Understanding American Manufacturing

Presenter: Joe Sultan, Co-Founder and CEO of Chilewich I Sultan LLC

Overview: Learn about American manufacturing and how to manufacture your own products in the United States from the perspective of Joe Sultan, CEO and co-founder of Chilewich products. As an architect and product designer himself, he will inform design professionals about their unique advantages as designers to collaborate successfully with US manufacturers. He will outline practical tips, ethics, and legal information that equips designers with the knowledge to work with manufacturers, leading to design-based, innovative, and sustainable products that are made right here in the USA.

Joe Sultan is the CEO of Chilewich | Sultan LLC, a textile design company best known for contemporary place settings and modern flooring. Until 2000, he was a practicing architect with his own firm in New York City. Joe continues to be responsible for the innovative collection of Chilewich Contract textiles that can be used on floors, walls and upholstery that afford designers the freedom to use them in unexpected combinations and applications. Recent groundbreaking introductions include BioFelt®, a new floor tile backing system using an adhesive-free installation system and TerraStrand™, an innovation in sustainable yarn technology.

This lecture is accredited for 2 credits through AIA.