June 13, 2016

#IDneocon: Interior Design Names People Winners for Third HiP at NeoCon Awards

The third installment of Interior Design’s annual recognition program HiP at NeoCon (Honoring Industry People and Product) kicked off this evening, with designers and manufacturers receiving their awards before the magazine’s Giants celebration. The People winners and honorees are as follows— go here to see all winners in the Product categories.

Visit the showrooms of all winners and honorees to see what’s new and buzz-worthy. And come celebrate with us at the HiP, HiP Hooray party on Tuesday, June 14, from 5:00pm – 7:00pm on the Merchandise Mart’s South Drive. Tickets are available here.

See more coverage from NeoCon 2016 >

Leader: Greater Good

Jim Brett is an advocate for global handicraft and scaling of small production goods. He expanded West Elm’s product range by collaborating with artisan workers and communities, implementing dual-purpose “Impact Sourcing” to deliver financial return and measurable social impact through employment as well as non-financial support. Brett made a pioneering partnership with Fair Trade USA and launched educational efforts for craft partners, from basic literacy in Haiti to financial literacy in the Philippines. He was recently appointed to the advisory board of Nest, a non-profit organization helping artisans sustainably develop their businesses. West Elm Workspace with Inscape launched in 2015.

Leader: Health & Wellness

Tama Duffy Day is a principal and health & wellness practice area leader at global design firm Gensler. A frequent columnist, lecturer and spokesperson on the benefits of health design leadership, not just within the hospital but in communities, Duffy Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the positive impact design can have on health. For three consecutive years she was named one of the “Most Influential People in Healthcare Design” by Healthcare Design magazine. She has also been elected to the College of Fellows for both the International Interior Design Association and the American Society of Interior Designers.

Leader: Hospitality

Matthew Goodrich is chief creative officer at AvroKO, an interdisciplinary design and concept firm with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Bangkok. He leads the integrated design process for hotel, restaurant, and retail projects throughout the US and Europe. Drawing on his previous career in fine art, he develops strong narratives for each project that blend historical references, conceptual ideas, and emotional content to create memorable guest experiences. Current projects include a restaurant for the Voltaggio Brothers, an eco-resort in Nicaragua, a condo building in Miami, and a concept for a national casual dining restaurant.

Leader: Workplace

Susan Chang joined the studio of Shimoda Design Group in 2001 and has been a core member of the studio since its formation. As a partner, she provides leadership to the studio teams and continues to participate in all phases and aspects of projects from design, management, coordination, and administration. Her range of experience in workplace, retail, and residential projects has been integral to the development of the multidisciplinary design practice. Her projects include the Steelcase WorkCafe, TOMS Headquarters, Rolex Beverly Hills, and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

Leader: Manufacturer

Robert King founded Humanscale Corporation in 1983 and has since served as its CEO.  He is committed to charities such as World Wildlife Fund that work toward preserving and protecting the wild places and creatures on our planet for future generations. 

Leader Honorees: Mike Gallman, Enrique Vela, Joseph Connell, Lew Epstein

Rising Star: Designer

Recognized as a world-class designer, Laurent is sought after by many of the top global corporations. His creativity and innovation spring from unique and sometimes unexpected sources of inspiration. With an expertise in the fashion and beauty industry, Laurent has led the design of headquarters projects for a number of global brands. His experience also includes financial services firms and media/technology companies. Laurent currently serves as Gensler’s northeast regional design leader. Additionally, he serves on the board of trustees for the HCST Foundation, a non-profit serving quality public education in Hudson County, N.J.

Rising Star: Manufacturer

Royce Epstein is the director of design for Mohawk Group. As the face to the architecture and design industry, Epstein shares her passion and vision for design, cultural trends, and the meaning of materials in a broad context. Her role is to evolve and share Mohawk Group’s design vision with the industry and to leverage product design with what’s desired in the field. Constantly on the watch for new trends in all aspects of design and culture, Epstein feeds this insight to all of the industry’s touch points. A veteran materials and product specialist, Epstein has spent two decades working in architecture and design firms.

Rising Star Honorees: Jean Anderson, Megan Dobstaff

Lifetime of HiPness: Designer

Joseph Valerio, a founding partner of VDTA, is an architect recognized for his creativity in design. A tireless innovator with an enormous capacity for creation he oversees the design development of all firm commissions. Valerio’s portfolio, spanning his 40-year career, includes a variety of projects and numerous design awards. Corporate office, high-tech industrial, institutional, retail, healthcare, restaurant, residential and theater facilities are all represented. His award winning work has been widely published in international periodicals and was the subject of a monograph published by Rizzoli in 1999. 

Lifetime of HiPness: Manufacturer

As president and CEO of Teknion, David Feldberg’s collaborative leadership model and commitment to an ethos of design have been a catalyst for the company’s extraordinary growth and success within the contract furniture industry. As a champion of design, Feldberg forges alliances with prominent designers and architects in addition to assembling an accomplished in-house team to continually push the envelope of design. An advocate for environmental responsibility, Feldberg brings equal dedication to sustainability and design as founder of Stratus Vineyards, the first LEED® certified winery worldwide.

Product Designers

Francesco Favaretto was born in 1983, the son of Paolo Favaretto. Curiosity, rigor and passion for research characterize the work of their design firm, Favaretto & Partners, specializing in industrial and architectural design. Inventive material application, precision in design, and in-depth research exemplify their design approach and demonstrates versatility in different manufacturing sectors, from telephones to furnishings to medical and household objects.

Product Design Honoree: Shunyi Wu

Creative Director: Textiles

HBF Textiles vice president of design and development Mary Jo Miller has been the brand’s creative visionary for 25+ years. Miller has led the development of multiple award-winning collections and translated the works of interior designers, architects, and industrial designers into the textile medium. Her own textile collections are experiments with color, texture, and graphics and represent some of HBF Textiles best sellers. She is the president of ACT and has been a member for four years.

Creative Director: Flooring

Chip DeGrace is the creative force behind Interface Companies’s brands including its history of design & innovation leadership. Much of this is a blend of inspiration, design conscience, and communications integrity. During his longstanding tenure at Interface, DeGrace has owned and driven product design, marketing, emerging growth segments, and channels as vice president creative strategies and director of brand management. In addition, DeGrace led the creative launch, development and rapid growth of FLOR, Interface’s fashion forward consumer program. Before joining Interface DeGrace practiced commercial interior design with The Environments Group (now Perkins & Will) and ISD.

Marketer

Gale Moutrey is vice president of communications for Steelcase Inc. Named to this role in January 2014, Moutrey leads the global teams responsible for all internal and external communications, including brand and product communications, employee communications, shareholder and investor communications, public relations, research communications, digital marketing, conferences, tradeshows, events, channel communications, digital marketing, and customer and showroom experience. Previously, Moutrey was vice president of brand communications, a role she assumed in 2011. Gale has held a variety of sales leadership, product marketing, and communications roles since joining Steelcase Canada in 1984.

Seller

Jeff Frank, the sales lead at Brentano, is an integral part of the management team. With a degree in interior design and a lifelong background in creativity, Frank’s style and personality has given Brentano an edge in the textile trade. Through his research and world travels, Jeff guides product development – shifting the studio toward creating a residential feel for the corporate world. At the head of company strategy, Jeff has overseen territory expansion and growth over 425% during his tenure at Brentano. With Jeff’s knowledge, charisma and leadership, Brentano has developed into an international source for beautiful performance fabrics.

Seller Honoree: Cameron Grimsley

See more coverage from NeoCon 2016 >

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