WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ --

John Adams, CE0, EcomTextile.com, will join the speakers panel at the National Textile Center (NTC) annual meeting held in Myrtle Beach, SC, February 11-13, 2001.

The speakers panel will discuss THE BIG QUESTION: How can we reinvent the

Joining Mr. Adams for the panel discussion will be John Moore, CEO, Optimer, Inc., Keith Hughes, SunTrust Securities and Scott Daugherty, NC Small Business Administration. The public is asked to join in by offering their solutions to THE BIG QUESTION and the chance to win a Bose Wave Radio. Full details are on the website: http://www.ntcresearch.org/forum/2001/forum_index2001.htm

Joe Cunning, NT Executive Director, said: "We are very fortunate to have a person of Mr. Adam's experience help us engage this important issue. The BIG QUESTION has already attracted considerable interest. If you haven't already signed up for the Forum, now is the time to consider it."

Mr. John C. Adams, joined EcomTextile.com in the second quarter of 2000. Mr. Adams is an exceptional leader with a proven track record in the textile and apparel industry. Mr. Adams is the former President, Chairman & CEO of Russell Corporation. During Mr. Adam's tenor at Russell, which began in 1976, Mr. Adams worked in several management positions and served as President, Chairman & CEO from 1993 to 1998.

Prior to joining Russell Corporation, Mr. Adams worked at Oneita Knitting Mills, Eastman Chemical Products and Tennessee Eastman Company. In addition to Mr. Adams accomplishments, he has been involved in several textile and apparel industry related associations including services in leadership positions with the ATMI (American Textile Manufacturers Institute), AAMA (American Apparel Manufacturers Association), International Apparel Federation, The AMTEX Partnership, the Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation [TC] 2, National Textile Center (NTC) and the Crafted With Pride in the U.S.A. Council. Mr. Adams has also served on numerous business organization boards and was the director of Aliant National Corporation, Aliant Bank of Alexander City, Russell Hospital and Southern Company.

Mr. Adams Graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Textile Engineering. Mr. Adams is a member of several honorary societies and the Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni and was also named Textile World's Leader of the Year in 1996.

The Forum provides excellent opportunities for industry decision-makers to interact with NTC faculty and students. All those with an interest in the advancement of technologies that will foster the growth and global competitiveness of the U.S. textile industry are invited to attend, including industry leaders, manufacturers, designers, educators, students, researchers, retailers and recruiters. Details at the NTC website: www.ntcresearch.org

The NTC is a clustered research consortium of six universities that form the very core of the U.S. textile research and education complex: Auburn University, Clemson University, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Philadelphia University and University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth.

Through innovative, collaborative research partnerships, the NTC quest for knowledge reaches across the nation. The mission of the NTC consortium is to enhance the knowledge basis that drives the momentum of U.S. industry competitiveness. The U.S. fiber/textile/fabricated products/retail complex employs 1.5 million workers.

Further information about the NTC can be obtained from the Executive Director, Joe Cunning at 302-478-4744, or joe@ntcresearch.org.