IHFI Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
David Binke, CEO of King Koil Mattress Co.
Since joining top 15 bedding producer King Koil in 2017 as its chief executive officer, David Binke has led a successful transformation of its new business model. Under his leadership, King Koil has changed its domestic business structure from a licensing structure to a direct-to-retail manufacturing platform that supports leading retailers across the country. The company still maintains an active licensing network internationally.
To implement his vision for King Koil, Binke has also built a first-class management team of key executives in sales, marketing, operations, and design. With a reputation as one of the best sales leaders and executives in the business, he has greatly expanded the company’s manufacturing platform over the past five years, first opening a state-of-the art manufacturing facility and showroom in Avondale, Arizona in early 2018, then doubling its capacity just two years later.
Today, King Koil is known throughout the industry for its strong focus on innovation in the premium and ultra-premium segments, and for bedding solutions with a strong focus on technology, wellness, and sustainability, along with the luxury characteristics consumers want now.
Prior to his return to King Koil, Binke was with E.S. Kluft & Co. where he spent one year as president of sales and marketing, before being named chief executive officer in 2013, a position he held for four years. Before joining E.S. Kluft, he was executive vice president of sales for King Koil.
Binke’s manufacturing career includes more than a decade as executive vice president of sales for Spring Air, where he also held an ownership stake in the company’s largest licensing group. Before joining the manufacturing side of the mattress business, he gained invaluable experience as a retailer, holding several buying and merchandise management positions with major department stores, serving as a buyer with Robinsons-May, and divisional merchandise manager for Macy’s and Montgomery-Ward.
Binke is a trustee of the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) and will be honored by City of Hope at its annual west coast event in 2024.
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Richard Frinier, Co-founder and principals, Richard Frinier Design Studio
Richard and Catherine Frinier are the co-founders and principals of the Richard Frinier Design Studio collaborating with highly respected brands in the home furnishings’ industry such as Brown Jordan, Century Furniture, Dedon and Sunbrella® licensing Richard’s award-winning indoor/outdoor furniture and textile designs for worldwide distribution. Over the past 40 years, he has prolifically created thousands of designs across hundreds of collections garnering over 100 design excellence awards with his most iconic designs in continuous production for 10, 20 and 30 years.
Widely credited with fueling popular global trends, including the outdoor room, stay-cations, resort-at-home living, and live-work-learn-play environments, he is known for bringing the quality of living indoors outside and the balanced relaxed spirit of the outdoors inside. Richard is humbled and grateful to have received the Lifetime Achievement and Industry Partner awards from the International Casual Furnishings Association, as well as induction into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, designation as a Star of Design from A+D community peers and press at the Pacific Design Center Los Angeles, and is listed among the Top 40 Most Influential individuals in the Home Furnishings Industry over the past 40 years by trade journal Furniture Today.
Catherine Frinier brings over 30 years experience working on dynamic high-level creative teams amidst complex business environments across the industries of fundraising, luxury retail and residential real estate, and the home industries. Her focus on brand development and loyalty, marketing, public relations, and the structuring of co-branded and multi-tiered collaborations has culminated in her acute awareness of the power of good design to connect with and inspire others contributing to the ongoing success of their collaborations with remarkable results.
Creators and supporters of many trade organization scholarship programs for college-level design students to promote the home furnishings industry as a viable, relevant and rewarding career choice for young designers, the Friniers have long identified and supported the City of Hope as a world-class health care and research center based on their first-hand knowledge. It is an honor for them to encourage others to support the Center and its critical research programs and many lifesaving and life-changing treatments to include integrative therapies going forward.