The American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) held its fifth Breakfast at Clean at the Ernest N.Morial Convention Center on Friday. The event provides members and nonmembers the opportunity to enjoy a hot meal and socialize before attending the Clean Show and its offerings.
This year’s event also featured several awards including the presentation of the Nate Belkin Award for Excellence in Marketing Reusable Textiles. This award is presented biennially to the ARTA member company or member that best exemplifies ARTA’s mission. Nate Belkin, PhD, founded ARTA in 1982 while working for Fashion Seal Healthcare. He passed in 2010.
The winners are:
- 2019 Nate Belkin Award
Greg Gurtler and Gurtler Industries have provided steady leadership for ARTA as President of ARTA from 2003 to 2005, and as a director for several terms. It was under the Presidency of Greg Gurtler that ARTA first brought in operator members, which expanded ARTA membership. In addition, Gurtler has generously supported ARTA by providing staff, such as Steve Tinker and Kevin McLaren, to serve on the ARTA board and support ARTA initiatives. Gurtler Industries is a family-owned chemical manufacturer based in South Holland, Illinois. Greg is the second generation providing leadership for the company. - VIP Award
Kevin McLaren, a chemist for Gurtler Industries. - ARTA Service Award
Past Director Myles Noel, for his past service as a director for ARTA from 2012 to 2018.