DALLAS/CHARLOTTE, NC – September 27, 2018– Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, today announced David Gebhart will receive the Academy of Achievement honor at the 30th annual ARTS Awards.
The ARTS Awards, presented each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, is the premier awards program in the U.S. honoring the home industry. The 30th annual ARTS Awards winners will be revealed during a gala event on Friday, January 18, 2019.
“David is that rare combination of a visionary leader and a servant leader for our industry,” said Sharon Davis, Executive Director of ART said. “His enviable design eye is matched by a sense of mission to help his employees and customers succeed. For his decades of service and leadership we are pleased to honor him with this award.”
David Gebhart is co-owner, founder, and the creative CEO behind Global Views, Studio | A Home, and the soon to launch, direct-to-consumer website williamdscott.com. David has enjoyed an almost 40 year career in the home furnishings industry covering all segments of product design, product development, sourcing, wholesale, and retail. His career began with a department store training program and then as a buyer with Federated Department Store brands – Sanger Harris, Foley’s, May Company, and Macy’s. In the late 1980’s through 1995, under the tutelage of mentors at The Bombay Company, he was fortunate to learn international sourcing and product development. In 1996, David and partners Frederick Rayner and Lois Del Negro launched Global Views as a decorative accessory wholesale brand. Today, Global Views and Studio |A Home are total home décor resources for furniture stores, specialty gift shops, e-commerce partners, and an increasingly important channel of distribution – interior designers. The company has wholesale showrooms across the United States and branded showrooms and retail boutiques worldwide including in Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Russia.
“There is no other creative leader who has built and sustained a company with such a valued collection of quality products and such a reputation for integrity,” Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center said. “David’s generosity, his service to the industry, and his companies’ innovative designs have made him a respected executive and mentor. He is an extremely deserving honoree.”
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 30th ARTS Awards committee members are: Jane Murray, Taylors; Richard Codanti, Bella Casa; Mark Phillips, Phillips Collection; Eva Walsh, Dallas Market Center and Sharon Davis, ART. Past Academy of Achievement honorees include Randy Eller, Mark Phillips, Robert Currey, Mac Hoak, the Cooper family, and Allan Palecek.
Sponsors for the 30th annual ARTS Awards include Designers Today, enLIGHTenment, Furniture Today, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Giftware News, Home Accents Today, Home Furnishings News, Home Textiles Today, Interior Design Society, Lighting & Décor, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.