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apparel where you want a recovery feature," says Freedman, a veteran of both the textile and apparel industries. "We call it placement compression." A new concept that is breath- able is currently in development. Marc Gagnon, chief development officer, describes the advancement as no-sew, tunable, elastic plastic solutions that enhance function- ality. He says, "This is thermo plastic because we want to use its elasticity and ability to bond fabric together, and replace stitching." Bixby can adjust thickness and custom design the product to suit specific needs whether that is for yoga pants, athletic wear, sport bras, etc. And by developing a thinner, yet stronger material, Bixby can go to market with a high quality, yet cost competitive USA- made technical product. Obstacles & Opportunities Bixby is about nine months into a three- year plan to unveil its Lab of the Future, as well build a new employee cafeteria and other amenities within its 100,000 square- foot facility. A corporate core value of speed, along with production flexibility and an atmosphere that promotes teamwork are other key element to drive growth going for- ward. "We didn't pick speed as a core value because we wanted to be faster. But we took a step back and looked at our DNA and our development capability to turn prototypes around very quickly," Rocconi explains. "We would rather get four to five prototypes into customers' hands quickly and get feedback versus spending months to get one perfect sample. We can hold time on an extrusion line to scale up quickly and further reduce lead time." Rocconi admits that finding talent is harder than in the past, and he feels fortu- nate that Bixby has been able to bring in top-notch people. Bixby's employee base has increased from 55 to 75 people in recent years, with revenues on a similar trajectory. "We've identified apparel as a market we need to grow in the future. We don't want to get into a war with a commodity seller in Asia. We recognize that we have our niche and believe we can expand by bringing value with the functionality and innovation we offer," Rocconi concludes. "That's how we will survive another 140 years by staying on that cutting edge." l Rick Bass, R&D operations manager, works the Lab Sheet Extruder. Bixby encourages a friendly team atmosphere. Shown here from left to right: Employees Stan Pittounicus, Dylan Fitzgerald, CEO Dan Rocconi, and Phyllis Freedman, global industry manager. BIXWEAR offers a range of options for compression placement including, from left to right, perforated wovens, glow in the dark looks, breathable laminations, double-sided versions and stretch lace. News, Trends and Analysis • Show Updates TEXTILE INSIGHT EXTRA Get your complimentary digital subscription today! textileinsightextra.com PUBLISHED MONTHLY