WithIt Presents AMC Veteran Kathy Bovey With Legacy Award

Furniture World Magazine

Kathy Bovey has been awarded the 2006 WithIt—Women in the Home Industries Today Legacy Award for her significant lifetime contributions to the home furnishings industry according to Jeffrey L. Portman, president of AMERICASMART® ATLANTA parent AMC, Inc. Bovey was recognized at the WOW Awards, which salutes the champions and leaders in the home furnishings industry. The WOW Awards were held in conjunction with WithIt’s annual Educational Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina. A 15-year AMC veteran, Bovey is vice president of leasing for AMERICASMART’s home accents and furnishings center. Her tenure at AMERICASMART is marked by a long line of professional achievements and contributions, including being named one of High Point Magazine’s “25 Who Made It Happen” in 1995, and her visionary role in the creation of The Gardens at AMERICASMART. A completely new and innovative approach for a wholesale market center, Kathy envisioned and introduced The Gardens concept which embraced the notion of “cocooning and bringing the outside in.” The Gardens at AMERICASMART—today more than 200,000 square feet—is the nation’s first and largest selection of indoor/outdoor casual furnishings, accessories, home décor and garden-related gifts. “Kathy is one of the most respected women in our industry,” says Portman. “She’s a leader, a giver, an innovator. She’s a consummate professional and absolutely passionate about her work. She’s equally wise and kind. She has and will continue to redefine the way this industry does business. We’re all better for knowing her,” continues Portman. Also recognized at the WOW Awards were Bovey’s close friends and colleagues Mentoring Award recipient Kathi Cunningham and Young Leadership Award recipient Emma Roubtsov. Both women are senior managers with Four Hands—Cunningham as senior account executive and Roubtsov as national sales manager. Austin, Texas-based Four Hands is an AMERICASMART Home Accents & Furnishings Center exhibitor and is a globally renowned manufacturer, wholesaler and importer of home furnishings and accessories. Cunningham and Roubtsov—in kinship and partnership with Bovey—have been instrumental in growing and nurturing WithIt’s southern region. Dr. Wilma Hammett—a retired Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University—was presented the Education Award. “Receiving WithIt’s Legacy Award is one of the highlights of my career,” says Kathy. “I’ve been in the home furnishings industry for 26 years and have found my forever home. I am nothing if not passionate about the industry and the people that I work with. The journey will continue and I look forward with great anticipation to the future. It doesn’t get any better than this!” Bovey is active in numerous professional and community organizations. She is a founding Board member and past National Vice President of Membership of WithIt—Women in the Home Industry’s Today. She champions Angela’s House, an Atlanta area safe house for at risk young women aged 10—16; and she serves on the Board of A.R.T, the Accessories Resource Team. She is also a breast cancer survivor and is active in breast cancer awareness causes. For more information on AMERICASMART®ATLANTA and its annual markets, call 1-800-ATL-MART or visit AmericasMart.com. AMERICASMART®ATLANTA is the largest wholesale marketplace of its kind in the world, and is a leading international market source for a wide variety of consumer goods. It hosts 24 wholesale markets and six Market Wednesdays that annually attract more than 548,000 attendees from every U.S. state and 80 countries.