NEWH Names Seven Qualified Finalists for ICON of Industry, Hospitality Manufacturing's Highest Honor

Award recognizes iconic manufacturing leaders with 30+ years of innovation and philanthropy; recipient to be revealed May 5, at HD Expo in Las Vegas and celebrated November 9, at the Gold Key Gala in New York

LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEWH, Inc., The Global Hospitality Network, today announced the seven qualified finalists for the 2026 ICON of Industry Award. ICON is the organization's highest honor bestowed on manufacturing leaders and presented annually to someone whose career has shaped the products, partnerships, and standards that define hospitality design worldwide.

The ICON of Industry distinction is reserved for the manufacturers, suppliers, and product innovators behind the furniture, textiles, lighting, art, and finishes that bring hospitality spaces to life. To qualify, nominees must have a minimum of 30 years in the industry, hold an ownership or senior management position, demonstrate uniquely innovative work in product design or technology, and maintain a consistent record of philanthropic giving to the industry and broader community

“The ICON of Industry award recognizes the individuals who have shaped the foundation of hospitality from behind the scenes,” said Chris Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of NEWH, Inc. “These are leaders who have spent decades advancing product innovation, building businesses, mentoring the next generation, and giving back to the industry and their communities. ICON is our way of recognizing that impact and ensuring it continues through scholarship.”

The 2026 ICON of Industry Finalists

Selected by the NEWH, Inc., Executive Committee from a field of industry nominations, the 2026 finalists are (listed alphabetically):

Robert Duban — Evan Ross & Co.
With more than three decades in hospitality, Duban has shaped how manufacturers engage with designers, purchasing firms, and hotel brands. His senior leadership roles at Robert Allen, Covington, and Kravet Contract helped build nationally recognized hospitality platforms and top-of-bed programs for Hilton brands. Widely known as "the mayor" for his unmatched ability to connect people, Duban has been a longtime mentor to many generations of supplier-side leaders now serving as presidents and senior vice presidents across the industry.

Terry Eaton — President & Chief Curator, Eaton Fine Art Inc.
For 34 years, Eaton has led the namesake hospitality art consultancy he founded, curating collections for properties including The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, and The Phoenician in Scottsdale, in partnership with Marriott, Four Seasons, Hyatt, Hilton, MGM, and Rosewood. Founding President of the NEWH San Francisco chapter and a former NEWH international board member, Eaton has championed underrepresented artists and sustainable design practices, earning MindClick's highest "Leader" designation. His decades of pro-bono work for AIDS Services Austin, Project Transitions, and UCSF Helen Diller Cancer Center reflect a career built on art's power to uplift.

Stacy Garcia — Leba Tex Inc.
A three-decade veteran who entered hospitality as a textile designer in 1996, Garcia has built multiple global lifestyle brands and redefined how design, entrepreneurship, and mentorship intersect. An NEWH member since 1997 and International Board member serving as Martha's Mentors Chair since 2023, she has consistently set benchmarks for product design across categories. Her philanthropic work spans Martha's Mentors, People to People, The Valentine Project for children facing pediatric illness, Heifer Foundation, the Black Artists + Designers Guild, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. She has been named one of the Top 10 Voices in Hospitality Design.

Michael Holy — Preciosa Lighting
Holy's career began in hotel operations leadership at Westin Canada before transitioning to the manufacturing side in 1996. At Unilight, he helped reposition the company from residential to hospitality, introducing innovative designs and production technologies. Since joining Preciosa in 2010, he has led the introduction of new materials, systems, and sustainable partnerships that helped the custom lighting manufacturer excel in a competitive market. A longtime volunteer and philanthropist supporting the Canadian Cancer Society, UHN Foundation, Multiple Myeloma Foundation, NEWH, and Children's Wish Foundation, Holy is widely known throughout the industry for his warmth, generosity, and mentorship.

Dennis Ripoli — Stylus Sofas
Since 1989, Ripoli has helped shape the look, feel, and functionality of guest experiences across North America, furnishing countless hotels and large-scale developments. His company was the first in Canada to introduce a seven-inch mattress in a sofa bed — a shift that became an industry standard — and broke from typical lead times to deliver orders in four to six weeks. A Canadian Home Furnishings Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Ripoli has donated furnishings to Ronald McDonald House, Canuck Place for Children's Care, BC Children's Hospital, Covenant House, and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and served on the board of Furniture West for 17 years.

Janet Van Arsdale — CEO & Founder, JVA Art Group
Van Arsdale has worked in hospitality art since 1974, operating from the same Old Town San Diego location for more than five decades. She pioneered the shift from poster art to digital, archival brand art programs for hospitality — becoming the first to create such programs for Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott — and transformed her company from art broker to in-house custom art creator with a database of nearly one million original images. A 2018 Influential Women in Hospitality honoree and 2019 Boutique Design Women Leader, she is a certified Women-Owned Business (WBENC) and a longtime supporter of Casa de Amma, scouting programs, and military initiatives.

Michelle Wildenhaus — Studio Twist LLC
Wildenhaus has spent more than three decades shaping hospitality textile design, driven by historical research, technical understanding of fibers, and close collaboration with the interior design community. At Studio Twist, she translates inspiration into U.S.-made textiles with strong sustainability credentials and zero-waste practices and continues to offer the innovative BedSok® knitted box-spring cover. A founding member of the Atlanta NEWH chapter, Scholarship leader, and 2026 Martha's Mentor, she has supported Meals on Wheels, Cuddle and Kind's work with foster children, and breast cancer awareness through her custom "pink ribbons" bed blanket. Her honors include the 2018 Interior Design Best of Year and the 2019 HD Award for Textiles.

What Sets ICON of Industry Apart

Unlike recognition programs centered on designers, architects, or operators, the ICON of Industry award is reserved exclusively for leaders on the manufacturing and supplier side of hospitality — the founders, CEOs, and senior executives whose companies produce the products that make hospitality spaces function. The selection criteria emphasize three qualities considered together: three decades or more of sustained industry leadership, uniquely innovative contributions to product design or technology, and a demonstrated commitment to philanthropy spanning the industry and broader community.

Each honoree is also celebrated through a scholarship in their name. A $7,500 NEWH scholarship is awarded to an exemplary student in the ICON recipient's honor each year, with the student's travel and lodging to the Gold Key Gala covered by NEWH, Inc. Honorees are invited to contribute to the NEWH Scholarship Fund in the spirit of perpetuating the award, and NEWH produces a Tribute Journal featuring testimonials from industry colleagues, with net proceeds supporting the scholarship.

The Path to Recognition

The 2026 ICON of Industry recipient will be revealed at the NEWH Women in Design Awards Breakfast on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 8:30 AM at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with HD Expo. The honoree will be formally celebrated at the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design Gala on November 9, 2026, in New York City, presented by Boutique Design magazine in conjunction with BD|NY.

In addition to revealing this year's ICON of Industry recipient, the May 5, Women in Design Awards Breakfast will present two NEWH scholarships: the BERMANFALK Hospitality Design Scholarship and the NEWH Harvey Nudelman Scholarship. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the event.

About NEWH, Inc.

NEWH, Inc. is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to scholarship, education, and business networking within the hospitality industry. NEWH has awarded over 10 million dollars in scholarships globally and continues to serve as a thought leader and connector between students, emerging professionals, and industry leaders. This rebrand and digital build signal the organization’s continued evolution as a modern, progressive network positioned for long-term growth.

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