Myrtle Beach, SC (USA) - Last year, two-year-old fabric converter Integra Fabrics walked away with a 200,000-yard order for the Mirage Hotel, much to the chagrin of its competitors who were outbid and outmaneuvered. It was reportedly the largest order of 2001. Led by energized CEO Debbie Purcell, Integra captured all of the Bellagio Hotel print fabric business and half of the fabrics installed at the Beau Rivage in Las Vegas. "About 120,000 yards of the Mirage order was devoted to custom wovens for bedding, draperies and upholstery," Purcell said, dispelling the notion that Integra is only a print house. "We bid against all of the major converters but we only focus on hospitality. That''s what makes us different from the big converters," Purcell said. "Enthusiasm is a huge selling point as well as having the right people working for us since we can''t do it by ourselves." Integra Group, parent of Purcell''s division, expects to have sales of $10 million this year according to Terry Purcell, founder and husband to Debbie. Terry is forecasting $40 million in sales by 2007 spiked by the creation of a third division for patented, lightweight blackout drapery linings this spring. Son of a Baptist preacher, Terry credits his success to marrying Debbie 14 years ago, South Trust Bank and God. Success has come quickly for Integra. Purcell attributes that partly to the company''s hard work and devotion to its customers. It''s helped that the company has been able to stand on the shoulders of Integra International, a fabric converter that has catered exclusively to hotel workrooms since starting business in 1988. By offering product from its sister division, Purcell was able to jump-start its business with an extensive design library of 700 SKUs that could be recolored at will. Innovation has also helped Integra to grow. For example, Purcell prefers to use 54-inch square reversible samples with five different designs featured front and back of the sample. "The designer can immediately see exactly how the patterns work with such a large sample. Most suppliers only work with small sample books." Another point: "We stock more yards of paper and greige than anyone else in the hospitality business," Purcell said. "We can turn orders in 7-10 days. Our base with the fabricator enables us to do this. Also, we don''t ship the purchaser 1,100 yards when they order 1,000. We watch the customers'' money as carefully as we watch our own." Purcell said her firm is geared to send out samples for model room yardage the same day the order is received in open line product. In another development, Integra Fabrics recently became a Crypton® distributor and will feature the new 27-color printed suede and 20-color Fusion lines at the HD2002 exhibition in May. Muirhead Leather of Glasgow, Scotland Integra is Muirhead''s exclusive distributor in the U.S. hospitality market. Nadean McArthur, Purcell''s aunt and business partner, helped Purcell nail down the Muirhead business at Decosit last year. The Purcells own 70 percent of Integra Group while McArthur owns the balance. Integra ships the 100-color leather line FOB Myrtle Beach. In addition to sharp pricing and its status as a minority supplier "we also see the importance of building the Integra brand image with the hospitality market, namely designers, purchasing groups and corporate purchasing departments," Debbie said. The firm is also being recognized by trade watchers for a well-designed line in its third year in business. "I believe that Integra Fabrics is the company of the future," said Jan Baron Shames, west coast sales manager. "I feel that I work in the Versace boutique with this line. Purcell has a willingness to expand and grow to meet the needs of our customers." Shames joined Intergra after stints with Covington and Duralee. "Two years ago, I needed a product to clinch a sale which my company didn''t make so I ordered it from Integra and won the contract. Later on, I lost the Mirage deal to Integra. I wasn''t happy about that. It wasn''t the price, which got Integra the contract. Debbie is not willing to buy business. She just hit it off with the purchasing director at Mirage." "Integra has done well in one of the toughest markets in years, so imagine what it can do as business picks up," Terry said. He noted that orders, which were put on hold after 9/11 for 700-plus room hotels, have begun streaming into the workroom fabricators that his division services. However, Terry sees his original business taking a backseat to Debbie''s since growth in the workroom market is hard to come by. However, he is adding other products like imported sheers and voiles to get additional sales from the workroom. "Workrooms are allowed to bid for curtain business so we might as well supply them with product," he said. "We''re quoting every day to Hyatt, Holiday Inn SRD program and Radisson Country Inn & Suites," Purcell said. She also expects to break into the cruise industry business for the first time as a result of her efforts with Disney Big Boat® and Radisson''s Seven Seas. "Staying focused on what the customer needs is what Integra is all about," said Purcell. "We adapt our line to our customer and we listen to what they say." Purcell credits her staff for the company''s success. Laine Ratterryee and Sara Gibbins, for example, both of whom deal directly with the customer. "We believe in giving the customer one contact point at Integra as opposed to wading through several layers of management." Other key personnel include English designer Heather Pickering. "We used to buy art from Heather and then we lured her to the U.S.A," Purcell said. Purcell hopes that it helps close a two-year trend gap between Europe and the States. "We follow the European trends and interpret them for our customers. Twice a year we do trend boards and make these available to our customers." "Contemporary is becoming important and our line is loaded with it," she said. "Color, especially power punch colors like lime green, are coming back as opposed to just neutrals." Purcell carefully tracks the movement of people within the customers'' organization. When her golfing buddy Viviane Veliz, former director of purchasing for Wynne Design & Development, gave birth to a daughter, (baby Sophia) Purcell was the first to know. When Veliz went on maternity leave, Purcell was also the first to know her replacement well ahead of her competition. When Wynne Development sold its properties - Treasure Island, Mirage, Golden Nugget and Beau Rivage to MGM last year, Purcell ended up working with the MGM purchasing staff while keeping her old contacts up with the Wynne organization. "We want to make it impossible for our customers not to use Integra Fabrics." F&FI