Mary T. O'Rourke. 1953 - 2016

O’Rourke, Mary Therese, died in her home on February 22,2016 in Ventnor, New Jersey, after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 62 years old. Devin Steele of http://www.etextilecommunications.com/, describe this as " Huge loss for our [textile] industry."

Ms. O’Rourke was born on June 29,1953 in Northeast Philadelphia to Irish-Catholic parents, Elizabeth (Bess) and William O’Rourke. Bess worked in the home and William was a fireman and dockworker. Ms. O’Rourke was one of eight children. She attended Cardinal Dougherty High School and Penn State University. As a child, she was an accomplished baton twirler who performed in numerous competitions, parades, and even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Ms. O’Rourke began her career at the retail end of the textile and apparel supply chain as a fabric buyer at Sears Roebuck. In 1978 she joined Werner Associates, at the time the world's leading textile consulting group. She brought a new focus and dimension to Werner's business and developed a strong marketing and strategy practice, which she led as Executive Vice President. In 1999 she founded O'Rourke Group Partners and as President and CEO, has led the company to its preeminent position as the world's leading textile and apparel consulting group. Over the last 16 years, she and her team have counseled more than 650 blue-chip clients in 48 countries. Ms. O’Rourke loved the challenge and the travel that her work involved, as well as mentoring young executives. Her personal expertise, industry, and integrity have stamped her career.

Ms. O’Rourke married her childhood friend, Edward Scannapieco in 1975. The two had one daughter, Maureen Scannapieco. They divorced in 1985 and remained friends.

In 2005, Ms. O’Rourke married Stephen Miller of Ventnor, New Jersey. They enjoyed an active lifestyle as residents of the Jersey Shore, attending concerts, Phillies games, fly fishing, socializing with friends, and traveling. What they enjoyed most however, was happy hour on their porch while looking at the water. Friends would come by in droves, stopping to chat as they went to the beach or walked their dogs. Ever the “organizer,” Ms. O’Rourke spearheaded neighborhood gatherings and the annual Christmas party.

Ms. O’Rourke considered Ireland her home away from home. She was well versed in Irish music, customs, and history. She adored the country’s people and its green patchwork hills. She visited as often as she could, and loved sharing her beloved Ireland with friends and family.

She volunteered with several organizations throughout her life including the New York Fire Department, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Spirit-Eagles Field Hockey Club, and the United States Field Hockey Association.

Ms. O’Rourke is survived by her husband, Stephen Miller, daughter and son-in-law Maureen (nee Scannapieco) and August Leming, step-daughter and son-in-law Lauren (nee Miller) and Daniel Carney, stepson, Stephen Miller, Jr., and grandson Jude Leming. She is also survived by five siblings and their families: William and Corky O’Rourke, Robert and Chris O’Rourke, Patricia and Carole O’Rourke, Dolores and AnthonyDelliColli, Margaret and Steve Blouin.

Mary O’Rourke will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, brilliant businesswoman, and a generous and fun-loving friend.

Her life will be celebrated with an Episcopal Mass at Holy Trinity Church, 2998 Bay Ave., Ocean City, NJ, on Saturday, February 27th at 11 a.m. Friends may call at the church beginning at 10:30. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, 3535 Market Street, Suite 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

OTEXA USA SAMPLE PAVILION at EUROSATORY 2015

U.S Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles & Apparel (OTEXA)

Show Description: Eurosatory is the largest biennial land and land-air defense trade show serving the global defense market. Eurosatory 2016 will present indoor and outdoor exhibits showcasing the emerging new technologies and innovations that will dominate the defense operations of tomorrow. Corporate officials as well as high-ranking visitors from many militaries attend, including ministers of defense, chiefs of staff, senior army commanding generals, and top government decision-makers.

Why Should You Exhibit: Maximize your exposure to key military, government and defense contacts by leveraging what the USA pavilion organizers, the Association of the U.S. Army and Kallman Worldwide, have to offer! Exhibiting in the USA Security and Defense Pavilion increases your visibility and offers unique opportunities to network with influential global industry, government and military administrators. This is the sole exhibition featuring “live” dynamic tracked and wheeled vehicle demonstrations. Don’t miss this “marketplace of ideas” to expand your network and advance your knowledge!

Register Now! Limited Space!

