For the fifth year in a row, OW Lee received the Manufacturer of the Year Award from the International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) at Casual Market Chicago. These manufacturers of outdoor furnishings were also named as 2016 finalists for the prestigious award: Brown Jordan, Castelle, Gloster, Jensen Leisure Furniture, Lloyd Flanders, Patio Renaissance, Telescope Casual Furniture, Treasure Garden, and Tropitone.

They were selected after online voting in August by ICFA’s retail, designer, and supplier members. The finalists were chosen based on the overall design and quality of their products, along with their merchandising, customer service, ethics, communications, and trade relations.

In prior years, winners were announced in 10 product categories; then, a final Manufacturer of the Year was named from among those 10 category winners. Jackie Hirschhaut, ICFA executive director, explains, “The move to identify 10 overall outstanding companies reflects the broadening of merchandise assortments within companies throughout the industry. This has made the previous practice of classifying companies by product category or material obsolete.”