Rich Delano knows his product is hot, but not everyone else does. So the president of Bamboo Textile is "pushing the envelope hard to get apparel retailers and manufacturers to give [bamboo] a try. . Once you feel it, it sells itself," says Delano, who started out selling the fiber in January 2003. Business was slow, so he manufactured some T-shirts, and that's when things took off. In 2004, Delano sold 35,000 bamboo T-shirts and yarn ($300,000 worth) via his Web site, www.bambootextile.com, but Delano is so charged about the product, he is practically giving the stuff away so as to spread the word about bamboo. His continued efforts have led to negotiations with several companies to develop product for retail.