SEATTLE — November 13, 2018 — Filson, the rugged outdoor outfitter, will open its newest brick and mortar store — Filson New York Flagship in the heart of New York City’s Union Square neighborhood — on Friday, Novevember 9. Located at 876 Broadway Ave., the 6,000-square-foot space showcases Filson’s entire product line, as well as handcrafted specialty products from a variety of purveyors. Since 1897, Filson has made unfailing goods designed to stand up to nature, the elements and time.

“More than a century after C.C. Filson opened the original Filson outpost in Seattle, and 4 years after we opened our first retail space in New York on Great Jones street, we are thrilled to announce our second Manhattan location and first Flagship on the East Coast,” said Steve Bock, CEO of Filson. “This retail experience is like nothing else in the city, and it truly brings the brand to life in a way that honors our Pacific Northwest roots, while meeting the demands of our dedicated New York customer. From one of a kind product to expanded men’s and women’s apparel to our full lineup of luggage, bags and accessories – the entire Filson experience will be on display. Additionally, our Great Jones location will continue to push the brand forward with unique product, partnerships and experiences that reflect that neighborhood and customer base.”

Filson New York Flagship features several Pacific Northwest artists who were commissioned to create unique art for the space, bringing nods of the brand’s sense of place to life. The commanding entryway features a reclaimed Douglas Fir barn from the 1850s relocated from Ashland, Oregon, to New York. Weighing more than 7.5 tons, the barn has been refabricated and serves as a centerpiece structure within the space. Additional pieces include a 14-foot chainsaw-carved wolf sculpture by Jeffrey Samudosky, a 3D wood-carved wall-mounted sculpture with a contemporary take on Northwest indigenous carvings by Aleph Geddis and a stained-glass piece by David Fjeld.

“Filson New York Flagship stands for so much beyond a brick and mortar retail store; this represents a new space for people to discover what the Pacific Northwest and the great outdoors means to them. Our products and merchandise simply exist to further that exploration,” said Alex Carleton, Chief Creative Officer of Filson. “Throughout the process of designing this store, we looked to those places — museums, parks and historical sites — to inspire us. The result is a well thought out, meticulously designed space that allows people of all walks of life to understand what it means to be a part of the Filson brand.”

The opening of Filson’s New York Flagship bookends a notable East Coast expansion for the brand in 2018, which opened stores in Boston and Washington, D.C., earlier this year. The Union Square location also marks the second New York City presence for Filson, which also owns and operates the C.C. Filson Store in the city’s NoHo district. Filson now operates 17 full-price stores and two outlet locations globally, 14 of which have opened in the last five years. Known for durable fabrics, such as its Tin Cloth and Mackinaw Wool, Filson products come with a lifetime guarantee. Filson has stayed relevant for more than 120 years and has drawn a diverse group of fans and customers consisting of adventurers, anglers, hunters, outdoor professionals, tradespeople and a growing urban community, all of which are inspired by long-lasting goods and the rugged aura of the Pacific Northwest.

Posted November 13, 2018

Source: Filson

ATLANTA — November 9, 2018 — Cooling fabric innovator brrr° was one of only eight companies chosen to present their business plans to active investors looking to place capital at the annual Emory RAISE Forum in Atlanta.

The elite conference is hosted by the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and was created to connect fast-growing revenue positive startups with investors seeking to make $1 million to $5 million investments in maturing technology companies in the Southeast.

Leaders of the startup companies invited to the RAISE Forum also receive consulting and mentoring from investors, professors and other business leaders.

“We are humbled to have been selected from such a quality group of Atlanta startups to participate in the RAISE Forum,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, founder and CEO of brrr°. “We are actively seeking $3 million to $5 million in equity funding, and we are excited to share our growth story with such an influential gathering of investors.”

The RAISE Forum was established seven years ago by early stage investor Barry Etra to encourage collaboration across the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Southeast. The startup investment conference is now a pillar of the Entrepreneurship program at Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

Posted November 12, 2018

Source: brrr°

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — November 9, 2018 — Florida Linen Services has earned the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification for its Rockledge plant, reflecting its commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and its capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected;
• Managers understand regulatory requirements;
• OSHA-compliant; and
• Physical plant operates effectively.

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

The Rockledge plant joins two other Florida Linen locations (Pompano Beach and Jensen Beach) that earned Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certifications in 2017. Florida Linen has provided healthcare laundry and linen services throughout Florida since 2003. “Congratulations to Florida Linen Services on their certification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry takes every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted November 9, 2018

Source: TRSA