporated as a material component for pieces in the newest YUIMA NAKAZATO Couture Collection, “INFERNO,” which was unveiled in Paris, France on July 8, 2026.

#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris highlights evolving global sourcing landscape

From 31 August to 2 September 2026, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will bring together more than 1,000 international exhibitors at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre. This edition reflects the new global balance of textile and apparel sourcing, highlighting a strong diversity of sourcing countries — some unexpected.

Latest News

#Natural Fibers

The Woolmark Company showcases Australia's commitment to India's textile industry at Bharat Tex 2026

Reinforcing more than five decades of commitment to India's wool textile and apparel industry, The Woolmark Company, alongside Austrade and the Australian High Commission, marked a strong presence at Bharat Tex 2026, one of the world's largest textile and apparel trade platforms. Through industry engagement, strategic collaborations, technical innovation and knowledge exchange, the participation underscored Australia's continued commitment to supporting the growth and transformation of India's textile ecosystem while highlighting the versatility and value of Australian Merino wool.

#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

Dyeing, finishing and singeing expertise now closer than ever to Brazilian customers

Benninger AG from Switzerland and Grupo NS from Brazil announce joined forces to support textile customers across Brazil with a strong portfolio of textile wet processing technologies, practical application know-how, and reliable local service. The cooperation combines Benninger's long-standing engineering expertise in textile finishing and dyeing with Grupo NS's deep understanding of the Brazilian textile market, customer needs, and service requirements.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Rieter and partners launch Recycling Powerhouse for industrial-scale textile recycling

Recycling Powerhouse Ltd. was established in July 2026 to industrialize, standardize and scale textile recycling. Based in Switzerland, the venture will operate a franchise-driven business model that enables the production of high-quality, certified recycled yarns. The project is supported by the following partners: Rieter Group, the world’s leading system supplier for natural and man-made fibers, Säntis Textiles, a Swiss textile engineering company, and Valvan, a Belgian sorting technology company. The first blueprint franchise operation is scheduled to launch early 2027 in partnership with Suhail Industrial Holding Group in Qatar.

#Heimtextil 2027

Global carpet industry smartly connected: Heimtextil 2027 sharpens Carpets & Rugs with new structure and premium segment

Even more efficient, more targeted and closer to the market: Heimtextil 2027 strengthens its position as the leading meeting place for the global carpet industry and further expands Carpets & Rugs in line with market needs. With a stronger focus on distribution channels, the segment integrates into Heimtextil’s product worlds.

TOP