Martha Stewart's Fourth Annual American Made Program Announces 2015 Honorees

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) will host its American Made program for the fourth consecutive year. The nationally recognized program celebrates the next generation of makers who have turned their passions for handcrafted, well-designed goods into small businesses and proudly make their products in America. Martha Stewart and the editors of Martha Stewart Living magazine are pleased to announce this year's American Made Honorees and Audience Choice Winner.

Martha and the panel of judges have carefully selected 10 companies from across the country as honorees in the fields of Food, Crafts, Style and Design. From revolutionizing the urban food landscape in New York City and Chicago, to bringing new jobs to Fort Payne, Ala. with a thriving sustainable sock business, these honorees are not only dedicated to creating beautiful, quality products and building successful businesses, but also making a difference in their local communities, ultimately changing the way Americans eat, shop, work and live.

This year's honorees will be celebrated at the 2015 Martha Stewart American Made Summit on Saturday, November 7 – a day packed with educational, inspirational panels and talks for creative entrepreneurs held at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's headquarters in New York City. Newly confirmed speakers, who will join an impressive roster of industry leaders and innovators such as Arianna Huffington, Dylan Lauren and Emeril Lagasse, include:

• Maxine Bedat, Co-Founder, Zady
• Christian Birkey, Founder of Lazlo
• Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe"
• Avi Flombaum, Dean, Flatiron School
• Piera Gelardi, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Refinery29
• Michelle Klein, Head of Marketing for North America at Facebook
• Chris Morris, Creative Director, The Dirt Label
• Veronika Scott, Founder of the Empowerment Plan
• Daniel Silverstein, Creative Director and Founder, Design Star
• Tina Wells, CEO and Founder, Buzz Marketing Group

The 2015 American Made Honorees, past winners, and VIP guests will join Martha and the editors at an exclusive reception on Friday, November 6, at the World Trade Center Observatory.

2015 American Made Honorees (featured in the December 2015/January 2016 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine):

• Annie's Annuals and Perennials, Annie Hayes – Richmond, California
  With her catalog of rare and unusual annuals and perennials—including an extensive selection of California natives and old-fashioned cottage flowers—Hayes is helping to diversify the gardening landscape of the U.S.
• Fruitscapes and Pine Island Tropicals, Steve Cucura and Jesse Avolos and Donna and Gary Schneider – Bokeelia, Florida
  Since 1993 Pine Island Tropics, has been selling tropical organic plants, fruits, and homemade food products. Newcomer Fruitscapes specializes in new varieties of mangoes and other unusual fruits and plants. Together these two companies are building a successful market for unusual mangoes and other rarities in Southwest Florida. 
• Gotham Greens, Viraj Puri, Eric Haley, and Jennifer Nelkin Frymark – New York City
  Puri, Haley and Frymark are trying to revolutionize the urban food landscape by converting unused city rooftops into verdant greenhouses that grow fresh, pesticide-free produce year-round in New York City and Chicago.
• Leontine Linens, Jane Scott Hodges – New Orleans, Louisiana
  For Hodges, "every piece of linen tells a story." And so, inspired by her great-grandmother's own monogrammed collection, she started a company that handcrafts heirloom-quality linens featuring modern color and patterns.
• Little River Sock Mill, Gina Locklear – Fort Payne, Alabama
  Growing up in a town formerly known as "the world's sock capital," Locklear witnessed as much of the town's manufacturing moved overseas. Determined to stem this tide, she set out to revitalize her family's own sock business by producing high-quality organic cotton socks sustainably, and, in doing so, bring jobs back to the community.
• Portola, Jamie Davis and Casey Davis – Los Angeles, California
  The Davis brothers are admittedly obsessed with color. Together they have turned their father's small paint shop into a thriving environmentally conscious business where each color is blended by hand and each customer gets personalized treatment.
• Rainbow Iris Farm, Kelly Norris – Bedford, Iowa
  Norris's childhood dream came true at age 15, when he talked his parents into buying an iris farm. Thirteen years later, the mail-order company specializing in unusual irises that he owns and operates with his parents is still going strong. Today Norris is focusing on breeding unique varieties.
• Sandback, Peter Sandback – Harrisville, New Hampshire
  The forms may be simple, but Sandback's tables are anything but. For his current collection, the artist and inventor embellishes each handmade piece of furniture with inlaid nails, inspired by old fabrics or Japanese stencils.
• Smith Family Farm, Margaret and Lucian Smith – Bar Harbor, Maine
  At Mount Desert Island's only remaining dairy farm, the Smith family raises Jersey cows and heritage pigs, and grow heirloom apples and vegetables. They offer the fruits of their labor—artisanal raw milk, yogurts, cheeses, butter, meats, fruits and vegetables—to their local community.

In addition to being celebrated at the Summit, these accomplished honorees will each be awarded a cash prize of $10,000, a trip for two to New York City for the Summit, and the opportunity to be featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine and on MarthaStewart.com, all to help promote and grow their businesses.

The 2015 Audience Choice Winner, Baiser Beauty from Miami Beach, Florida, will also be celebrated at the American Made Summit and attend the exclusive reception. Baiser Beauty was chosen from over 500 finalists by popular vote online and will also receive a cash prize of $10,000 and a trip for two to New York City for the Summit.

Martha Stewart's 2015 American Made program is presented with support by sponsors including Intuit QuickBooks, The UPS Store, Toyota and Triscuit. For additional information about the 2015 American Made Program please visit the American Made website.

About Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is a diversified media and merchandising company, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and distinctive products. The Company reaches approximately 100 million consumers across all media platforms each month and has a growing retail presence in thousands of retail locations. MSLO's media brands, available across multiple platforms, include Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Everyday Food; the Company also offers books and utility Apps. MSLO's television and video programming includes "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" and "Martha Bakes" series on PBS, in addition to made-for-the-web video and a vast library of how-to content available online. MSLO also designs high-quality Martha Stewart products in a range of lifestyle categories available through select retailers, including The Home Depot, Macy's, JCPenney, Staples, PetSmart, Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores. The MSLO family of brands also includes Chef Emeril Lagasse's media and merchandising properties. Additional information about MSLO is at www.marthastewart.com.

About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks®, and TurboTax® and Mint.com, which make it easier to manage small businesses and payroll processing; tax preparation and filing; and personal finance. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.2 billion in its fiscal year 2015, with approximately 7,700 employees in major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

About The UPS Store
With more than 4,500 locations, The UPS Store network comprises the nation's largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. The UPS Store locations in the U.S. are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of The UPS Store, Inc., a subsidiary of UPS. Services, pricing and hours of operation may vary by location. For additional information on The UPS Store, including information on franchise opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location, visit www.theupsstore.com. Follow The UPS Store on Twitter at @TheUPSStore and like The UPS Store on Facebook at facebook.com/theupsstore. 

About Toyota
Toyota, the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today. Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Mondelez International
Mondelez International, Inc. is a global snacking powerhouse, with 2014 revenue of $34 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelez International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; Trident gum; Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered beverages. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor's 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/MDLZ.

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SOURCE Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

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