By Dan Nonte, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-4314
Posted 9-25-08
GREENSBORO, NC – Eric Henry, president of T.S. Designs Inc., will speak about sustainability during his keynote address at the Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies (CARS) Fall Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 9.
The symposium, 2-4 p.m. in Elliott University Center Auditorium, is free and open to the public. The department and the CARS Industry Advisory Board are sponsoring the event.
Started in 1977, T.S. Designs dyes and prints T-shirts at its facility in Burlington. The company suffered a sharp loss of business after NAFTA went into effect in 1993, but was able to survive and thrive by adopting a triple-bottom-line business model equally dedicated to people, the planet and profits.
As the company’s web site puts it: “Armed with their new business model and a healthy amount of crazy, [CEO] Tom [Sineath] and Eric sought to align themselves with, and cater to, a then-fringe group of radical, leftist wackos: The Green Movement.
“Today, TS Designs still sells largely to the now-mainstream group of radical wackos that is The Green Movement, but also prints for any organization looking for a better quality product with a better environmental and social impact.”
Henry devotes much of his time away from T.S. Designs to volunteer work. He serves on the board of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, the Board of Advisors for the Elon University Center for Environmental Studies, the Board of Directors for Co-op America, and as a member of the Advisory Workgroup of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Stewardship Initiative.
His latest endeavor is Local Action, an organization dedicated to developing resources in Alamance County to support Alamance County. Company Shops Market Co-op, where he serves on the board, is working to establish a co-op grocery to more strongly connect local agriculture to the community. He was instrumental in starting the Burlington Biodiesel Co-op, which is located at the T.S. Designs plant and produces more than 200 gallons of biodiesel a week.
He is a former member of the Burlington Bicycle Advisory Board, the Board of the Piedmont Land Conservancy, the Board of the Women’s Resource Center, the Board of Advisors for the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business at Elon University and the Alamance County Planning Board.
A day before the symposium, Oct. 8, CARS will host its Executives-In-Residence Day on the UNCG campus. Events that are open to the public at no charge include:
• 10 a.m. – Sara Jane Miller, owner of Sara Jane Accessory Boutique, will speak about entrepreneurship. Room 313, Graham Building.
• 1:00 p.m. – Cindy Hines, a mortgage specialist at SunTrust Banks will speak about understanding credit scores. Room 142, Stone Building.
For more information about the CARS program at UNCG visit www.uncg.edu/tdm.
