FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1 June 2011
MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Fritz, 812-367-1372, keith@keithfritz.com
Keith Fritz Fine Furniture Wins MADE: In America Award
WASHINGTON, DC----- Keith Fritz Fine Furniture will be honored with the William Thornton Distinguished Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship by MADE: In America during Fourth of July festivities at the nation’s capitol this summer. This award named after the first architect of the capitol, is new this year and was created especially to recognize excellence in craftsmanship for which William Thornton was known and for which Keith Fritz Fine Furniture exemplifies.
”Keith Fritz work is exemplary and virtually in a class of its own,” says James De Lorbe, Chairman and CEO of MADE: In America. “As the first winner of the William Thornton Distinguished Award, Keith will be honored at our July 4th event and entitled to participate in design houses, design competitions and a range of programs and events throughout the year.”
Established in 1999, Keith Fritz Fine Furniture today employs 12 skilled craftsmen, who produce a collection of 40 standard pieces and work regularly with interior designers to customize individual commissions. Every piece of furniture in the Keith Fritz line is lovingly hand made by these American craftsmen. Dining tables are one of their specialties and they have had the honor of creating tables for two former presidents as well as congressmen, industry leaders and celebrities. The company also designs and crafts occasional tables, cabinets and distinctive mirrors.
Keith Fritz Fine Furniture is known for its modern interpretations of the best of 18th, 19th and early 20th century furniture design and for the use of exotic woods, as well as woods lumbered and milled in its own backyard. The company is represented in high-end decorative showrooms in Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta and Dallas, as well as the Michael Cleary showroom in Washington.
“I am truly honored to have Keith Fritz Fine Furniture recognized in this way,” says owner Keith Fritz, “and to have the opportunity to share our American success story. I want to do everything I can to promote craft and craftsmanship in America. Our craftsmen in Southern Indiana love preserving the traditions of wood working and putting fine American furniture in the hands of interior designers and architects.”
Keith Fritz and other award recipients will begin the historic day with a reception at President Lincoln's Cottage, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The reception will showcase the culinary creations of MADE: In America’s American Treasures award winners, who are the Nation's leading organic growers and craft producers as interpreted by Washington's finest chefs.
The award winners will reconvene at the National Capitol Visitors Center for the evening’s awards ceremonies. Keith Fritz and other MADE: In America award winners will be acknowledged at the event, presented the award and invited to make remarks. Following the ceremonies, guests will be escorted to the West Front Terrace to enjoy the National Symphony Orchestra’s Capitol Fourth Concert and the spectacular National Capitol Fireworks display.
The following day the Washington Design Center will unveil the MADE: In America showcase on the sixth floor. Keith Fritz Fine Furniture will have a custom vignette that will be open to the public throughout the month of July. His vignette will be adjacent to the All American Room, created by a special design team and executed by the winner of the 2010 BEST: Made in America.
MADE: In America is a non profit educational organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to promote the preservation and growth of selected American arts and industries, in particular those that exemplify innovation, fine craftsmanship, and a commitment to quality. The annual BEST: Made in America award, debuted in 2009 and is the culmination of a search for exemplary and outstanding products that are made in America. The BEST initiative is designed to highlight American-made products through a national competition that provides the winning company with a national platform to showcase their products and business practices.