Meet the Digital Textile & Décor Committee

Brian Hite

Image Options

President & Founding Partner

Brian Hite is the president and founding partner of Image Options. He has 37 years of experience working with and managing companies in the exhibit, event and graphics production industry. He is also experienced in driving lean production and sustainable operations. Image Options was the first large format digital facility in California to obtain SGP Certification. Prior to founding Image Options, he was a senior exhibit industry professional.

Charlie Rueb

Rainier

Display Division Manager

A native of Orcas Island in Washington State, Charlie is a proud graduate of the University of Montana. Go Grizz! Charlie has been with Rainier for over 15 years. He is an expert in the graphic and displays industry and is a congress member of the SGIA. He has helped produce and install signage and graphics at over 100 colleges, sporting venues and universities around the world. He is proud new father and having the most fun with a surfboard under his arm or a golf club is in hand.

David Meleo

New Vision Imaging - Steprepeat.com

President

Hitoshi Ujiie

Thomas Jefferson University

Director

Hitoshi Ujiie has more than 20 years of experience in high-end textile design and manufacturing. Hitoshi's professional experience includes designing at Jack Lenor Larsen Design Studio in New York. Here, Hitoshi was involved in the development of and oversaw the manufacture of printed fabrics on a worldwide level with other designers and contractors of fine fabric. In 1991, he established a design studio specializing in styling a wide range of new fabric products. Hitoshi received a BFA from Kyoto Seika University in Japan and an MFA from the University of Georgia. At present, he serves as professor of textile printing at Philadelphia University, where he helped to establish the university’s "Center for Excellence for Surface Imaging." He has lectured, and published for a wide range of worldwide audiences.

Jason Russell

CBiPrint

Vice President & Managing Partner

As a managing partner in CBi Print Jason has been with the company for 22 years. Jason is 38 years old and brings a new look and excitement to the printing industry. During his time at CBi Print he has been part of every aspect of the company, which has given him extensive experience in all aspects of the printing industry. For the last 10 years he has been a major part of the growth and expansion of CBi Print.

CBi Print started as a copy shop and now offers screen printing, embroidery, large format printing, offset, laser engraving, and specialty printing. Jason realizes the importance of diversity in the print shops of today.

Ken Bach

Aberdeen Fabrics

Business Development Director

Ken has 30 years of experience in the digital imagining industry, starting in customer service and field work to business development. Ken has been a nationwide Director of Service and Sales Director, with customers such as HP, Mimaki, Vutek, Cannon and Agfa. In this role, Ken was providing hardware and software solutions to his customers. For the last 12 years, Ken has focused on the digital fabric printing and the dye sublimation industry. He brings a unique perspective to the industry looking at hardware, application and supplies and keeping up industry trends. Currently he is the Business Development Director for Aberdeen Fabrics, a leader in supplying high quality printable fabrics directly to the graphics industry.

Kerry King

Spoonflower

Senior Vice President R&D

Kerry came to Spoonflower in 2013 and is responsible for project management in areas that include development of strategies for ensuring product quality, technical development of new products and investigation and implementation of new manufacturing technologies. Kerry also works closely with Spoonflower’s product development and factory teams. Prior to Spoonflower, she spent over fifteen years with [TC]2, a not-for-profit company that specialized in technology development and supply chain improvement within the soft goods industry. In addition to her role at Spoonflower, she’s an active volunteer in the textile and digital print area and is the current President of AATCC, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists.

Mallory Varner

GSG

Vinyl Decorating Segment Manager

Mallory has been with GSG for over 7 years and has grown up working in the industry. She has her Masters in Supply Chain Management from Texas A&M College of Engineering. Mallory has extensive knowledge in heat transfer applications, small format digital printing, dye sublimation, adhesive vinyl, DTG and screen printing.

She works closely with vinyl decorators and resellers as the Vinyl Decorating Segment Manager at GSG. GSG is a family owned distributor serving the sign, digital, screen printing, embroidery and textile decorating industry.

Michael Sanders

Top Value Fabrics

Director of Printable Textiles & Finishing Technology

Michael Sanders, Director of Printable Textiles & Finishing Technology for Top Value Fabrics, has been a part of the textile industry for over 40 years. With extensive knowledge and experience in dyeing, printing, and finishing both cotton and polyester fabrics, Sanders is recognized as a leader in the field. His involvement and work with digital textile printing goes back to the early days of the discipline’s existence. Today, Sanders sits on boards, expert panels, and gives lectures nationally. Sanders previously co-owned and served as Vice President of Pacific Coast Fabrics, which was acquired by TVF in 2017. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Cal-Pacific Dyeing and Finishing Corp. Sanders received his technical textile training from Sandoz in Switzerland and Bayer in Germany.

Randy Anderson

Mutoh America

Product Marketing Manager

Randy Anderson has 13 years experience in dye sublimation and textile printing. Currently, he is the product marketing manager for textile and dye sublimation for Mutoh America Inc.

Rick Mandel

Mandel Graphics Solutions

President & Owner

Inducted into the ASDPT, 1996

Rick Mandel is the fourth generation President & Owner of the Mandel Company, a 125+ year old graphics firm. He specializes in large format digital printing for the POP, architectural, and event industries. Rick has been a contributing speaker and author for SGIA, as well as a member of SGIA's Academy of Screen and Digital Technologies and Digital Textile Committee. Rick has been a member of SGIA for over 30 years, a member of Rotary Club of Milwaukee, contributor to the SPTF fund. He holds a BS degree from the University of Wisconsin and is the father of three adult daughters.

Tommy Martin

HP

Textile Engineer

Tommy Martin is currently an Applications Engineer and Technology Trainer at HP, Inc. Tommy has been a part of the textile industry for over 30 years and proudly served as a Chemical Specialist in the U.S. Army. He attended the University of North Alabama with studies in Marketing and Management. He has worked with and managed companies in apparel manufacturing, operations, sales, and marketing. Currently, Tommy resides in Gainesville, GA.

Toren Prawdzik

Photo Evo

President

Born and raised in Michigan. Graduate of Jacksonville University with a degree in Science. Husband, and father of 2 great girls. Owner of Photo EVO, a retail chain of stores producing a variety of products from regular photographic prints, to metal prints, wall graphic, signage, and acrylics. Owner of High School Fan Stand, and apparel company servicing and fulfilling products for schools, clubs, and organizations with online sales of one-off apparel and home goods products.

Vice President of Photo EVO Pro, a professional photographic and graphics company, servicing B to B clients, and professional photographers. Owner of Pro Imaging CONNECT & Golf, an industry event for all graphics leaders to get together and enjoy networking and educational content. Grown up in a family owned graphics business that started in the 50’s and have been involved full time for over 25 years.