HIGH POINT, N.C. — Houssam “Sam” Rayess has been named director of international sales for Z-Wovens, the American branch of Zhongwang Mills, in Hangzhou, China.

       Z-Wovens’s design and marketing is based in North Carolina, and has been a successful offshoot of the Chinese mill where all of the weaving is done. Rayess is building his international sales team to carry the upholstery line forward worldwide.

       Rayess is the former Middle East sales manager for Quaker Fabrics Corporation, which partnered at one time with Zhongwang in China.
 Zhongwang ended up with the Quaker finishing technology in China after Quaker went bankrupt.

       Since Quaker’s closing, Rayess has held various international posts with major upholstery mills in the United States, most recently with Burlington Technologies, based in Dubai.

 A native of Lebanon, Rayess is a well-known player on the international textile scene.