Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
WithIt Names WOW Awards Nominees
February 2,
2016 by in Industry, Special Events 
WithIt, the organization dedicated to the development of professional women, has named the nominees for its annual WOW awards.
The awards recognize business leaders, nominated by their peers, who have contributed to the success of the home furnishings industries and have demonstrated significant impact on their companies, the industry, or both. WithIt has presented the awards since 1999.
Connie Post of Affordable Design Solutions by Connie Post will be honored with the organizations’ Legacy Award. Post’s lifetime of contributions to the industry and her leadership among women for more than 35 years embody the qualities of this category, the highest award bestowed by WithIt.
Post has a portfolio of retail design and also helps companies rebrand and re-merchandise. Her work produces sales growth for retailers and has made her the go-to person for retail design in the home furnishings industry. Post is also an author, television personality and key-note speaker. Off stage, Post focuses her efforts on mentoring young professionals and volunteering for organizations including WithIt, City of Hope and ADL.
In addition to honoring Post, WithIt will present WOW Awards in four additional categories: Education, Mentoring, Leadership and Future Leader.
The Education Award recognizes an individual who has put forth significant effort to educate associates, retailers and consumers about home furnishings. This year’s nominees are Patricia Bowling of American Home Furnishings Alliance; Susan Lorenz of Kravet Furniture; and Christi Tasker of PuTTin’OuT.
The Mentoring Award honors a company or individual for their efforts to foster advocacy, development and promotion of women in their company and the industry. Mentoring Award nominees are Lisa Ferguson of Décor Mentor; Leslie Carothers of The Kaleidoscope Partnership; and Renee Loper-Boyd of International Market Centers.
WithIt created the Leadership Award to recognize the contributions of a woman over age 40 who has demonstrated successful leadership in her company, WithIt and the home furnishings industry. Leadership Award nominees are Irene Crowell of Ashley Furniture Inds.; Katherine Juckett of Telescope Casual Furniture; and Marilyn Durning of STORIS.
The Future Leader Award honors a woman in the industry younger than 40 who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and the potential to become an industry leader. 2016 nominees for this award are Emily Martin of Lexington Home Brands; Stephanie Lena of Somerton Dwelling; and Marissa Kashani of Louis Shanks of Texas.
The WOW awards dinner will be held Friday, April 15, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in the IHFC International Ballroom. Tickets can be purchased online. Individual tickets are $150; a table of 10 is $1,500.
Emceeing the event is designer, author and makeover television personality Libby Langdon. Langdon is a longtime WithIt member and former board member who carries her own licensed collections with Braxton Culler, Crystorama, Tiger Rugs, Casart Coverings and Bradburn Gallery.
The design and décor for the evening is being developed by Gary Inman, Vice President of Hospitality for Baskervill, a top 20 hospitality design firm based in Richmond, Va.