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ASFD Announces 2015 Pinnacle™ Award Judging Panel

Furniture World News Desk on 8/28/2015



Above (l-r): George Perez, Christopher Eitel, Dr. Jane Nichols, Jason Oliver Nixon, Stephanie James,



Above (l-r): Michelle Jennings Wiebe, Randy Focht, Richard Prisco, Russell Bienenstock, Sheila Long O’Mara



Above (l-r): Susan Inglis, Powell Slaughter, Jeff Selik

The American Society of Furniture Designers announced the 2015 Pinnacle™ Award Finalists earlier this month at the World Market Center during the Las Vegas Market. The 20th Anniversary edition of the awards boasts 64 finalists in 16 categories. Pinnacle™ winners will be announced at association’s annual awards banquet/ceremony that will take place on Monday, October 19th in the IHFC Ballroom during the Fall High Point Market.

Jason Phillips, ASFD President, notes, “We are very excited about this year’s awards since we are celebrating our 20th anniversary of the Pinnacle™ Awards. The entries this year were incredible, and the distinguished judging panel had a hard time selecting the finalists in each category. Reaching out to students has been a goal of ours since ASFD’s inception and we can happily report we had a record number of Student Pinnacle entries.”

Judges for the 2015 Pinnacle™ Awards are:
  • Russell Bienenstock, Editorial Director and CEO, Furniture World Magazine & Chairman of the Board , Bienenstock Furniture Library

  • Christopher Eitel, Director of Design and Production, Vladimir Kagan Design Group

  • Randy Focht, The Design Gallery Buyer/Coordinator, Nebraska Furniture Mart

  • Susan Inglis, Executive Director of Sustainable Furnishings Council

  • Stephanie James, Award winning design consultant and co-owner of Allen and James Interiors, High Point, NC

  • Dr. Jane Nichols, Department Chair of Home Furnishings and Interior Design, High Point University

  • Jason Oliver Nixon, noted as one of America’s Top 25 Young Designers, Madcap Cottage, High Point, NC

  • Sheila Long O’Mara, Editor-in-chief, Home Furnishings Business

  • George Perez, Professor and Graduate Coordinator for the M.A. and M.F.A. furniture design programs, Savannah College of Art and Design

  • Richard Prisco, Professor of Industrial Design, Appalachian State University

  • Jeff Selik, President Hillside Furniture, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

  • Powell Slaughter, Senior Editor, Furniture/Today

  • Michelle Jennings Wiebe, “Style Spotter Emeritus”, President and Founder, Studio M Inc., Tampa, FL.

Furniture/Today serves as the Major Underwriter of the annual ASFD Pinnacle™ Awards. AutoDesk and International Market Centers (IMC) serve as Underwriters of the ASFD Student Pinnacle™. 2015 Pinnacle Award sponsors include Continental Hardware, Furniture Design Studios, HSM Solutions, High Point Market Authority, Home Furnishings Business, Leggett & Platt, Inc., Rooms To Go and The Sherwin-Williams Co.

For more information and to purchase Pinnacle Banquet tickets online go to www.asfd.com. Or you may contact John Conrad, ASFD Executive Director at info@asfd.com or telephone (336)-307-0999.

ABOUT ASFD: Founded in 1981, the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) is dedicated to excellence, innovation, education and originality in the practice of furniture design. ASFD serves as the unified voice of the furniture design community, advocating professional practice and integrity at all times. ASFD seeks to demonstrate the value of design to the furnishings industry.