Tag Archive for: USA

Mac Bishop Wool & Prince Wool Academy Podcast 048

#048: Repost – Mac Bishop from Wool & Prince

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In this episode, Mac Bishop, founder and CEO of Wool & Prince talks about his business. The goal of Wool & Prince is to deliver durable long lasting apparel out of wool. Mac shares his experience on launching his business with the support of a Kickstarter campaign. For the Kickstarter campaign, Mac created a well-known video where he wore one of his wool button-down shirts for 100 days. In the interview, he shares how the video got created and what to look out for when creating a successful video for your product launch. Mac also talks about key learnings and challenges when growing his business.

 

About Mac Bishop from Wool & Prince

Mac Bishop is the founder of Wool&Prince, an online menswear brand that makes naturally odor- and wrinkle-resistant wool button-downs. When Mac started the company, he wore a wool shirt for 100 days in row to demonstrate the functional properties of wool. After four years in upstate New York at Cornell University and another four years in NYC, Mac moved back to Portland this past summer.

Connect with Mac Bishop and Wool & Prince here

Website: https://woolandprince.com/

Blog: blog.woolandprince.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WOOLandPRINCE/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WOOLandPRINCE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woolandprince/

Email: help@woolandprince.com

Only What Matters website

 

 

Nick Armentrout Ramblers Way Wool Academy Podcast 47

#047: Nick Armentrout about the all American wool supply chain at Ramblers Way

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Nick Armentrout is the Supply Chain Leader at US retail brand Ramblers Way. Majority of the Ramblers Way products are made out of wool, sourced directly from US based wool growers. In his interview, Nick explains the whole Ramblers Way supply chain from farm to shop. Nick talks in detail about the Ramblers Way target group and how the company plans to grow long term.

About Nick Armentrout

As Ramblers Way’s supply chain leader, Nick oversees the sourcing, processing, and conversion of natural fibers to the finished fabrics that create our products. He enjoys working with raw materials from nature and thinking critically about the lifecycle of Ramblers Way products.

A 25-year animal agriculture and organic farming veteran, Nick has learned on his feet at Ramblers Way since 2009 and appreciates apparel designed for long-term utility and use. His role includes maintaining relationships with individual ranchers as well as manufacturers of yarns, knit and woven fabrics and the dye houses that color Rambler’s yarn and fabric. He also manages certifications of manufacturing operations, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Cradle to Cradle©.

Over the course of his career, Nick has managed four small businesses for others, and two of his own, throughout start-up phase to maturity. Nick is also a Saltwater Institute veteran where he educated students on Values-Based Business Models, which for the Chappell family emphasize: 1) Quality 2) Sustainability 3) American made 4) Family Owned and 5) Transparency.

Nick holds a BA in English from Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland. He participates in Maine Farm Bureau, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and Draft Animal Power Network. He has lent his skills as a volunteer to gardening, farming, and equine therapy organizations. Nick and his wife, Sarah, run Spring Creek Farm, an organic horse, sheep, hay and grain farm that also serves as the host facility for Carlisle Academy Integrative Equine Therapy & Sports for children and adults with disabilities.

Connect with Nick Armentrout and Ramblers Way here

Ramblers Way website

Ramblers Way Twitter account

Ramblers Way Instagram feed

Ramblers Way YouTube channel

 

Rita Kourlis Samuelson ASI Wool Academy Podcast 044

#044: Rita Kourlis Samuelson about the American Sheep Industry

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Summary

Rita Kourlis Samuelson from the American Sheep Industry Association gives a detailed overview of the sheep and wool industry of the United States. She covers such as how to what is special about American wool, what products the wool goes primarily into and how the industry is set up. Rita also talks about some of the programs the industry association runs to motivate younger generations to enter and stay in the industry as well as programs to help grow the industry. Last but not least Rita also talks about the industry’s efforts to educate the consumers about the benefits of wool.

About

Rita Kourlis Samuelson is ASI’s director of international wool/pelt marketing. As such, she oversees ASI’s domestic and international wool marketing programs, also quality improvement, product development and government procurement. She also works with international customers of American wool and wool products.

Prior to joining ASI at its start-up in 1989, Kourlis Samuelson worked for the American Sheep Producers Council beginning in 1983, bringing first-hand knowledge of wool and wool production and several years of retail marketing and management experience.

Kourlis Samuelson is past president of Woolknit Associates, a trade association that promotes wool in knitwear.

She has a business degree with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Denver.

The Kourlis family operates a sheep ranch in Craig, CO. Kourlis Samuelson’s father emigrated from Greece more than 60 years ago and started the Kourlis sheep operation years later. She was raised on the ranch with her two brothers and two sisters and has been involved in all aspects of the sheep and wool business.

Connect with Rita Kourlis Samuelson and ASI here

The American Sheep Industry Association website
ASI Facebook page
ASI Twitter account