Finalists for the 2020 Showroom of the Year Awards, honoring outstanding lighting retailers across North America, have been announced. The annual awards program, now celebrating its 11th year, is co-sponsored by Furniture, Lighting & Decor magazine and Lightovation at Dallas Market Center.
Each year, showrooms are judged on a number of criteria, including merchandising display, marketing and advertising, customer service and engagement, employee education and motivation, and community involvement. One Showroom of the Year is named in each of three dollar-volume categories.
Typically, the Showroom of the Year Awards are presented during the June edition of Lightovation, the largest residential lighting show in North America and the primary buying event for retailers of lighting products. With the cancellation of this year’s show due to COVID-19 concerns, the 11th annual Showroom of the Year Awards will be presented virtually in late June, enabling the entire lighting industry to participate online.
“We are excited to host a real-time digital ceremony to unite the industry and honor incredible showrooms. In the midst of tremendous challenges across the industry it’s important to pause and honor excellence even while we are unable to gather together. Congratulations to these inspiring lighting leaders,” said Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center.
The finalists in all three categories — Revenue Under $2 Million, Revenue Under $5 Million and Revenue $5 Million and Over — will be profiled in Furniture, Lighting & Decor’s May/June issue.
Finalists in the Revenue Under $2 Million category are:
- Denney Electric Supply; Kennett Square, PA
- Light Innovations; Little Rock, AR
- North Coast Lighting; Bellevue, WA
- Village Home Stores; Geneseo, IL
- Western Montana Lighting; Missoula, MT
Finalists in the Revenue Under $5 Million category are:
- Galleria Lighting; Greenwood Village, CO
- Gross Electric; Toledo, OH
- Lightform Lighting; Scottsdale, AZ
- The Lighting Corner; Grandville, MI
- NorthWest Lighting and Accents; Mount Prospect, IL
Finalists in the Revenue $5 Million and Over category are:
- Dulles Electric Supply; Sterling, VA
- Idlewood Electric; Highland Park, IL
- Lightstyle of Orlando; Orlando, FL
- Lightstyles; Costa Mesa, CA
- Progressive Lighting - Sugarloaf; Duluth, GA
“As retail deals with restrictions in this current environment, the stories behind our Showroom of the Year finalists are proof that lighting retailers know how to pivot to stay strong,” says Diane Falvey, Editor-in-Chief of Furniture, Lighting & Decor. “We are so inspired by their entrepreneurship, creativity and dedication to their customers.”
All finalists are also eligible for three specialty awards: Outstanding Merchandising Display, Exceptional Community Involvement and Social Media Star, an award that industry members help select.
Once again, 50 percent of the scoring for the Social Media Star Award will be determined by “likes” posted to finalist profiles within the Showroom of the Year Social Media Star Event on Furniture, Lighting & Decor’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/furniturelightingdecor), starting on May 11 and continuing through May 31. Official judges’ scores complete the remaining 50 percent of scoring for that category.
An accomplished panel was selected to judge this year’s competition. Bobby Berk, interior designer and Design Guru from Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” has more than a decade of experience in the interior design business and caters to residential, commercial and hospitality clientele. Melissa Galt is an interior design business coach, marketing consultant, business speaker, and author dedicated to helping designers earn more in less time, doing what they love most. Caroline Hipple, President of Norwalk Furniture, provides strategic counsel, creative direction, product development and fabric curation for the custom furniture brand.
Keep watching www.furniturelightingdecor.com and the Lightovation Facebook page and the Lightovation - Lighting Industry Discussion Group on Facebook for additional details about the June awards presentation and the May 11 kickoff for the Social Media Star Award voting. And follow the #SOTYAwards hashtag for all of the latest news regarding the Showroom of the Year Awards.
