VOL. 5, ISSUE 4
2026
CONNEC TIONS Weaving Connections That Keep the World Spinning
ENGAGEMENT SURVEY SCORES
SHADES OF INNOVATION
Trivantage® Supports Customer Education
p a ra s ol
Our Steps Forward
ORAK
INTRODUCING L ATITUDE
GlenGuard® Reaches New Audiences
by PATRICK NORGUET
The Power of Listening Listening is one of the most important skills in creating a great business. The power of using that skill pushes us from being just partners to deep collaborators. It helps us fundamentally understand what the market opportunities are, what our customers are asking for, and what our associates need—and how to prioritize them all. Listening to and learning from each other is how we begin to get sharper, better, and stronger. We recently completed our US-based associate engagement survey to learn more about what matters at work and how we can shape our future together. Your ideas lead to deeper conversations that steer meaningful improvements, including the development of new programs, such as our professional development program, SOAR. As a next step, both our operations and corporate campus teams will be exploring major themes and opportunities presented in this most recent feedback to see where we will focus next.
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When we listen to our people and the market, we win together.
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MSG, CSG and Trivantage are collaborating more closely than ever, taking a customer-first approach—listening to the market, addressing customer needs, and leveraging our internal capabilities to deliver solutions. GlenGuard is doing a tremendous job introducing new products to the market, as you will see with the rollout of Latitude. Their expansion into Europe is another example of responsive collaboration that is going to pay dividends in the protective sector. At GRL, the team is winning new business and responding to customer need—and we’re seeing that flow through to our bottom line. When we listen to our people and the market, we win together. There is always more to hear, and the landscape is shifting faster than ever. Let’s keep our ears to the ground, keep listening to one another, and keep responding to the needs of our customers. Let’s get after it.
Leib Oehmig, CEO VIEW THE PURPOSE FILM HERE
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Where We’re Headed Next A huge thank you to everyone who provided feedback through this year’s associate engagement survey. Overall, 85% of US-based Glen Raven associates took the survey—the highest participation rate in 5+ years!
“We read every comment. We look at every set of data,” said Eddie Gant, Jr., Director of HR and Associate Engagement. "The feedback we get from this survey is responsible for several meaningful improvements over the last five years, including the development of our SOAR program, and new ways to recognize seniority tenure at our manufacturing facilities.”
“We were really encouraged to see the highest engagement scores we’ve had in the last five years,” said Eddie. “But we know there is still work to do. It is critical to our team that we continue to roll out changes and make improvements that make Glen Raven a desirable place to work.”
Now that the results are in, the team is carefully reviewing data and comments—and identifying themes and trends to help shape the associate experience at Glen Raven. Over the years, the teams in US-based operations, Europe, and Asia have developed models for analyzing and driving change—and due to their success, we look forward to carrying them forward across the business and experimenting with new ways to hear from associates. As mentioned in Coffee Talk, different listening mechanisms are being implemented globally. Each year after our US-based engagement surveys, our manufacturing and operations teams host roundtable meetings to discuss key survey themes—focusing on everything from the overall facilities to specific shifts and departments—and to raise ideas for actionable change. These strategies will be rolling out at our Trivantage distribution centers as well, to share results, target improvement areas, and outline specific next steps. Our European team utilizes a daily newsletter for communication with associates and uses a social barometer to track workplace engagement and morale. Our associates in China also conduct an annual survey, and implement listening touchpoints throughout the year, such as a general manager’s mailbox, associate representative meetings, and a dedicated tool for operation queries and feedback. This fall, the corporate campus will launch a volunteer-based Cross Functional Committee, creating a forum to engage in meaningful discussions on company culture, recommend solutions, and build action plans in support of a more connected and engaged workplace.
TOTAL WRITTEN COMMENTS
TOTAL U.S. PARTICIPATION RATE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SCORE "I would recommend Glen Raven as a great place to work. I am happy working at Glen Raven." This represents the highest score in 5+ years,and is higher than the national average for comparable questions and business segments.
US EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SURVEY 5-YEAR PARTICIPATION TREND 86 85 84 83 82 80 81 79 78 77 2021
2022
2023
2025
2026
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WE TAKE THE LONG VIEW
Shades of Innovation THE TRIVANTAGE COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SUCCESS ®
In the past two years, the Trivantage team has furthered their commitment to customers by launching a series of educational seminars around the country. Building off the success of the Performance on Deck and Makers Meet seminars, Trivantage developed Shades of Innovation to provide an educational platform to support shade customers. The June Shades of Innovation seminar focused on shade sails—tensioned fabric canopies designed to block sunlight, reduce heat, and provide shade through multiple anchor points. In recent years, shade sails have become even more popular due to their ability to cover large areas at a fraction of the time and cost of other canopy structures. The inaugural seminar launched in Los Angeles in March, bringing together 75 fabricators, followed by a second event in Stuart, FL, in June with 52 attendees. Each session was a full-day program focused on shade sails, where participants engaged in hands-on learning led by the creators of Shade Sail University, covering design, rendering, installation, and more. By targeting areas across the country with need for innovative shade solutions, Trivantage was able to support customers with the most opportunities to learn and grow. Aside from just being a learning experience, the seminar offers a time for shade sail fabricators to connect and network within the industry. “Pretty much everyone here has the same problems that we encounter when we’re doing a job,” says Oscar from SombraTeck, a Trivantage customer. “I can now rely on the people that I met here next time we have a problem so we can solve it quicker and easier.” Shades of Innovation is part of an education initiative that began in 2024, which includes Makers Meet, designed for workroom and upholstery professionals, and Performance on Deck, geared towards marine fabricators.
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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
Designing for Balance ORAK PARASOL X SUNBRELLA® COLLABORATION Adasan, a Turkish outdoor furniture manufacturer and Sunbrella customer that has been producing custom-made products for the hospitality and gastronomy sectors since 1997, launched its own brand, Yaaz, in 2020. Since then, the manufacturer has built a reputation for thoughtfully designed solutions—often in collaboration with globally recognized designers. The ORAK parasol, featuring Sunbrella fabrics, is a new product launch by French designer Patrick Norguet, that reflects continued evolution for the brand. First introduced at Salone del Mobile in April, ORAK reimagines the traditional parasol as both a functional necessity and an intentional design element. The design choices made on the parasol allow it to integrate into any space, and the intentional selections of material and color combinations create a sense of harmony across environments. Sunbrella fabrics played a central role in bringing that vision to life. Selected from collections engi-
neered specifically for outdoor use, including Heritage and Slow, the fabrics support durability and long-term performance while still providing an elevated look and feel—turning a functional item into a piece of art. For MSG-EU Burcin Salmaner, Turkish Caucasus Area Sales Manager, the project was defined by close collaboration and shared commitment to detail: “From the beginning, this was a very iterative process. The Yaaz team and designer came to the table with a strong vision, and our role was to help translate that into a fabric solution that performs at the highest level without losing the integrity of the design.” Today, ORAK stands as a reflection of that partnership and where Sunbrella is headed: Helping partners build a product that balances function and form, grounded in shared expertise and a collaborative approach to design.
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DRIVE TO IMPROVE
GlenGuard Launches Latitude ®
AT THE 2026 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY PROFESSIONALS CONFERENCE + EXPO The GlenGuard team recently celebrated the launch of a new product expansion with the rollout of Latitude at American Society of Safety Professionals Conference + Expo (ASSP)! The collection features our lightest-weight CAT 2 fabric yet and offers great arc-flash hazard protection—ideal for the electrical industry. This combination of a softer feel, lighter weight, and exceptional 12+ CAL/cm2 arc-rating in a one-layer solution means that wearers are more likely to wear it properly throughout their entire workday. The collection also offers a larger color range, with light blue being an exciting expansion.