Date: June 13-17th, 2016

Location: PARIS-NORD Villepinte Exhibition Center Paris, France

For one week, the entire "supply chain" can be found at the show. Eurosatory brings together companies of all sizes, subcontractors, suppliers, decision-makers and buyers from countries across the globe, to network and establish new business. With over 450 new products presented at the exhibition in 2014, Eurosatory remains the Number 1 event to showcase Land & Land-Air Defense and Security.

Visitors/Exhibitors: Eurosatory 2014 reached over 172 delegations from 87 countries, 1507 exhibitors, 55,784 from 143 countries, and 707 accredited journalists from the 5 continents.

Amenities: The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce will feature a catalog/sample booth at the show. Included in the package of services is the collection of leads that will be sent to each company in a spreadsheet after the show, promotion of samples, and the opportunity for pre-, concurrent, and post-show publicity for your company.

Cost: $950 for 4-5 samples not to exceed 20 yards or four book samples, company literature and business cards. Shipment of samples to and from Eurosatory 2016 is the responsibility of the participant. Please request shipping instructions.

For questions please call Mary Lynn Landgraf at 202-482-7909 or email her at Mary-Lynn.Landgraf@trade.gov.

Smart Fabrics Summit April 11, 2016

The Department of Commerce and Industrial Fabrics Association International are proud to announce that Secretary Pritzker will moderate the keynote panel of the Smart Fabrics Summit featuring executive business leaders at the forefront of the smart fabrics revolution. The executives on the panel will be: David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing, and Corporate Communications for Ralph Lauren Company; Joshua Walden, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the New Technology Group at Intel; and Mary Hennessy, CEO and President of the Industrial Fabrics Association International. MORE INFORMATION HERE.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board to Meet

The National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST") announces that the Manufacturing Extension Partnership ("MEP") Advisory Board will hold an open meeting on Tuesday March 1, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, at the Ronald Reagan and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW., Washington, DC 20004.

'World Textile Outlook 2016' report published by WTiN

World Textile Information Network has published a free report World Textile Outlook 2016

"Here Let Us Stop" - George Washington, 1796.

Monday, February 15, 2016, is a federal holiday in the United States honoring Washington's Birthday. Government offices, banks, and some business will be closed in observance of the holiday which is annually celebrated on the third Monday in February. Because the date typical falls between the actually calendar date birthdays of presidents Washington and Lincoln, it is commonly called "Presidents Day," although the official designation is "Washington's Birthday."

"The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop." —George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796

Poor George, both revered and kicked around by us. He was born February 11th but when he was 20 Britain and her colonies finally caught up with Catholic Europe by switching to the Gregorian Calendar, moving his birthday to the 22nd of the month. Then, starting in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved the official celebration of his birth to the third Monday in February. In popular parlance we slight our first President by neglecting the legal name of the holiday, WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY and refer to it as a generic "Presidents’ Day."

We likewise neglect Washington's sage warning against entangling foreign alliances. Even in our commercial relations our leaders, not content merely to trade with the rest of the world, have entered into binding agreements restricting our ability to control our own commerce, to encourage domestic manufacturing, or even to protect our citizens from unsafe products. Our legal obligations to the World Trade Organization and our bilateral and multilateral trade agreements entangle us in a network of supra-national laws that can, effectively, overturn the actions of our elected Congress and President.

US Military Uniform Contractor Sentenced for Fraud

Thanks to our friends at the BeaverLake6 Report for alerting us that the owners of Barrier Wear, a Colorado-based contractor to the US military for cold-weather trousers, have been sentenced for Berry Amendment fraud.

FTC Challenges Company’s Made in USA Claims

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed suit alleging that Chemence, Inc., falsely claimed that certain of its glue products were "Made in the USA" – or even "Proudly Made in the USA."

CPSC Employees Can Participate in Voluntary Standards Activities

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission ("Commission" or "CPSC") has issued a final rule to amend the existing regulation on Commission participation and employee involvement in voluntary standards activities. Currently, Commission rules allow employees to participate in voluntary standard development groups on a non-voting basis and do not allow Commission employees to accept leadership positions in voluntary standard development groups. This final rule removes these restrictions and allows Commission employees to participate as voting members and to accept leadership positions in voluntary standard development groups, subject to prior approval by CPSC's Office of the Executive Director ("OEX").