US leather manufacturer dies
The president and company owner of Milwaukee-based leather manufacturer Thiele Tanning, Hal Thiele, has died. US industry body the Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) shared the news on February 6.
LHCA described Mr Thiele as “an entrepreneur, an innovator, a businessman and a passionate maker of leather”.
Mr Thiele’s family has said his death was unexpected; he was 72 years old. Away from work, friends have said he was a passionate enthusiast of and instructor in the Argentine tango. His funeral will take place on February 9.
He was born in Milwaukee, where his parents, originally from Germany, had settled. They set up Thiele Tanning in 1934, with their son joining the business in the early 1970s, after university.
Thiele Tanning makes finished leather for customers around the world who produce footwear, accessories, apparel, furniture and saddlery. It sources all of its hides in the US and carries out the entire tanning process under its own roof.