“The Latitude products at our booth garnered a lot of attention from potential customers and safety program decision makers,” said Caroline Yates, Marketing Director. “It became a popular conversation at our ASSP booth.” In addition to debuting the product in the booth, GlenGuard partnered with both NSA and Ariat to debut new workwear built with Latitude. 6
Both launches included creating co-branded marketing materials and filming content for promotional videos. NSA rolled out the DRIFIRE ® Horizon FR Work Shirt—a launch resulting in several qualified leads for wear trials. Ariat similarly launched the Featherlight 2.0 work shirt. Launching with both of these customers has strengthened our
continued partnerships with the companies for years to come. “We experienced great traffic, both at the booth and on our website,” said Caroline. “We're really energized by the momentum, and even more excited about what's ahead as we continue to innovate with our partners on what's possible in AR/FR apparel.”
WE GET AFTER IT
RECENT EVENTS Big Rock Marlin Tournament Morehead City, NC Sunbrella Marine Hotel & Shop Plus Chengdu, China Sunbrella Furnishings Asia Woven: A Sunbrella Experience Anderson, SC Sunbrella Designer Summer Casual Market Atlanta, GA Sunbrella Furnishings
Trade Shows Recap Worldwide trade shows and activations give us opportunities to showcase our Glen Raven brands to the trade and consumers. Check out the places we have been and where we are headed next!
Polboat Yachting Festival Gdynia, Poland Sunbrella Marine EU Wyndham Golf Tournament Greensboro, NC Glen Raven
UPCOMING SHOWS September 11-12—MFA REGIONAL Yorktown, VA Sunbrella & Trivantage
September 27-30—CWC Lake Eerie, PA Trivantage
September 14-15—NSC Indianapolis, IN GlenGuard
October 6-8—IBEX Tampa, FL Sunbrella Marine
September 15-18—Fall Casual Market Atlanta, GA Sunbrella Furnishings
Creating Healthy Money Habits at Home When money worries creep into our lives, they are not limited to our bank accounts. Most of us have been there—carefully watching grocery prices, worrying about a looming medical bill or tuition payment, or trying to reconcile a monthly budget that just never seems to cover it all. The stress can disrupt your sleep, cloud your mood with worry, and quietly drain your productivity and mental health.
Financial wellness is not about being a stock market guru or having a flawless bank account—it is about feeling in control of your money and making intentional choices. "As a dietitian, I often talk about the value of having a plan rather than relying on willpower alone. I've found that the same principle applies to finances,” said Jamie Martin, Registered Dietitian at Glen Raven. Here are a few tips for reducing financial stress:
• Know Where Your Money Goes—Schedule 15-30 minutes every couple of weeks for a money check-in. Review your budget and your spending so you know exactly how your money is being spent.
• Save for Big Dreams—This can look different depending on what life
stage you are in, but identifying a big goal and starting early can make all the difference! This could include saving for retirement or a dream vacation, starting a college fund for your child, or upgrading your car.
• Set Smaller Milestones—Paying down debt or saving for a big pur-
chase can feel overwhelming. Break it down into smaller milestones to make it feel more manageable. For example, if your goal is to pay down $3,000 of debt in the next year, break it down: That is $250 a month, or roughly $60 a week—a mentally easier milestone that builds long-term momentum.
• Consult a Professional—“For years, I thought financial advisors were only for individuals with significant wealth, but having someone help create a roadmap for the future has greatly reduced stress and given our family confidence that we're moving in the right direction,” said Jamie.
Ultimately, reducing financial stress is not about perfection—it is about progress and intention. This week, pick one small action item: Write down your top financial goal, set a calendar reminder for a 15-minute budget review, or set up an automatic $5 weekly transfer to your savings account. By taking control of your finances, you are not just protecting your bank account. You are reducing stress, supporting your mental health, and investing in your future. 7
1831 N. Park Ave., Burlington, NC 27217 | (336) 227-6211 glenraven.com | sunbrella.com | dickson-constant.com glenguard.com | trivantage.com | glenravenlogistics.com Connections is published by Glen Raven, Inc., and is mailed to all Glen Raven associates and shareholders. This newsletter is printed on 90% post-consumer recycled paper.
“ It is critical to our team that we continue to roll out changes and make improvements that make Glen Raven a great place to work.” Eddie Gant, Jr., DIRECTOR OF HR AND ASSOCIATE ENGAGEMENT
Have a story to share? Email connections@glenraven.com