Textile Insight

textileinsight.com July/August 2017 ~ Textile Insight • 37 supplier Ortholite, and a number of U.S. military suppliers. Scott Morrison, global operations footwear, for Reebok, explains, "The level of support that Mike and Donna Sheehan have provided over the years is unmatched. They care about their customers and go above and beyond to always make sure our needs are met. They are one of our only U.S.-based suppliers and certainly one of our best. They care about their relationships and their products." Sheehan's etc. lining materials have been a consistent feature in numerous Reebok Sport and Fitness products for over 15 years. Past, Present & Future Donna and Jim Sheehan had been in the industry prior to starting Sheehan Sales, Jim on the leather side of the business, Donna in textiles and always in New England. "I spent my early years traveling to the Garment District in New York City finding new trends and textiles and going to Europe. But that was all going away and we could see our business shrinking and shrinking," recalls Donna, who gives credit to her husband for making the decision to re-invent themselves. So they did. Together they weeded out the fashion, focused on performance, and picked up business with the then burgeoning athletic market. "Thankfully some of our existing customers and vendors were happy to help us get off the ground. People who had trusted us for years, knew we had the contacts on both sides of the aisle to vendor contacts," recalls Sheehan. Savoire Suede, a micro-denier suede product put Sheehan Sales on the map. "We had nice success with that product early on, with customers like New Balance and initial success with Nike." Sheehan makes a point of saying Savoire Suede is a registered trademark product. "Our business plan was to develop and engineer products that would be exclusively ours and become branded. We wanted to get out of commodity business where you're fighting for pennies on everything," she adds. Branded materials are well represented on Sheehan Sales' new website. The site is informative, and easy to navigate and visually appealing. (www.sheehansales.com) It also reflects Sheehan's forward-thinking approach and ability to remain competitive within an ever-changing footwear industry. "The future is bright as long as we stay true to the principles that originally guided us and continue to exceed the expectations of our customers whenever possible," Sheehan concludes. O Donna and Mike Sheehan " More than 3,000 miles and 200 nights trekking across 18 states on WKH$SSDODFKLDQDQG$PHULFDQ'LVFRYHU\7UDLOVZLWKRXWȴQGLQJDVLQJOH tick on me. Are my Insect Shield products tested and proven? Check. " 7UDLOVZLWKRXWȴQGLQJDVLQJOH tested and prove ven? n? Che heck ck. - Logan McCulloch Lyme survior & awareness advocate Look for Insect Shield products from these trusted brands Tested & Proven

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