Annual award from Martha Stewart Living honors creative entrepreneurs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 10, 2017) – Louisville-based boutique hotel group 21c Museum Hotels, and its founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, have been honored with the annual Martha Stewart Living American Made Award, which celebrates those who have turned their passions for hand-crafted, well-made goods into viable small businesses.
Martha Stewart and the editors of Martha Stewart Living hand selected the honorees across the fields of food, style, design and technology, for their inspiring efforts to change their local communities and influence the way America does business. 21c Museum Hotels and the nine other honorees appear in the January/February issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine, available now.
“Opening 10 years ago was a major risk. A lot has changed since then, but through the success of 21c Museum Hotels and the development we’ve remained steadfast in our strong and shared belief in the power that art has to transform a community,” said co-founder Laura Lee Brown. “The company has demonstrated what Steve and I always thought possible – that art and commerce can coexist in harmony.”
The founding couple was honored at the 2016 Martha Stewart American Made Summit, held October 22 in New York City. The full-day event included educational, inspirational panels for creative entrepreneurs, held at Martha Stewart headquarters. Presentations were made by innovators, celebrity entrepreneurs and successful business owners including Jessica Alba, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company and Honest Beauty; Jim Cramer, Host of CNBC’s “Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer” & Co-Anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”; Sarah Michelle Gellar, Co-Founder, Foodstirs; Zac Posen, Fashion Designer; Geoffrey Zakarian, Chef, Restaurateur and TV Personality; Linda Boff, Chief Marketing Officer, General Electric; Emeril Lagasse, Chef, Restaurateur, and Television Personality and more.
2016 Honorees Include:
• 21c Museum Hotels – Louisville, KY
• Eagle Street Rooftop Farm – Brooklyn, NY
• Girls Who Code – New York City
• Harry’s Berries – Oxnard, CA
• Loki Fish Company – Seattle, WA
• M&S Schmalberg – New York City
• NYCitySlab – Yonkers, New York
• Stony Creek Colors – Nashville, TN
• Sweetgreen – Washington, DC
• Uplands Cheese – Dodgeville, WI
Since opening the first 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville in 2006, the boutique hotel, multi-venue contemporary art museum and restaurant group has expanded to six properties and seven chef-driven restaurants with more than 1,000 employees.
About 21c Museum Hotels
21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning Louisville, Kentucky-based boutique hotel and restaurant group, was founded by contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. The couple opened the first 21c Museum Hotel in 2006 on downtown Louisville’s West Main Street, rehabilitating a series of 19th century warehouses. Much more than just a place to spend the night, 21c is an inventive union of genuine hospitality, thoughtful design and culinary creativity — all anchored by a multi-venue contemporary art museum with thought-provoking exhibitions, interactive site-specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. 21c operates hotels in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky; Cincinnati, Ohio; Bentonville, Arkansas and Durham, North Carolina. Projects are under construction in Nashville, Tennessee and under development in Kansas City, Missouri, Indianapolis, Indiana and Miami, Florida. The company is equally focused on creating unique, chef-driven restaurants that are as much a part of the community as the hotel. 21c operates a diverse roster of restaurants including Proof on Main at 21c Louisville, Metropole at 21c Cincinnati, The Hive at 21c Bentonville, Counting House at 21c Durham, Lockbox at 21c Lexington, Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge at 21c Oklahoma City and Garage Bar in Louisville, Kentucky. Visit www.21cMuseumHotels.com for more information.
About Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an Emmy Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur, bestselling author of 87 books, and America’s most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher. Millions of people rely on Martha Stewart as a source of useful “how-to” information for all aspects of everyday living – cooking, entertaining, gardening, home renovating, collecting, organizing, crafting, holidays, healthy living and pets. The Martha Stewart brand reaches approximately 100 million consumers across all media and merchandising platforms each month. Her branded products can be found in over 70 million households and have a growing retail presence in thousands of locations.
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