advertorial Q&A with Jack Prause President, Cortina Leathers Describe your business in one sentence Cortina Leathers™ is the premier source for fi ne Italian- and U.S.-made leathers for the interior design community worldwide. What can we expect product-wise from your company? We are extremely excited to be launching Allora at BDNY. Allora was designed in collaboration with Virginia Langley who created a leather with a modern, fresh look with deep, translucent colors and a smooth, gorgeous hand. Allora represents the intersection of beauty and performance-a Crypton-protected leather with Italian-craſt ed elegance. What is your design process like? We are leather experts, not designers. We typically collaborate with a noted designer who understands what the trade is seeking. The magic occurs when our designer is truly inspired and the creativity explodes. Our job is to bring this inspiration to life with a performance leather that meets Hospitality's requirements. Tell us something surprising about your company that people may not know. We've been making leather in Ohio for 118 years, specializing in exacting color-matches and quick customs. We were also one of the pioneers working with artisan Italian tanneries to bring European leather design to the U.S. market. This combination gives us unbeatable capabilities no matt er the application. What's one of your greatest business lessons learned? It's essential to continually question what you do and innovate-even blow up what you do best in order to meet emerging needs. In this industry, change happens quickly and when you lead, you succeed. 032 November 2021 hospitalitydesign.comhttp://www.hospitalitydesign.com