President's Report 2026

(August, 2026) It is with both joy and meekness that I write my first President's Message to you. The joy comes from the fact that such a capable group of people have put their trust in me as their new TCATA President. The meekness also comes from the fact that such a capable group of people have put their trust in me as their new TCATA President. Yes, that was meant to be redundant.

I first want to thank my predecessor, Mack Magnus, for doing such a wonderful job as our President. Mack exhibited capability, professionalism, and commitment in his tenure and he has inspired me to keep the bar set high going forward. I’m sure I will lean on Mack in the days to come.

A little about me personally – I am married to Darlene Smith (37 years) and have three children, two grandchildren, and a third grandchild due in September. I am a lifelong resident of Morristown, Tennessee and an active member of Powerhouse Baptist Church in Morristown.  

A little about me professionally – I am the President, CEO, and Partner of Forenta. I was hired on with Forenta as a Draftsman fresh out of high school in 1983 and steadily progressed up the company ladder until accepting a position with TRW Automotive in 2014. After a few years as the Master Scheduler for TRW’s North American Steering Division, I was called back to Forenta in 2017 to be the next President.  

A little about my education – I am the classic example of who the comedian Jerry Clower was referring to when he stated, ‘Some people are just educated beyond their intelligence level.’  I have two associate degrees (Drafting and Industrial Engineering), 100+ hours in Machine Shop training, a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management, multiple hours of credits towards an APICS Certification, and an MBA from East Tennessee State University. Yes, Jerry Clower knew me well!

Looking ahead, it is my goal to ensure that TCATA continues to be an association that allows us all to keep our fingers on the pulse of the industry. With the recent excitement of the Strategic Planning Meetings and the yearly TCATA Conference under our belt, we have two successful events to springboard from and move forward. From my perspective, the future looks bright for TCATA and its incredible members.  

Respectfully,

Rusty Smith, President, CEO, & Partner, Forenta

President- Textile Care Allied Trades Association