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Name: Reliance Textiles

Type of business: Designing home textiles manufactured overseas

Address: 295 Durham Ave., South Plainfield

Telephone: (908) 307-9435

Number of employees: 5

Founded: 2007

Top officers: Donna Rann CEO; Atif Ramay, production manager; and Wafeem Qureshi, sourcing manager

How would you describe your business?

"I design home textiles. I just now acquired the Libby Langdon license to produce and manufacture her designs," said Donna Rann, CEO of Reliance Textiles. "With her, we are doing a line called Libby Langdon Solutions intended for small spaces including dorm rooms, laundry rooms, apartments. In this new line, Libby Langdon is offering weighted beach sheets that have weights on the corners so no one has to worry about making sure the sneakers are at the edges so the beach blanket doesn't slide away. I travel all over to see the design manufacture and make sure of the quality, and that it's done right and that the packaging is done correctly. I also have an on-commission sales staff, who place these items in stores like Macy's, JC Penney, and other outlets."

What makes your business special?

"I have the licensed merchandise. I do the line for college covers, which is all university logo settings. I don't own the licenses themselves, but I manufacture them for the company called 'College Covers' that has the logo licenses for 72 universities. I also own the Libby Langdon license and the Hallmark Maxine license. I do home textiles -- potholders, placemats, aprons with the Maxine character and her wisecracking comments. The brand new Maxine line will be coming out this spring.

"The new Libby Langdon line will be rolling out next month. Her line is called 'Solutions' featuring items to make life simpler. Sometimes you'll buy a sheet set that doesn't fit the design of your comforter. We are adding a cover for a comforter so it will match the sheet set as well. She had the idea of where you change your sheets and the cover of your comforter you'll have a whole room makeover. Another of her ideas is that when you have a platform bed a regular comforter doesn't fit, so she designed a fitted comforter to fit. Times are changing, people want simplicity, and Langdon is about clean lines."

What goals do you have for the business?

"To expand and to survive in these economic times. I work with some wonderful people and I want to continue to work with these people. My goal is to expand the Libby Langdon license and have her items recognizable."

How has your business changed?

"I've acquired more licenses. I started out with the collegiate licenses, then I attended a trade conference in Las Vegas last year and it opened my eyes to a new aspect of business. Licensed branded labels in the store are what people want to see. I had to apply for the new licenses before I could acquire them. The licensee has to accept your business, provide samples of your product to them, and what your guaranteed sales will be before signing a 30-page contract."

What was your most important deal?

"This most recent license -- designing for Libby Langdon. She is very creative. With Libby's line we can go anywhere. I've designed three different lines for the back to school line."

What changes do you expect in the next 10 years?

"I see people looking at home textiles differently. I see them looking at it as a simpler way of living. The beds are changing; people's furniture is changing and becoming simpler. Back when I was younger I remember when a bed set had to be dry cleaned. It's not that way today and people want things even more convenient and simpler."

What is the most important thing you've learned in your business?

"Patience. When you are dealing with overseas mills, it's patience and communicating with the world. It's very different. You have to have the patience to understand different countries and respect the way they do business and fit yourself into their way of doing business. For instance, during the month of Ramadan, they are not eating all day long so they can't function normally. A lot of companies go overseas and want them to change and do business like in the U.S. and they lose that way because they aren't going to change their ways of living and their ways they doing things, you have to change to work with them. If you understand that, there are no problems."

What advice would you give to someone considering your line of work?

"My daughter is interested in design and is considering somewhat following in my footsteps. Because she wants to start her own business too -- most likely as an interior designer -- she is currently taking classes at Middlesex County College, where she is getting the groundwork in business management by taking courses in marketing and business. She can continue design classes at Pratt, FIT, or another university. Because so much of this business is in other lands, a knowledge of foreign language is useful. The person interested in this business has to realize that is there are a lot of hours -- the hours are very long. You will be working in and with foreign countries because there is no more manufacturing in this country."

Is there anything else you would rather be doing?

"No. Over the past five years, I have learned about other countries. I've been to South Korea, India, China, Japan, and Pakistan, and to trade shows in Dubai and Germany. I look at my passport and am amazed I've been to so many places."