MARBLE HILL, GA.—Wes Connelly, North America area manager for Wools of New Zealand, retired March 1 after 39 years in the floor covering/textile industry. Elise Demboski, who previously worked for Wools of New Zealand and has been an industry marketing consultant for the past 12 years, will assume responsibilities for managing the organization’s North American initiatives. Her official title will be executive director, North America.

Connelly’s career began at Woodside, a division of Dan River Mills, which specialized in apparel fabrics. Following that, he spent 11 years at Monsanto before being tapped by the Wool Bureau, where he remained through the evolution of Wools of New Zealand.

Although Connelly plans to spend a little more time playing golf, traveling and volunteering, he is not hanging up his industry hat just yet. He will continue to offer his technical expertise as a consultant for Wools of New Zealand and other businesses within the industry.

“My career with Wools of New Zealand has been a wonderful and exciting experience, particularly being part of an international organization and working with and knowing people around the world,” Connelly said. “We’ve seen wool consumption and the interest in wool carpets and rugs increase in the U.S. market over the past 26 years. It’s been rewarding to be a part of these achievements and an honor to work with all of our partners and colleagues.

“I value our relationships and am pleased to continue my involvement as a technical consultant for Elise. It’s an opportune time for the natural, sustainable benefits of wool, and Wools of New Zealand is well positioned to take advantage of the fiber’s potential growth in this market.”

Demboski will work in concert with Connelly to rejuvenate the New Zealand strong wool industry. As a subsidiary of Wool Partners International—a newly established integrated strong wool procurement and marketing company—Wools of New Zealand is now part of a fully integrated supply chain that takes wool from farm to floor. The global organization will work with key manufacturers and importers throughout the world to increase profits along the value chain and enhance the market strength of Wools of New Zealand brand carpets and rugs.

“We’re embarking on a new era for New Zealand wool,” Demboski said. “The potential for wool has been strong for a while, but our initiatives have been hindered by the auction system in New Zealand, which prevents farmers from getting a fair return for their wool.

“With the recent purchase of Wools of New Zealand by Wool Partners International,” she explained, “a company that is 50% owned by Wool Grower Holdings (a grower cooperative), and 50% owned by PGG Wrightson, we’re part of an integrated supply chain that takes wool from farm to floor. As such, we’ll be adding tremendous value to the Wools of New Zealand brand, which will translate into commercial benefits for our manufacturing and import partners.”

For more, call 770.649.7699.