NCTO Board member, president, and CEO of Auburn Manufacturing, Kathie Leonard, has been appointed to serve as the US textile industry representative on the Export-Import bank (EXIM) 2019 advisory committee. NCTO is a trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fibre producers. Auburn Manufacturing is a woman-owned manufacturer producing heat-and fire-resistant textiles used worldwide by industries like ship building/repair, foundries, mining, aerospace, power generation, and many other heat-intensive industries. Leonard started the company in 1979 and over the past 40 years has worked tirelessly to build Auburn Manufacturing into a leader in its field, turning 1.5 million pounds of fibre per year into over 2 million yards of fabric. On both the state and national level, Leonard lends her voice to issues affecting the textile industry, ranging from global trade policy to regulatory issues. In her role on the bank’s advisory committee, she will provide recommendations on export financing products to the EXIM Board of Directors and the bank’s president, according to a press release by NCTO. “Kathie is such a tremendous asset to our industry. We are pleased that the EXIM Board has selected Kathie to serve on its advisory committee. She will be the voice of the industry at the table and help support the US textile industry, which has seen a significant increase in its exports, particularly to the Western Hemisphere,” NCTO president and CEO Kim Glas said. “I’m very pleased to be appointed to EXIM’s advisory committee. As a small US textile manufacturer, we know fist-hand how important EXIM’s financing programme is to building sustainable sales relationships around the world. I look forward to being able to provide feedback to the Board on behalf of the textile industry and the small business sector,” Leonard said.
