A Remembrance: Sofka Writes About, Tom Hilb, Sadly Lost in 2016 I met Tom when he was in his mid-twenties as he began working for his father, Werner Hilb and his company Hilb & Company. My early relationship with Hilb & Company was as a supplier of product and this relationship originated with Tom’s dad. Tom, recently a graduate of the University of Cincinnati desired to enter the textile business through his dad’s company. My relationship with Tom was immediate and solidly anchored in respect for his talent, loyalty, and friendly personality. I was connected and somewhat involved with many of Tom’s advances in the industry. In 1982 he came to work for Softex Fabrics, my family business. In late 82 he chose to move to Fabricut and was responsible for sales in their contract division. Tom became a sizeable factor in the contract business and was soon recruited by Richloom Fabrics to advance their moves from residential to contract business. Tom then became a number one draft choice and through his talents became a vice president at Western Textile in the early nineties. He developed his skills and relationships with Turkish and Italian mills and developed that business for the United States contract market with great success. Tom was very entrepreneurial and always had his focus on some day being his own master and owning his own business. In the late nineties Heritage Fabrics was the realization of that goal. Tom became an industry notable for innovation, quality fabrics and customer service. Through all Tom’s decades he was my friend and I will miss our relationship in sharing the joys of golf, travels and our families. I write this as my testimonial to my best friend who is now lost to all of us including his precious three girls, Kate, Molly and Annie. ~John Sofka, Softex Fabrics