Michael Amini To Receive ARTS Awards
Academy of Achievement Honor
—AICO founder to accept industry’s highest accolade at 31st annual event in Dallas—
DALLAS – October 9, 2019 – Michael Amini, the charismatic founder, chairman, and CEO of Amini Innovation Corporation (AICO), will receive the Academy of Achievement honor at the 31st annual ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 10, 2020.
The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, acknowledges preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives. The Academy of Achievement, the industry’s highest accolade, recognizes extraordinary contributions to the industry.
“Michael’s legendary energy and leadership are matched, if not surpassed, by his generosity,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “He has built a well-respected company, designed award-winning products, partnered with celebrities, and mentored countless leaders, but most importantly he has selflessly helped others via the City of Hope and numerous industry programs. Michael is an extremely deserving honoree.”
“It’s a distinct privilege to honor someone who has gained the respect from a business community as well as recognition as a significant humanitarian,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “Michael’s passion for the industry has been clearly seen in his drive to help transform the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame into a prestigious industry organization driven to honor our industry’s past and celebrate its future. He is a true ambassador for the best virtues of our business.”
Designer, philanthropist, investor, world traveler and creator Michael Amini is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Amini Innovation Corporation (AICO), one of the world’s most diverse home furniture companies, which he founded in 1988. Today, the company boasts a 320,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Pico Rivera, California, with 86 shipping and receiving docks and hundreds of employees. In May of 2019, Amini broke ground on a nearly 500,000 square foot logistics center in Vietnam, which will also serve as warehouse and manufacturing facility.
AICO’s product lines now include complete bedroom and dining collections, high-fashion upholstery, a stunning line of top-of-bed fashions, lighting, artwork and rugs. Amini collaborated with actress Jane Seymour in 2010 and mogul Kathy Ireland in 2017, expanding his brand into both glam and casual home furnishings as well. In 2018, the newest series Michael Amini Jane Seymour LIVING was introduced adding sophistication and elegance to the already successful stable of brands.
Amini has served as president and chair of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame. He has been recognized as Supplier of the Year by Furniture/Today as well as several Top 100 retailers, and he was awarded the “Pillar of the Industry” honor in 2007 by the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association. In 2008, he received the American Heritage Award from the Anti-Defamation League for a lifetime of achievement in promoting civil/human relations.
In 2004, Amini was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award by City of Hope, the cancer research and treatment center. In 2009, utilizing Amini’s generous gift, City of Hope opened the doors of the Michael Amini Transfusion Medicine Center, which centralized blood collections and processing and benefits patients, donors, and research programs. In recognition of his continuing leadership, Amini was awarded an honorary doctorate degree at City of Hope’s June 2014 commencement ceremony of the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences.
The Academy of Achievement honoree is selected each year by the ARTS Awards Committee in order to recognize significant contributions to the industry. The committee serves one year and their duties include a review of the process and selecting the Academy of Achievement honoree. The 31st ARTS Awards committee members are: David Beld, Palecek; Martha Graham, Martha Graham & Associates; Ron Werner, HW Home; Cindy Morris, Dallas Market Center and Sharon Davis, ART.
Reservations are available now via the ARTS Awards website. Tickets are $145 for ART members and $170 for non-members. Tables are also available.
Sponsors for the 31st annual ARTS Awards include Aspire Design and Home; Designers Today; D Home; enLIGHTenment; Furniture, Lighting and Décor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Furnishings Business; Home Furnishings News; Home Textiles Today; the Interior Design Society and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
For more information, visit the ARTS Awards website. Keep up-to-date with Dallas Market Center events and happenings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and use #ARTSAwards to stay connected.
To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center and Lightovation Apps. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the DMC Blog.
About the ARTS Awards
The ARTS Awards is the premier international awards program dedicated to the home industry. Up to 28 categories exist under the headings Manufacturer, Retailer, Product Designer, Interior Designer, Sales Representative, Green Award, and other specialty honors. Anyone in the industry can nominate including manufacturers, retailers, sales representatives, designers, suppliers, consultants, and other industry officials. Companies that have won an ARTS Award five times are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Current Hall of Fame members are: Arteriors Home, Beatriz Ball, Bella Casa, BJ’s Home Accents, C.S. Wo & Sons, Distinctive Designs International Inc., Elements at Home, Feizy Rugs, Fine Art Lamps, Global Views, HW Home, Loloi Rugs, Montaage, Natural Decorations Inc., Palecek, Paragon, Phillips Collection, Robb & Stucky, Schonbek Worldwide Lighting, Seasonal Living, and Vietri.
About ART
ART is the creative home furnishings network representing manufacturers, retailers, representatives and other individuals and companies interested in promoting and enhancing the market position of the home furnishings industry. Each year ART sponsors programs such as the ART conference, regional educational seminars, the ART card, and the ARTS Awards. The ART website is available at www.accessoriesresourceteam.org.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in home décor, furniture, gifts, lighting and fashion. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the world’s largest western marketplace, opening in 2021; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. The marketplace is located in the strongest economic zone in the country. In addition, more than 80 percent of Dallas Market Center buyers report that they do not shop other market centers. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center and Lightovation Apps. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the Dallas Market Center blog.
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