Hall of Fame Raises More than $425,000

October 19, 2015  by in Industry, Special Events   

More than 800 people attended the Foundation’s Induction Ceremony and Banquet last night during High Point Market.

“We set challenging goals for the organization this year,” said Michael Amini, president of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation board of directors and CEO of AICO. “The amount of money raised and the enthusiastic support by our membership met and exceeded every expectation.”

Since the first of the year, the organization has undergone a transformation, including a name change, a fundraising campaign, a redesign of the event as a celebration, and new branding. 

“The Hall of Fame is the only organization that embraces every segment of the home furnishings industry throughout the world and the composition of the board now better reflects the growing diversity and international reach of our industry, and encourages the participation of younger leaders,” Amini said.

For the first time, the names of this year’s Inductees into the Hall of Fame were announced before the evening’s festivities, enabling the Foundation to produce a tribute video for 2014 and 2015 inductees. The videos shares their passions, inspiration and wisdom. 

New sources of revenue within the fundraiser included a banquet journal and a new sponsorship structure. The re-energized banquet was hosted by award-winning actress, author, artist and designer Jane Seymour; and, for the first time, the evening featured a performance by singer, songwriter and actress Morgan James.

2015 inductees were Aminy I. Audi, CEO and chairman of L. & J.G. Stickley; Michael Massood, chairman of MGM Transport Corp; the late Laurence “Larry” Za Yu Moh, founder of Universal Furniture and Fine Furniture Design; and Eliot and Barry Tatelman of Jordan’s Furniture Inc.

“The Hall of Fame’s core mission focuses on capturing and presenting the home furnishings industry’s history through innovative videos, photos and words,” Amini said. “It is up to each of us to play a role in preserving our stories and documenting our collective history for future generations. With our expanded scope, we are embracing an even wider, more diverse segment of the home furnishings community.”