I recently spoke at a conference in Washington hosted by the National Council of Textile Organizations. It was a bittersweet experience.

Sweet because during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Americans desperately needed masks, gowns, and every other form of personal protective equipment to stay alive, I turned to NCTO in my White House role and asked it to help meet our suddenly massive PPE needs. And NCTO ran to the sound of the guns.