Dana Mills Creates Unique Designs for International Contract
December 12, 2000
Lincolnshire, Ill. (USA) — From Dana Mills owner Deborah Newberger's spikey, purple-dyed hair, to the company's unique fabric designs, the all-contract converter sports an individuality that has helped popularize its products worldwide.
"We're a smaller company in an out-of-the-way place so we want our design to be consistent with that image," said Newberger. "If we're going to make a name for ourselves, it might as well be off the beaten path. I may have sacrificed some volume in that decision, but that's OK."
Newberger said that she and Dana's stylist determine the elements of Dana's collection. "We come up with the look together, which tends to be different. We do nothing traditional. We do no English florals for example.
"We're very much a niche business. We sell blackout and flame-retardant prints and plains to the worldwide contract market; we do nothing aimed at residential."
Newberger nearly pursued an entirely different profession. "I was going to go to law school, but my father hijacked me along the way. He told me, 'Deborah, it's rules, and you hate rules.' I agreed to work for him for six months before law school...and I'm still here.
"I love to tackle something that appears to be a problem and make it work. What I find fun about this industry is finding a way to get it done."
In the last year, Dana has landed contracts for several large-scale projects, placing, for example, 25,000 yards of fabric in Harrah's hotel in Las Vegas. The company supplied fabric for guest-room components, including bedspreads, draperies and shower curtains.
During its renovation in 1999, the Hilton in Venezuela enlisted Dana to supply fabric for 500 entire rooms.
Newberger said that Dana has also placed product in many hotels in Greece and Cyprus as well as a casino in Auckland, New Zealand.
Recently, Dana landed a contract to supply the domestic cruise ship, which Newberger would not name at press time.
Newberger, who spends about six months a year traveling, said Dana's export business makes up about 35-40% the company's turnover. "It's my personal baby," she said. "I do the export selling. I take care of them like they're my own. I don't consider export a stepchild like other American converters do; I don't just turn to export when domestic business sucks."
She said that Dana exports "everywhere," but she cited Australia and New Zealand particularly as strongholds, as well as France, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Singapore and the Middle East.
"Contract isn't the kind of business where people just call and say, 'I need X yards of this,'" she said. "They're working on projects. They want to chat. It's more a process of working with people in contract."
One internal project by Dana, aimed at simplifying its communication with its clients and increasing its customer base, was to re-design its sample book. "We were the first converter to have our sample book all on paper. Everything about books with real samples - mailing them, making them - is cost-ridiculous.' "[When we did it,] everyone said, 'You're insane.' But we made it work and when a customer needs a fabric sample, he gets one overnight.''
Dana is a family-owned and operated business, with 12 employees. It was started by Newberger's father in 1969. Deborah and her brother Adam run the business with the latter handling internal operations. F&FI
"We're a smaller company in an out-of-the-way place so we want our design to be consistent with that image," said Newberger. "If we're going to make a name for ourselves, it might as well be off the beaten path. I may have sacrificed some volume in that decision, but that's OK."
Newberger said that she and Dana's stylist determine the elements of Dana's collection. "We come up with the look together, which tends to be different. We do nothing traditional. We do no English florals for example.
"We're very much a niche business. We sell blackout and flame-retardant prints and plains to the worldwide contract market; we do nothing aimed at residential."
Newberger nearly pursued an entirely different profession. "I was going to go to law school, but my father hijacked me along the way. He told me, 'Deborah, it's rules, and you hate rules.' I agreed to work for him for six months before law school...and I'm still here.
"I love to tackle something that appears to be a problem and make it work. What I find fun about this industry is finding a way to get it done."
In the last year, Dana has landed contracts for several large-scale projects, placing, for example, 25,000 yards of fabric in Harrah's hotel in Las Vegas. The company supplied fabric for guest-room components, including bedspreads, draperies and shower curtains.
During its renovation in 1999, the Hilton in Venezuela enlisted Dana to supply fabric for 500 entire rooms.
Newberger said that Dana has also placed product in many hotels in Greece and Cyprus as well as a casino in Auckland, New Zealand.
Recently, Dana landed a contract to supply the domestic cruise ship, which Newberger would not name at press time.
Newberger, who spends about six months a year traveling, said Dana's export business makes up about 35-40% the company's turnover. "It's my personal baby," she said. "I do the export selling. I take care of them like they're my own. I don't consider export a stepchild like other American converters do; I don't just turn to export when domestic business sucks."
She said that Dana exports "everywhere," but she cited Australia and New Zealand particularly as strongholds, as well as France, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Singapore and the Middle East.
"Contract isn't the kind of business where people just call and say, 'I need X yards of this,'" she said. "They're working on projects. They want to chat. It's more a process of working with people in contract."
One internal project by Dana, aimed at simplifying its communication with its clients and increasing its customer base, was to re-design its sample book. "We were the first converter to have our sample book all on paper. Everything about books with real samples - mailing them, making them - is cost-ridiculous.' "[When we did it,] everyone said, 'You're insane.' But we made it work and when a customer needs a fabric sample, he gets one overnight.''
Dana is a family-owned and operated business, with 12 employees. It was started by Newberger's father in 1969. Deborah and her brother Adam run the business with the latter handling internal operations. F&FI
