Editor’s note: Following is an interview with Joe Okey Jr., vice chairman of the American Textile Machinery Association (ATMA), who is expected to be elected chairman during the group’s annual meeting Feb. 2-5 in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Okey, president and owner of American Monforts LLC, Charlotte, NC, answered questions to him posed in documented form by Editor Devin Steele.
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OKEY-DOKEY: Joe Okey Jr., president and owner of American Monforts LLC, Charlotte, NC, is expected to be elected chairman of the American Textile Machinery Association (ATMA) during the group’s annual meeting Feb. 2-6 in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. He will succeed Fred Moorhead Jr., sales manager of Marshall & Williams Products, Greenville, SC.
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STN: I understand you agreed to be considered for the ATMA chairmanship for a two-year term beginning this year after Vice Chairman Jay White of Morrison Textile Machinery Co. asked to forego his expected ascension to chairman another two years. With this being such a major responsibility, was the decision difficult?
Okey: The succession plan was for Jay White to assume the responsibility of chairmanship first and for me to follow in two years. Therefore the decision for me to serve was made some time ago, just a matter of timing. It was not a difficult decision, it was just a matter of involvement in other parts of our industry and who could be more involved on pursuit of certain functions at this time.
A key was timing of certain ATMA projects consistent with our respective interests. So, we “flip-flopped.” This will better serve our particular interests on behalf of ATMA.
STN: You have been so closely allied with ATMA for many years that many members may have considered you a “board member for life.” Please describe your longtime relationship with this association and staff and what it means to be affiliated with the group and to lead it.
Okey: I have been involved with ATMA since the mid-1970s, so I guess I am considered one of the dinosaurs by now! I have been most active for the past 10 years or so when I assumed a board position.
ATMA has always been the organization for those of us in the textile machinery business. Through the organization, we have been able to maintain a small part in exhibitions, but most importantly, an active role with our customers. As you know, given the conditions in our industry, we are now assuming an even more active role in both situations.
STN: As anticipated forthcoming chairman, what are your goals for ATMA for the upcoming year?
Okey: My goals for the next two years are unity and growth. Let me explain.
We need unity within our industry — No. 1 within the ranks of the machinery manufacturers, and No. 2 within our entire industry. During the American Revolutionary War, Ben Franklin said “We must all hang together, or assuredly, we will hang separately.” I believe that statement is abundantly appropriate today!
For that reason, I have become extremely active with our new industry group, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). As a board member of NCTO, I can work with textile executives and my machinery colleagues to strengthen our industry and “speak with one voice.” There has been too much separation in the past.
The institutionalization of MEGATEX plays a keystone role in that unity and growth, domestic and global.
Having said that, surely as we work more closely together our industry and association will grow. Furthermore, we have aligned ATMA with other associations outside the textile business to grow and give us strength and creativity as manufacturers and distributors.
STN: Would you rather take over the chairman’s reigns during tough times or during good times? Why?
Okey: For obvious reasons, the good times are always better to be in a leadership position; however, what’s the old saying ... “if it was easy, anybody could do it.” Our industry is currently facing some challenges which it has never faced before. It is up to us to work together and pull ourselves through these hard times. I absolutely think that we can survive and prosper if we “pull together.” I’m squarely supportive of the need for individual associations and for the alliances such as American Textile Alliance.
STN: How has the textile machinery business changed over the years and how has ATMA changed with those times?
Okey: The textile machinery has changed drastically over the years. It has been a pleasure to see how the machinery has advanced, improvements have been made and the industry thrived.
As for ATMA, I must commend ATMA’s staff, particularly Buzz (Buzzerd), who has creatively and adeptly positioned us for change in a global context. For sure, our predecessors led us in so many great ways. While there has been continuity and consistency, it surely is a different textile world. It is now up to us to carry on.
ATMA certainly thrived, as did the industry. Even during the time that I have been involved there have been many entrepreneurs and so many intelligent people. We still have that today but perhaps in a different way. The textile industry was so large in the past, one could pretty much do as they wish, but now each aspect of our business must be carefully evaluated. There is less available in the margin of error context.
STN: What are the biggest challenges facing the textile machinery business in the coming years?
Okey: In a word, survival! We must work and spend smarter. We must look “outside the box” to keep ourselves on the leading edge of technology and alert to market shifts and needs. There is no way that U.S. industry — textile or otherwise — can be the cheapest from a labor point of view, but we can develop our products and introduce efficiencies so that the overall cost and service will be competitive.
STN: Please describe your leadership style.
