DUBAI—Houssam Rayess has been named MENA Director of Burlington® Technologies Group showroom in the Burlington Building in the business bay here according to Mike Durham, COO and President of Burlington Technologies which includes Keystone Weaving, Se7en, BMS, Bentex  and Verelli.

Burlington Technologies, which showed at Index 2015, expects to participate in the Dubai Hotel Show in September and more international fabric shows in the future.

In addition to being responsible for sales in the Middle East and North Africa Rayess says he is also the sales director for all of the area which includes Europe, Russia, Turkey, Middle East, India and North and South Africa, based in Dubai.

A 2,500 square foot showroom is expected to open by the end of  August. Yousif Mustafawi of Mustafawi fabrics Dubai

Keystone Weaving is a highend upholstery line of wool, cotton and linen; Se7en is a mass market line of upholstery while Verelli is a line of woven contract wall covering. BMS is the manufacturing division where the weaving and finishing is done for all three brands. Burlington is one of the largest jacquard woven operations in America today according to Bob McKinnon, Chairman and CEO of Burlington Technologies. 

No goods will be stocked. Everything will be shipped by air from USA according to Bob McKinnon, Chairman and CEO of Burlington Technologies. The move to open the showroom is in part timed to coincide with any agreement with Iran in the third quarter. If it happens at all, most expect this agreement will have a very positive effect on business conditions in the Middle East and Burlington wants to take advantage of it.

Rayess will go after the hospitality trade and wholesaler business based in the Dubai area. His travels will take him throughout the Middle East, Europe and North America servicing the residential and commercial markets. 

Rayess is well known to buyers in the Middle East with over 25 years experience in the field. At one time, he was the Middle East Sales Manager for Quaker Fabrics, formerly the largest mill in the world which had an untimely demise several years ago during the last recession in America.