ADL to honor Bob Sherman, Morty and Jeff Seaman

Awards gala set for June 10 in New York

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 5, 2010

Bob Sherman

NEW YORK — The Anti-Defamation League will honor industry leaders Bob Sherman of Serta and Morty and Jeff Seaman of Rooms To Go at its annual awards dinner here next month.

The event is set for June 10 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

The ADL's American Heritage Award will go to Serta President Sherman and to Jeff Seaman, CEO of Seffner, Fla.-based Rooms To Go. Its Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Morty Seaman, a partner in Rooms To Go.

Sherman has been in the bedding industry for 40 years, from the time he was a teenager delivering mattresses for Little Canada, Minn.-based Slumberland to his current position at Serta International. He has held various roles in the organization since 1989, when he was president and partner in Serta licensee National Bedding Co.

He will be honored for his activities in charitable organizations. These include serving on the board of PAWS, a

Morty Seaman

group devoted to protecting the lives of homeless pets in Chicago, and contributing to A Silver Lining Foundation, an Illinois-based group that provides resources to fight cancer.

Jeff Seaman co-founded Rooms To Go in 1991 with his father, Morty Seaman. Earlier, Jeff Seaman had worked for seven years at former New York retailer Seaman's Furniture, which was run by his father and his uncle, the late Carl Seaman.

He will be honored for his involvement in Rooms To Go's Children's Fund, which supports charities. He also serves on the board of Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and is chairman of the board at Pace Academy, a college preparatory school in Atlanta.

In 1954, after his father's death, Morty Seaman became head of Seaman's Quality Furniture at age 22. He ran the company for the next 30 years with his brother Carl. By 1985, the company had grown to 25 stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia, and approximately $250 million in sales volume.

The June 10 dinner and dance event begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception. Tickets are available at $650 per person and $6,500 for a table for 10.

Jeff Seaman

For more information on the event, including additional registration details and available discount rates, contact the ADL's Beth Katznelson at (212) 885-7885, or via e-mail at bkatznelson@adl.org.