Save the Date

October 6, 2010
SMART Regional Meeting at the Westin Bristol Place hotel in Toronto, Canada

February 27 – March 3, 2011
SMART Annual Convention at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach in Manalapan, FL

Sponsorship Opportunities for the 2010 Toronto Regional Meeting

The SMART 2010 Toronto Regional Meeting will be held Wednesday, October 6 from 6pm to 9pm at the Westin Bristol Place hotel. Registration for this event will open in July however members may sign-up to sponsor now! The sponsorship fee for this event is $500 USD and includes a table top exhibit, recognition on conference printed material, signage at event and sponsor give-away items presented to each attendee (sponsor to provide items). Click here to download your sponsorship form.

SMART 2012 Annual Convention Planning

SMART is busy planning ahead for the 2012 Annual Convention and we need your help! Please tell us where, when and how long you want the 2012 convention? It is your convention and we want all of our members to have an active role in planning this event. Below you will find a link to the survey. Please note the survey will also be sent out to all members via e-mail.

Click here to take the survey.

SMART Input Leads Trucking Group to Drop Proposal Affecting Rags and Defer Action on Clothing

Fast action by SMART has led a commercial trucking firm association to drop its plans to hike the price of transporting cloths and rags and delay a more recent proposal affecting secondhand clothing.  DETAILS

SMART 2010-2011 Directory and Buyer's Guide Call for Advertisers

The 2010 – 2011 SMART Directory and Buyer’s Guide will be published in September, 2010. Members wishing to advertise in the 2010-2011 issue need to complete the advertising form and return with payment no later than Friday, August 6th. DETAILS

SMART 2010 Annual Convention Speaker Review

This year’s convention included a strong line-up of speakers that explored a variety of topics. Here is expanded information on speaker Business Security expert Barry Brandman and Generational speaker Amy Lynch. DETAILS

Wiper Video Now Available for Member Use

The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) Wiper Chapter recently launched a new video about the recycled wiping materials industry. The video highlights the benefits for using wipers and the advantages of using wipers over shop towels. This video premiered at the SMART Annual Convention in Miami in April and was well-received by all in attendance. SMART members are encouraged to embed the link to this video on their website to help promote the industry and SMART. Click here for more details.

A SMART Decision - SMART Member Open Letter

This past spring I decided to join SMART and see what this would bring. I was encouraged to attend the annual convention in Miami and see what SMART had to offer. I did not leave this meeting disappointed. DETAILS

Note About Ritz-Carlton South Beach

Attendees of the 2010 SMART Annual Convention at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami, Florida may have experienced less that outstanding service. Due to this lapse in service, all attendees of the 2010 SMART Annual Convention will receive a letter of apology from the hotel. If you stayed at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach during the meeting, you will also receive a Ritz-Carlton gift card for $50 that can be used at any Ritz-Carlton location towards room or other hotel charges. The card does not expire. An excellent opportunity to use your gift card would be at the 2011 SMART Annual Meeting February 27 – March 2 at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach hotel in Manalapan, Florida.

MEMBER NEWS

OmniMout Concludes Bra Drive and Surpasses Goal by More than 50 Percent

OmniMount’s BRAvo Event, the month-long collecting bras-for-a-cause effort, concluded with a staggering 1,550 bras for donation to local women’s shelters in the greater Phoenix area. DETAILS

Donate to Artist Promoting Textile Recycling

SMART is partnering again with artist Jennifer Van Winkle for an art project in Missouri to promote recycling textile awareness. SMART members assisted Van Winkle last year with an art installation project emphasizing the importance of recycling clothing at the Pittsburg Children's Museum. If you are interested in assisting, please contact the artist at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 434-409-6861.

SMARTTalk Newsletter Article Submission

The SMART Talk Newsletter will be distributed on the second Wednesday of each month. Members are encouraged to send articles or contact information changes to SMART headquarters by the first Wednesday of each month for publication in the next SMARTTalk. If you would like to submit items or articles to the newsletter, please contact Kaymie Thompson Owen. All submissions are due by the first Wednesday of each month.

Quote of the Month

“Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!” – Mother Jones.

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