George Kacic to Receive Legendary Leadership Award at the 37th ARTS Awards
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
— The Margins USA CEO is honored for nearly five decades of building brands, businesses, and the people who lead them. —
Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, announce George Kacic, chief executive officer of Margins USA and founding partner of asK Consulting LLC, as the recipient of the Legendary Leadership Award for a career spent building brands, opening markets, and developing the next generation of gift and home industry leaders. The award will be presented at the 37th ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Friday, January 8, 2027.
The Legendary Leadership Award is one of the ARTS Awards’ special honors, selected by the ARTS Awards Committee rather than through the nomination and judging process that determines the category awards (see this year’s judges here). It recognizes an individual who has earned the esteem of industry peers, led with passion and integrity, and shaped the home and design industry through a lifetime of dedication. Last year’s recipient was the late Bill Winsor, former president and CEO of Dallas Market Center.
“Many of the people leading sales teams, showrooms, and companies in this industry today can trace part of their success back to George Kacic,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “He has spent his career proving that the strongest businesses are built by investing in people, and our industry is better for the leaders he has developed.”
“George has never stopped giving back,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “He has led the organizations that hold this industry together, supported its charitable work, and always made room for the next person coming up. That is what legendary leadership looks like.”
Kacic spent 20 years as a vice president with Ganz and seven years with Russ Berrie. He ran his own independent sales representative firm for five years, and as a vice president at Takara USA he helped establish the Japan-based company in the U.S. market. He also served as president of U.S. operations for Giftcraft, Ltd., before becoming executive vice president of AmericasMart Atlanta. Today, through Margins USA and asK Consulting, a strategic brand and wholesale advisory firm, he advises retailers and manufacturers on sales, sourcing, product development, brand strategy, and business growth.
His most lasting contribution may be the people he has developed. Over the decades, Kacic has hired, coached, and championed countless sales reps, managers, and executives. Many of them now lead companies and sales teams of their own and still call him first for advice. He believes a business is only as strong as the people behind it, and that the best way to sell is to make the buyer successful.
His service to the industry runs just as deep. Kacic served 13 years on the board of the Gift & Home Trade Association (GHTA), where he held the offices of president and chairman emeritus, and he was a founding partner of GHTA’s ICON HONORS. He served on the Gift for Life Board from 2011 to 2020 and serves on the Peach Bowl Board of Advisors in Atlanta. His honors include GHTA’s Luminary Scholarship Award and Gift for Life’s Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Everything I’ve built in this industry, I’ve built alongside other people, and watching the ones I’ve worked with go on to lead has been the greatest reward of my career,” said Kacic. “To be recognized by ART and Dallas Market Center with an honor that carries this kind of history means a great deal to me.”
In addition to the Legendary Leadership Award, Troy Lee, chief executive officer of Progressive Lighting, will receive the Academy of Achievement Award, and The Common Thread for the Cure Foundation will receive the HEARTS Award. Dozens of category awards will also go to retailers, manufacturers, designers, and sales representatives.
A full list of the 37th ARTS Awards finalists can be viewed here. Reservations are now open at dallasmarketcenter.com/artsawards/reservations and close January 2, 2027.
For information about all upcoming markets and events, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the new, completely redesigned Dallas Market Center mobile app. Stay current by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose blog, and use #ARTSAwards to stay connected.
ABOUT THE ARTS AWARDS
The ARTS Awards process started with industry professionals, companies, and individuals submitting nominations online across various categories. An independent panel of experts reviewed these nominations and selected a shortlist of finalists. Finalists will next submit additional materials for further evaluation by a separate judging panel. Winners are determined and announced at the ARTS Awards ceremony on January 8, 2027, where they are celebrated for their excellence. Neither membership in ART nor representation at Dallas Market Center is necessary to nominate or to be a nominee.
To learn more about ARTS Awards, visit dallasmarketcenter.com/ArtsAwards/.
Gold media and organization sponsors for the ARTS Awards are: Business of Home, Designers Today, Furniture Today, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Accents Today, and Home Textiles Today. Silver media and organization sponsors are: aspire design and home, Design News Now, Home News Now, and Lighting News Now. Bronze media and organization sponsors are: American Society of Interior Designers Texas Chapter (ASID), Interior Design Society (IDS), International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA), PaperCity, Modern Luxury Interiors, and Cascale | Sustainable Furnishings Council.
ABOUT ART
Founded in 1988, ART (Accessories Resource Team) is the premier non-profit trade association representing the home furnishings industry. ART unites leaders from across the industry — including manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, sales representatives, and service providers — to educate, connect, and support. Through year-round programming, regional networking, an annual conference, and co-producing the prestigious ARTS Awards, ART fosters meaningful relationships, professional growth, and shared industry advocacy. For more information, visit www.gowithart.org.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in gourmet and housewares, home décor, holiday/floral, gifts, lighting, and apparel. Inside its dynamic, 5 million-square-foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education, and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday, and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center App.
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