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.
