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By SPESA
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) announced the induction of two new members to its Board of Directors, its incoming officers, and the Board class of 2024. This announcement follows a vote by SPESA members at its annual Business Meeting (October 28, 2021), which took place during the 2021 SPESA Executive Conference in Boston.
Charlie Merrow and Jill Coleman Join SPESA Board of Directors
Charlie Merrow is CEO of Merrow Group Companies. Merrow Group Companies, established in 1838, includes Merrow Manufacturing and SPESA member Merrow Sewing Machine Company. Charlie Merrow, alongside his brother Owen Merrow, serve as 8th generation family members to own and operate Merrow Group Companies. Charlie fills the Board seat of Lonny Schwartz, past president of Superior Sewing Machine & Supply, LLC, which was recently acquired by Merrow. Lonny served on the SPESA Board for twenty-five years. Charlie will be a member of the SPESA Board class of 2022.
Jill Coleman is Vice President for Global Sales and Business Development for MOTIF. MOTIF, empowered by Alvanon, is the apparel knowledge hub which offers access to training, professional development, and mentorship from the sewn product industry’s top practitioners. Jill joins the SPESA Board with more than twenty years of industry expertise in apparel value chain, from retail to manufacturers to suppliers. Jill was elected as a member of the SPESA Board class of 2024.
SPESA Board Approves Officer Slate
In addition to welcoming Charlie and Jill to the SPESA Board, it was also announced that Ed Gribbin, Chief Executive Officer of Gribbin Strategic, will serve as Chairman of the Board; Mark Hatton, Managing Director of Threads Americas at American & Efird, as Vice Chairman of the Board; and Daniella Ambrogi, Global Marketing Director of CGS, as Secretary/Treasurer of the Board.
Ed and Daniella are members of the SPESA Board class of 2023, and Mark is a member of the SPESA Board class of 2024. The newly-elected officers will each serve two-year terms.
SPESA Members Vote on SPESA Board Class of 2024
Lastly, during the Business Meeting, SPESA members voted to re-elect several current SPESA Board members. The following re-elected Board members, along with Jill Coleman and Mark Hatton, make up the SPESA Board Class of 2024:
Mike Fralix, [TC]2
Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing Machine Co., Inc.
Rick Ludolph, Productive Solutions
Michael Rabin, Morgan Tecnica America, Inc.
Each of these Board members will serve a three-year term, which began on October 28, 2021.
For more information on SPESA's Board of Directors and leadership, please visit www.spesa.org/about.