Reflecting the adverse business conditions in the U.S. textile industry, the Washington-based
American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) has announced a major downsizing that will result
in the elimination of a number of key senior staff positions.ATMI President Charles A. Hayes,
Guilford Mills, said that over the next 60 days the positions of director of government relations
(chief lobbyist) an assistant director of government relations, chief economist, and director
of membership and administrative services will be eliminated. Executive Vice President
Carlos Moore will go on half-time status until a new executive vice president is hired, and he will
focus on international trade and cotton issues. While some industry observers believe the move
could seriously weaken the industry’s ability to lobby Congress and the administration, Moore said
the industry’s lobbying strength comes from its members and its textile state supporters in
Congress. He says the industry has succeeded in getting strong commitments from Congress and the
administration to address critical international trade and economic issues. “Much of the hard
work is done,” he said. ” Those commitments are in place, and our staff, our members and our
supporters in Congress are committed to following through and getting them implemented.
Beyond that, Moore said, ATMI will continue to have the services of Boyden Gray, a former
White House chief of staff, who has been successfully lobbying the administration. In
making the announcement, Hayes said: “These changes in no way diminish our continued committment to
lobby our industry’s issues in Washington. There should be no confusion as to the high priority
that effort has.”
