Lunch & Learn: USA SHADE & Fabric Structures

Over the course of this year, our team members have sought out knowledge from product leaders in both the architecture and engineering industries. Our HQ in Lufkin, Texas which hosts nearly 75% of our GLS staff, has participated in multiple Lunch and Learns in order to continue providing professional services of the highest quality to communities across Texas.

One manufacturer in particular that our Lufkin staff hosted virtually was USA SHADE & Fabric Structures. Having served clients for nearly 30 years, USA SHADE has provided over 300,000 shade structures for waterparks, schools, event centers, company campuses and many more. Through the presentation given by USA Shade Rep Kendall Purgatorio who is an Architectural Specialist, GLS staff increased their knowledge regarding the tensile fabric structures provided by USA SHADE and their applications. As a leader in their industry, our team members were excited to learn about their products and look forward to incorporating their fabric structures in future projects such as educational campuses.

School districts are continually looking to provide enhanced outdoor areas for students and teachers to assemble safely on their campuses. USA SHADE's structures are able to meet these needs by providing protection from UV rays for not only people, but outdoor elements located on the property. Our architecture team enjoyed learning about these different benefits including the various shapes and sizes provided by the company such as a butterfly and a flower. The products shown in Mrs. Purgatorio's presentation ranged from sophisticated such as the "Super Span Octagon Multi-Level Multi-Panel" structure to adolescent centered and youthful such as the "Butterfly Wings".

Similar cities are constantly renovating and restoring community spaces. In order to make areas in the community more inviting and enjoyable for the public, many have added water parks, outdoor amphitheaters, gardens and other neighborhood spaces that our team has had the pleasure to design. For example, the City of Bryan Downtown Rehabilitation Project included not only street improvements, but buildings and sidewalks as well. Filled with restaurants and small shops, the downtown Bryan area focused on street appeal and mobility for both cars and pedestrians. The City wanted to enhance the experience for local individuals and families as well as tourists. Moving forward with similar projects, GLS is well equipped with the knowledge of fabrics and structures provided by USA SHADE. We are grateful for Mrs. Purgatorio and her presentation highlighting the benefits that their shade structures would offer in regards to functionality, protection and overall aesthetic.

"I am in charge of scheduling Lunch and Learns with reps from manufacturing companies for our Lufkin office. I consider manufacturers who supply us with products used in engineering and architecture projects: from structures needed by our civil engineering department such as box culverts, to those needed by our architectural design department such as the fabric structures Mrs. Purgatorio spoke to us about. Because of our client base and their project needs, USA SHADE was a great company to learn more about and Mrs. Purgatorio did a fantastic job at answering the questions our team members had in regards to the case studies she provided. And honestly, I continue to be impressed by our staff because regardless of what department the Lunch and Learn is for, members from each department will participate in presentations such as this because they want to be able to provide the best to our clients. After nearly 40 years in our industry, to this day, every member of the GLS team seeks out opportunities to learn about the latest techniques and products in all areas of our industry." - Starla Kellum, GLS Administrative Assistant