Okey: I believe in open management. Hire good people and give them the latitude to succeed. No one person has all the answers; you may think you do, but it never works out that way. To sum up, my philosophy for my business and the association: be flexible, but be determined to achieve clear outcomes.
• Position: President, owner, American Monforts LLC, Charlotte, NC
• Hometown: Graham, NC
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Joe Okey Jr. just completed his term as president of the Myers Park Country Club in Charlote, NC — just in time to take office as chairman of the American Textile Machinery Association.
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• Education: B.S., agricultural engineering, North Carolina State University, 1967 (“I guess you could say I learned the business from the ground up!”)
• On getting into textile industry: “I was born in the heart of the textile industry, so having grown up in the industry, I decided that was for me. My father was a textile chemical jobber. As soon as I was old enough, I delivered chemicals to about every plant in North Carolina, and many in Virginia and South Carolina as well. That’s a great way to learn the industry, even though I did not think so at the time.”
• Biggest personal success: “I must say my family. I was blessed to have had a wonderful father, who unfortunately died too early in life, a great mother, who is still active at the tender young age of 95, and three siblings with whom I speak quite frequently. Also, I have three wonderful children — one daughter and two sons, as well as a wonderful wife. Being in a second marriage, I am able to enjoy my stepson and his wife. And they have given Ann and me an absolutely terrific grandson.”
• Biggest professional success: “Professionally, I feel very fortunate. I have said many times ‘I would rather be lucky than good’ and that certainly applies in my case. Certainly, owning my own business is very satisfying, although a bit scary as well. However, I have so many great friends in the industry who have given me many opportunities to succeed and. fortunately, the successes outweigh the mishaps.”
• Hobbies, interests: “I love to play golf and hope some day to be truly successful at it.”
• Motivated by: “Would it be safe to say fear? I think fear of failure drives us all.”
• Last book: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. “And I am looking for the Eighth Habit.”
• On wife: “My wife Ann has kept me ‘under control.’ She has always been very supportive and will not let me give simple answers — I better be prepared to fully explain myself. This certainly makes me think things through.”
• Organizations, activities: Member, past president, Myers Park Country Club; member, St. John’s Baptist Church, the Wolfpack Club; board member, the National Council of Textile Organizations; past board member, American Textile Machinery Exhibition-International; past member, Carolinas Textile Club
Editor’s note: Following is an interview with Fred Moorhead Jr., chairman of the American Textile Machinery Association (ATMA) for the past two years and sales manager of Marshall & Williams Products, Greenville, SC. His answers come in response to questions posed to him in documented form by Editor Devin Steele. The group gathers Feb. 2-5 in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, for its annual meeting.
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Fred Moorhead Jr., who has served a two-year term as chairman of the American Textile Machinery Association, said the organization has expanded its capabilities through partnerships.
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STN: Another busy year awaits ATMA, with your annual meeting fast approaching. Let’s start with the annual meeting. What do you have in store for members?
Moorhead: We will focus on long-range programming during the business sessions. We’re moving back to more emphasis on personalized member benefits and keeping in touch on localized basis.
STN: You return under a confederated format with the Process Equipment Manufacturers Association. This arrangement seems to be working, obviously. Please describe how pooling your resources in such a fashion benefits members of both groups?
Moorhead: Both groups save money on fixed costs, enhance their networking universes and still have enough financial ability to retain high quality speakers.
STN: What are some of the common challenges the groups will be addressing?
Moorhead: Everything from future leadership techniques to working with offshore sales teams. The structured but flexible topical roundtables really generate a lot of give and take resulting in “take home” practical business techniques or tools, if you will. The topics of course, are more to the needs of manufacturers than to specific textile matters.
STN: Let’s do a brief postmortem on ATME-I 2004 trade show, which you co-sponsored in September. How do you measure success? What kind of post-show feedback have you heard from exhibitors?
Moorhead: Clearly, it should have been a mid-week, three-day show. Some business was conducted marking the beginning of a modest “uptick,” I believe. Since then we have received some statistical data confirming some upturn.
STN: ATME-I moves to Atlanta — under the confederated MEGATEX arrangement — in 2006. What’s the latest on the planning and other details of this first-of-its kind textile trade show? Do you have indications that any other groups besides the IFAI are considering co-locating their events there?
Moorhead: There is no question the MEGATEX umbrella is accepted as logical. AATCC (the American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists) has committed to a show section and large conference. The customer associations, National Textile Association (NTA) and National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), are committed with discussions necessary to determine degree of commitment. We are hopeful they will go all the way with some manner of product displays, conferences and technical sessions, and maybe even some events for domestic and offshore buyers of their products.
