Pillar of the Industry Award Winners Recognized

The 2017 winners of the Pillar of the Industry Awards will be recognized during the ALA Annual Conference in Vancouver, B.C. during a special presentation on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 12th. The 2017 honorees include Jon Sayah, president, Fleco Industries; Rick Seidman, president and CEO, Quoizel, Inc.; and Jon McMahan, owner/partner, KTR Associates, LLC.

Jon Sayah

President, Fleco Industries

Jon Sayah is an involved ALA member, with a dedication to harnessing the power of innovative ideas to move the lighting industry forward. Sayah is the president of Fleco Industries. In addition to that role, he also serves as president of Lights Fantastic, and president of Texas Fluorescents.

In 2015, Sayah orchestrated the creation of the Larry Sayah Innovation Forum through a donation to the association’s Education Foundation. The forum is hosted annually during the ALA Conference and celebrates members’ innovative ideas with a focus on enhancing the industry. Sayah was the first major contributor to the ALA Charitable Trust, which was developed to support ALA’s immediate and long-term industry education efforts. Through his involvement, ALA adjusted the speaker format, moving to a shorter, harder-hitting presentation format, designed to excite and inspire attendees.

Rick Seidman

President, Quoizel, Inc.

Rick Seidman entered the lighting industry in 1989 through a family connection. Through dedication and hard work, Seidman has worked his way up at the family-owned Quoizel, Inc., to the role of president, demonstrating his commitment to both ALA and the industry as a whole. Recently, Seidman furthered his education and career growth, earning his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovative Management at Clemson University.

Seidman has served integral roles in the leadership and growth of ALA. From 2015 to 2017, he served on the Manufacturers Steering Committee. In 2016, he served on the Membership Campaign Committee, as well as secretary on the Board of Governors. In 2016, he led ALA through the difficult decision and process that followed the cancellation of the association’s Annual Conference due to concerns related to the Zika Virus. As chair of that year’s event, Seidman closely considered the facts with ALA’s leadership and assisted in reaching the decision best for ALA and its membership. Seidman was also instrumental in the launch of the Manufacturers’ Sales Survey and served on the Survey Task Force.

Jon McMahan

Owner, KTR Associates, LLC

Jon McMahan serves as owner and partner at KTR Associates, LLC. He has been with the company since 2000, previously working for Capitol Lighting as a sales associate. At KTR, McMahan focuses on a variety of managerial tasks and is highly skilled in marketing, visual merchandising, in-depth sales planning and forecasting, campaign management, as well as team-building.

For ALA, McMahan sponsored ALA-member showrooms to attend the Annual Conference. Additionally, he volunteers yearly to serve on the ALA membership campaign and is involved with the Young Executives Committee. McMahan is a strong proponent of the benefits of membership in the association and has long been an active and involved member.

The Pillar of the Industry awards recognize ALA members for their unique and meaningful service to advance the lighting industry, as well as ALA’s programs and mission during the previous 18 months. Award recipients are nominated by ALA members and staff and selected by the ALA Awards Committee.