Lighting Winners Announced at the ARTS Awards

Lighting industry rock stars took center stage during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market

The atmosphere at the 23^rd Annual ARTS Awards was sparkling indeed, thanks to the creativity and craftsmanship of Swarovski Elements, which recently became a special sponsor for the much-anticipated yearly gala. Dangling crystals weren’t the only dazzlers during the awards presentation on Saturday, January 21, the nominees and their supporters were decked out in their Oscar®-worthy finest to celebrate the grand event.

In the Lighting Showroom category for the East/Atlantic region, Elements: Distinctive Lighting & Home in Carle Place, N.Y. (www.elementsathome.com)  took top honors.  Established and operated by the Kleinberg family, this is not the first time that Elements has received the coveted award.

Owner Brian Kleinberg credited his father, Abe, who founded lighting company Crystorama in 1958, and his mother, Joan, who helped start up Elements 20 years later, with the family’s tremendous success in the lighting and home décor business.  Brian’s brother, Brad, and sister, Nancy, remain at the helm of Crystorama, while Brian and Joan are instrumental in the operations of Elements. Brian also thanked his wife, Dina, for her unflagging support over the years.

The winning lighting showroom for the Midwest/Southwest region was Southern Lights of Burnsville, Minnesota (www.southernlightsinc.com).  Owner and founder Craig Motz thanked the ARTS Award committee and the Dallas Market Center for the recognition plus his employees for their hard work. Furthermore, he gave a shout out to long-time industry friend Paul Eusterbrock, president of past ARTS Award-winning manufacturer Holtkoetter International in Minnesota,  as well as Motz’ son Scott, who works at Southern Lights, and Motz’s wife, Lisa, who happens to be a former lighting rep.

The distinction for best lighting showroom in the West went to Valley Light Gallery (www.valleylights.com) in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was up against multi-ARTS Award-winning Hacienda Lighting located in the same city. This year marked the first win for the 40-year-old, family-owned lighting showroom.

The International Retailer category – which includes all areas of the home furnishings and décor industry – consisted of four lighting store nominees this year.  The winner was Spectro Lighting Group of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In the Lighting Manufacturers category, the Littman Group’s Corbett Lighting division once again took the top prize.  Company executives David Littman and Steve Nadell took the stage to accept the award. “We work hard at design. Nothing makes us happier than seeing big smiles on the faces of our customers,” David Littman said.

Currey & Company is no stranger to the winner’s circle at the ARTS Awards. The lighting manufacturer won the Portable Lamps category. Designer Tom Caldwell noted, “I’m so proud to accept this award. It’s not just great-looking product but [the result of] a lot of people behind the scenes.”