Meet Our Team

Our Team

Meet the team at EnviroTextiles, LLC!

Barbara Filippone – Development Project Manager & Textile Engineer

Ms. Filippone is the Founder and CEO of EnviroTextiles, LLC. Barbara has spent 37 years in the field studying natural fibers across the globe, creating economic developments in countries that produce natural fibers and developing products to last a lifetime, for all parties involved. Barbara’s experience has brought her to building a multinational economic development based in the US, using locally grown and imported natural fiber. EnviroTextiles currently ships to over 70 countries from their US and China offices. View More

Summer Star Haeske – COO, International Sales & Marketing

Summer Star Haeske Co-Founded EnviroTextiles and has spent many years working alongside the ‘pioneer of hemp’ in the, Ms. Barbara Filippone (her mother) in all areas of the hemp industry. She was an essential ingredient in the opening of EnviroTextiles 22 years ago and has assisted in all phases of the company, as well as the development, sales and importation of hemp textiles. Summer’s responsibilities include maintaining production for EnviroTextiles stock , new product development, Sales & Marketing as well as International and Domestic Transport codes and logistics worldwide. Summer Star is currently supervising our sales team overall and is passionate about marketing hemp for a better sustainable future. As a current board member of HIA (Hemp Industries Association) she continues to educate the public about the product’s environmental, health, and biological advantages. View More

Elena Yuan – Qingdao Representative

Elena is our primary representative in China, and works directly to oversee our production facilities and insure quality and manage logistics. Elena has worked with Barbara Filippone since the 1990’s and is an integral part of the companies fluid ability to always have "boots on the ground", and manage our team to allow us the ability to offer multi-level services to our board spectrum of customers around the globe.

In 2007 we teamed up to open our own Export Company in what became one of the largest seaports in the world. The completion of Global Green Ind connected the final piece for us to manage all the way through to export and increase our services.

David Mahood – Leed AP

David Mahood, LEED® AP, GGP®, is co-principal, Olive Hospitality Consulting and principal of Olive Designs, a commercial furniture manufacturer. He also holds an MBA degree in Sustainability from San Francisco Institute of Architecture. Mahood provides sustainability consulting services to commercial, residential, hospitality, and other furniture and furniture related manufacturing operations. Mahood is an accomplished environmental writer, contributing articles and essays on sustainability and a sought out speaker on topics related to sustainable practices and products. His services also include a comprehensive overview of sustainability to organizations within the home furnishings and other markets. After founding Olive Designs in 1998, Mahood began offering sustainable manufacturing consulting services in 2004 as a result of the quantity of inquiries, requests, and demands of his expertise. His services include all aspects of “green” design development and manufacturing, as well as general sustainability training. He has assisted manufacturers locate sustainable materials, eliminate potential harmful toxic processes, create simpler, more recyclable designs, reduce energy and pre-industrial waste, and create a template for transition to sustainable practices for a major importer of hospitality furnishings. In 2007, Mahood began a short-term consultancy for SENADA/DAI, an Indonesian competitive development organization, to offer Sustainable 101 training to home accessory and home furnishings producers located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He provided services including sustainable profiles and action plans for approximately ten pre-selected companies.

Mahood has twenty-eight years of experience in the wood furniture industry, and has gained valuable knowledge of the manufacturing operations of domestic (U.S. based) wood producers prior to the creation of his own company and of Indonesian product suppliers as of 2007 and 2008. It was his intricate knowledge of the furniture industry and his keen interest in resource conservation that led him to the creation of Olive Designs in 1998. Olive Designs was developed to be a manufacturer of “green” lounge seating and tables for the commercial market. Olive Designs became a pilot company of the concept of sustainable commercial seating manufacturing: seeking a balance between resource consumption and manufacturing impact

Georgia Kalivas – University Education and Speaking

Georgia is an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and our Director of Education at both the University level and the corporate level. An expert compliancy auditor of accountability, transparency, traceability and fulfillment of environmental, social accountability, health and safety criteria in Fair Trade and in manufacturing and processing as well as a leading authority on meeting state and federal laws and regulations. An advocate of conscious consumerism and fervently against green-washing, fair-washing, and misleading advertising and labeling. She is dedicated to making a positive difference in business, education and community.

Greg Osusky – Composites Engineer

Arriving at engineering by way of off-road racing and vintage aviation, hemp was never a focus. Through ten years working with metals, a new medium came calling. A composites course in grad school signaled the beginning of a new era. A world of opportunity in this technology, lighter, faster and stronger, three words that appeal to any racing or aviation nut. Commissioned to produce prototype wakeboarding products, the concept of using hemp over synthetics fibers crept in. That inert thought manifested into a thesis that lab proved high performance hemp composites were possible, though the material needed to be optimized to compete with synthetic fibers. After graduation, research for a sustainable composite took two major steps forward, the formation of Antithesis Design Works LLC, and a strategic partnership with Envirotextiles. Ms Filippone is currently mentoring him in the field of natural fibers to incorporate into new composite materials. These combined forces operate under one simple philosophy. If you want to change the world for the better, don’t tell people you can, show them that you are. Contact Greg at greg(at)envirotextile.com.

Aaron Kuhns – Building Inspection and Consultation

ADVantage Inspection Services, LLC was created to provide a variety of inspection and consulting services to meet the needs of property buyers, property owners, contractors and design professionals. Our mission is to educate property owners by helping them understand the functions, materials, systems and components that make up their home or commercial building. Advantage Inspection Services, LLC is committed to providing it’s clients with consistent, quality information related to their properties conditions and energy efficiency. We employ the best non-invasive, visual-only inspection techniques to perform the inspection of the subject property. Whenever possible we will design a specific inspection or consulting program to meet your needs.

We maintain a number of Certifications from the International Code Council, the International Association of Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), National Radon Certification, and more. As our knowledge and services expand we will continue to acquire and maintain the certifications necessary to provide the highest level of service to our clients. Contact Aaron at advantageis(at)live.com

Carlos Perez – General Manager for CSR Program Agave Bath and Home Products

Carlos has been working side-by-side with Barbara and the Matriarch, Mari of the Otomi Tribe in Mexico from the day we were introduced to these amazing people and products over 17 years ago. Carlos assists with all communication, supplies and transport. Being that the villages are 10 hours by car from any major city, and there is no phone or mobile services, this is no easy task. See our Agave Bath & Home collection to learn about this wonderful program and products.