Kathie Leonard

Kathie Leonard started her own textile company with a business partner in 1979. Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. (AMI) produces extreme heat- and fire-resistant textile products serving shipbuilding and repair, automotive, aerospace, petroleum, power generation, foundry and metal fabrication, and other industrial sectors. She has grown the company to serve more than 750 companies in more than 30 countries. In 2017, AMI was successful in its anti-dumping petition against Chinese imports, which led to duties of up to 300 percent being imposed on Chinese silica fabrics entering the U.S., which remains in place today. AMI hosted President Joe Biden on July 28, 2023 – the first time a sitting president visited a U.S. textile manufacturing plant since 2005.