Michael Amini, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Amini Innovation Corporation (AICO), will receive the Academy of Achievement honor at the 31st annual ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020.
The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, acknowledges preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers and sales representatives. The Academy of Achievement, the industry’s highest accolade, recognizes extraordinary contributions to the industry.
“Michael’s legendary energy and leadership are matched, if not surpassed, by his generosity,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “He has built a well-respected company, designed award-winning products, partnered with celebrities, and mentored countless leaders, but most importantly he has selflessly helped others via the City of Hope and numerous industry programs. Michael is an extremely deserving honoree.”
“It’s a distinct privilege to honor someone who has gained the respect from a business community as well as recognition as a significant humanitarian,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “Michael’s passion for the industry has been clearly seen in his drive to help transform the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame into a prestigious industry organization driven to honor our industry’s past and celebrate its future. He is a true ambassador for the best virtues of our business.”
Designer, philanthropist, investor, world traveler and creator Michael Amini is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of AICO, one of the world’s most diverse home furniture companies, which he founded in 1988. Today, the company boasts a 320,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Pico Rivera, CA, with 86 shipping and receiving docks and hundreds of employees. In May of 2019, Amini broke ground on a nearly 500,000-square-foot logistics center in Vietnam, which will also serve as warehouse and manufacturing facility.
AICO’s product lines now include complete bedroom and dining collections, high-fashion upholstery, a stunning line of top-of-bed fashions, lighting, artwork and rugs. Amini collaborated with actress Jane Seymour in 2010 and mogul Kathy Ireland in 2017, expanding his brand into both glam and casual home furnishings as well. In 2018, the newest series Michael Amini Jane Seymour LIVING was introduced adding sophistication and elegance to the already successful stable of brands.
Amini has served as president and chair of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame. He has been recognized as Supplier of the Year by Furniture/Today as well as several Top 100 retailers, and he was awarded the “Pillar of the Industry” honor in 2007 by the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association. In 2008, he received the American Heritage Award from the Anti-Defamation League for a lifetime of achievement in promoting civil/human relations.
In 2004, Amini was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award by City of Hope, the cancer research and treatment center. In 2009, utilizing Amini’s generous gift, City of Hope opened the doors of the Michael Amini Transfusion Medicine Center, which centralized blood collections and processing and benefits patients, donors, and research programs. In recognition of his continuing leadership, Amini was awarded an honorary doctorate degree at City of Hope’s June 2014 commencement ceremony of the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences.
The Academy of Achievement honoree is selected each year by the ARTS Awards Committee in order to recognize significant contributions to the industry. The committee serves one year and their duties include a review of the process and selecting the Academy of Achievement honoree. The 31st ARTS Awards committee members are: David Beld, Palecek; Martha Graham, Martha Graham & Associates; Ron Werner, HW Home; Cindy Morris, Dallas Market Center and Sharon Davis, ART.
Reservations are available now via the ARTS Awards website. Tickets are $145 for ART members and $170 for non-members. Tables are also available.
Sponsors for the 31st annual ARTS Awards include Aspire Design and Home; Designers Today; D Home; enLIGHTenment; Furniture, Lighting and Decor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Furnishings Business; Home Furnishings News; Home Textiles Today; the Interior Design Society and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