STN: A wait-and-see mentality has prevailed among many textile machinery suppliers recently. What is your sales pitch for those considering exhibiting at MEGATEX in 2006?
Moorhead: There is no better method than trade shows and events surrounding them to “comparative shop” for products, services and ideas, at one point in time.
All signs are for upward economic and manufacturing expansion for countries south of U.S. borders. We believe potential exhibitors should now reserve at least a small space so that they will have some seniority on record later to expand space and a preference to select floor position. Trade shows definitely tend to reveal trends of parties on “both sides of the show aisle.”
This MEGATEX concept is adding attractiveness, mass and interest to all elements — that is, organizations, that are identifying with it. Individual identities are maintained within a compelling and creative, branded concept. We believe that our multiple textile industries truly need periodically one huge, unifying event to attract world attention and retain world-class standing.
Additional benefits to the supporting industries are that MEGATEX can be a political lever as well as a commercial asset, again, to the industries and to the individual company participants.
STN: Do you still hear rumblings from those who resisted the move from Greenville to Atlanta? What would you say to try to appease those critics?
Moorhead: We all have to adjust. Greenville is my wonderful hometown. And now, it is time to broaden the potential of trade shows with other alliances, to better serve the U.S. textile interests upstream and downstream as well as provide a marketplace for offshore interests, buying and selling. Sales of space are on track on track for 2006.
STN: Let’s turn our attention to your membership and sector. How is ATMA helping its members plumb opportunities?
Moorhead: Research and trade potentials reports are provided on a periodic basis. Offshore show pavilions are organized for direct member participation or representation in print. Many resources are being dedicated to ATME-I ’06 success. Our Marketing Memo is issued at least six times per year and provides many means to help members conduct business.
STN: What are the biggest factors negatively affecting textile machinery manufacturers?
Moorhead: Condition of U.S. mills; probably, the used machinery glut, the size of which we simply cannot determine; and, China, good and bad impacts.
STN: What are current market/export conditions these days and what have made them such?
Moorhead: Improving. The lowered dollar value has helped us to compete here and offshore. New markets are developing and developed ones are coming out of the recession.
The realignment of the U.S. textile industry is providing new companies and new leaders to meet and discuss objectives.
STN: What role has ATMA played this past year in effecting trade legislation?
Moorhead: We have supported our customer alliances. As much as I would like to see more resources dedicated to “localized” ATMA activity and service, we do have limited resources and a portion of those must be directed to activity in Washington and offshore.
Washington is a huge source of alliance activity and resources to assist ATMA members and textile machinery as an industry, such as: customer associations; government (trade and finance programs); legislators and regulators; other allied business associations and more, such as commercial offices of embassies of nations that are developing their industries.
Obviously, as we consider trade legislation and regulations, we must consider offshore and domestic implications.
STN: Clay Tyeryar, ATMA president, recently announced his resignation to pursue a career that allows him to spend more time with his family. Please comment on Clay’s long service to the organization and your plans for trying to fill his shoes?
Moorhead: Well, the “transition” is seamless because Buzz (Buzzerd) has served ATMA since 1977, EVP Sue Denston has served ATMA since 1983 and Carlos Moore has been close to the membership and staff since the early ‘80s. We will be comfortable for some time with those resources and other folks at ATMA headquarters in Washington who back them up. Our staff is drawn from a nice-sized association management company at headquarters and there is a variety of professional resources available through Association and Society Management International, Inc.
Clay has agreed to continue service for some special projects for an indefinite time.
STN: Fred, how would you assess your chairmanship as it relates to the goals you established for the association?
Moorhead: Well, we survived while others did not. We have acquired new alliances and we are cultivating more, all of which long term will be useful to ATMA and its members. I think you must keep a long-term perspective concerning all of this and resist the temptations of “quick-fixes” with personnel and programs.
Having a long-term involvement and perspective on the association, I can see a lot of utility and practicality in the association’s manner of “evolving” its makeup and output as opposed to stops-and-starts with radically changed programs. By the methods we’ve used, in fact, we have redesigned or recreated or reformatted — however you want to label it — the organization several times in the last 30 years.
STN: Any additional comments about ATMA, the annual meeting and the state of your sector?
Moorhead: Not many of us will convene in Mexico, but we will inform the others of our work and recommendations that will be formulated while we are there. Two years ago when we made the commitment the venue seemed to be well-timed. We do want to continue the relationship and benefits of meeting with similar manufacturer associations and thus, we are honoring our commitment to them.
Next year is ATMA’s choice of venue and we think we have a good idea to combine annual meeting site with a trade mission to promote exchanges with potential customers and to promote customer commitment to ATME-I ’06.
