Ron Ekstrom is fast becoming a nationally recognized expert in the field of automated chenille machine embroidery as a digitizer, producer, consultant, trainer, and speaker. He developed his skills at the University of Hard Knocks, during a period when no one would talk about or share their knowledge of chenille embroidery or the chenille industry. Now he is speaking out in hopes of drawing others into the field who will share their knowledge and ideas on chenille embroidery. Ron has demonstrated his skill and knowledge of chenille and the automated chenille embroidery machine at ISS shows in Fort Worth, Texas, Long Beach, California, Tampa, Florida, and Atlantic City, New Jersey for Hirsch International Corporation. Hirsch also retained him to develop and present full day seminars as a part of their "How To" seminar series held in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Seattle, and Atlanta during 2003.
Ron has twenty three years of software development and implementation experience, and is Software Engineering Institute (SEI) certified as a level one developer. He has used this background to effectively communicate and collaborate with Pulse Microsystems in the rewrite of the Tajima/DGML, Version 10 Chenille digitizing software upgrade, released in September '03. Ron has worked with this new software as an Alpha and Beta tester and developed many new digitizing methods which greatly simplify the digitizer's job and save time.
Ron's instructional and speaking experience include more than ten years as an adjunct faculty in the Computer Science department at Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland, five years as a certified flight instructor and instrument instructor for Professional Flight Service, Friendly Airport, Fort Washington, Maryland. He, along with Peggy Ekstrom own and operate Lasting Impressions Embroidery Company which is based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their company was the first to develop and offer chenille training specifically oriented to the production of chenille products using the modern, automated (computerized) chenille machine such as the Tajima TMCE series.
Ron may be reached via his email address, ron@chenille.cc.