NEW YORK, April 9, 2013 — Worth magazine (http://www.worth.com), the evolution of financial intelligence, unveils its list of the “Top 10 Power Lunch Restaurants” in the U.S., featured in its April-May 2013 issue available on newsstands now. The list identifies the best eateries for both talking business and eating well—from Chicago’s NoMI Kitchen to San Francisco’s Wayfare Tavern.

“Great eating complements great deal-making, and these restaurants are the best of the best,” said Worth Editor-in-Chief Richard Bradley. “Executives and professionals across industries will find these new eateries perfect for even their most important power lunches.”

Featured restaurants are:

1. The Nomad, New York (http://www.thenomadhotel.com): Whether you sit in its central room or in an intimate room, chef Daniel Humm’s food is sure to please.
2. Trés, Beverly Hills (http://www.sbe.com/tres): Entertainment execs favor the cuisine of acclaimed chef José Andrés.
3. NoMI Kitchen, Chicago (http://www.hyatt.com/gallery/nomi): With creative cooking and killer views, NoMI attracts luxury retailers, lawyers, and museum and hospital executives to the seventh floor of Chicago’s Park Hyatt.
4. Juvia, Miami (http://www.juviamiami.com): Located in an Art Deco district penthouse, models and Hollywood types dine here to enjoy Chef Sunny Oh’s Japanese tastes with French techniques and Peruvian accents—and take in the sweeping views of the city.
5. Al Dente, Washington, D.C. (http://www.aldentedc.com): Political power brokers and tech wizards fancy beloved D.C. chef Robero Donna’s exquisite Italian meals.
6. Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco (http://www.wayfaretravern.com): Offering old school but sophisticated fare, this financial district-based locale impresses wealth advisors and lawyers alike.
7. The Optimist, Atlanta (http://www.theoptimistrestaurant.com): Entrepreneurs, actors and designers come for the sensational seafood and great atmosphere.
8. City Landing, Boston (http://www.citylanding.com): With prime real estate on downtown’s waterfront, bankers, real estate executives and lawyers come for the variety of New England classics.
9. Underbelly, Houston (http://www.underbellyhouston.com): In homage to the city’s ethnic diversity, restaurateur and chef Chris Shepherd blends Korean, Vietnamese and tradition Southern influences.
10. Merchants Restaurant, Nashville (http://www.merchantsrestaurant.com): Historic Merchants Hotel’s new gastropub offers classics like fried green tomatoes with spicy pepper jam and sweet tea pork loin. Mayor Karl Dean and designer Otis James are fans.

For more information, check out worth.com or the April-May 2013 issue of Worth, available on newsstands and digitally in the App Store.

About Worth^®

Worth (http://www.worth.com), published by SANDOW (http://www.sandow.com), addresses the relevant financial, legal and lifestyle issues unique to high net worth individuals. With stories ranging from dynamic wealth creators to expert advice on wealth management, the magazine is organized into three sections: ‘Make’ focuses on wealth creation and entrepreneurship; ‘Grow’ centers on wealth management and investing; and ‘Live’ highlights philanthropy, lifestyle and passion investing. Worth is mailed six times a year to individuals listed on a proprietary database of high net worth households in major markets. The magazine is also available on a limited basis at select newsstands, with a cover price of $18.95, and via SANDOW’s exclusive network of newsstands at leading private airports nationwide.

# # #

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, April 10, 2013 – Fabien Castanier Gallery today announced that NEWWORLDS, the second solo exhibition at the gallery by renowned contemporary urban artist, Speedy Graphito, will open on May 11 and run through June 8. The exhibition is being presented in partnership with SANDOW, a diverse portfolio of multiplatform brands across consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing services. The company and its Chairman and CEO Adam I. Sandow have long supported the contemporary art and design communities and have been instrumental in helping to introduce Speedy Graphito’s work in the United States.

Always at the forefront of the cultural landscape, Speedy presents all new work that explores the mutation and perception of the image. In the age of digital over-consumption, myriad channels of communication have transformed the planet into a formidable distribution network, invading the world and our everyday lives on an intimate level. Speedy Graphito will explore these concepts through a variety of different mediums, from sculptures and paintings to installations.

This latest exhibition marks Speedy as one of the major figures in urban contemporary art, with an unparalleled global reach that he has built over the past 30 years. Since the early 1980s, he has imposed a powerful and innovative style that has captured the attention of the art world. He hasn’t stopped evolving, always in step with the times by inventing pictorial languages and codes that are iconoclastic and satirical of society. His works are found in private and public collections throughout the world – across Europe, Asia, and now, North America.

“This exhibition for Speedy, at every level, is a turning point in his career,” said Castanier. NEWWORLDS will be an immersive experience and his most ambitious show to date, one that reflects his exceptional talent, not only as a painter but as a conceptual artist as well.”

For the past three years, Speedy Graphito has developed a strong presence in the U.S., beginning with his first U.S. solo exhibition, Freeway, in Fall 2011 at the Fabien Castanier Gallery. Since then, he has exhibited at numerous major art fairs, including Scope New York, Context Art Miami, and the Los Angeles Art Fair. His paintings and sculptures, as well as large-scale installations and murals, have been acquired by private collections across the country and his influence on the American art market continues to grow.

In December 2012, Speedy created a live, four-day interactive art installation during Art Basel week for the Context Art Miami fair, called “Loading”, which was acquired by Sandow and reinstalled in the company’s South Florida corporate headquarters, where it is prominently displayed for all visitors to experience. SANDOW worked with Castanier and Speedy to create a behind-the-scenes video of the installation, which plays on the wall next to the artwork.

Inspired by society’s digital revolution, Speedy painted the piece in its entirety and then masked the lower half with black to illustrate a “downloading” band and signal the connection between reality and virtuality. Spectators could then scan a QR code on the painting to reveal the other half of the artist’s contemporary art creation.

“Speedy is an incredible talent who has flown far too under-the-radar in America,” said Sandow. “I’m proud to own several of his pieces and to partner with Fabien on this exhibition. Through our brands—from Luxe Interiors + Design and Worth magazines to Fred Segal—we can tap into a targeted audience of affluent consumers and potential collectors of Speedy’s work to help further raise his profile in the U.S. and get him the attention he deserves.”

Speedy Graphito will be working in Los Angeles for two months prior to the opening of the exhibition. For any press inquiries for the artist or additional questions/comments, please contact Claire Lem at: claire@castaniergallery.com.

Fabien Castanier Gallery

12196 Ventura Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 91604

t.818.748.6014  |  contact@castaniergallery.com

www.castaniergallery.com

NEWWORLDS

May 11 – June 8, 2013

Opening Reception | Saturday, May 11^th 7-10pm

About SANDOW

Founded by visionary media entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow in 2003, SANDOW® (sandow.com) builds multiplatform brands that engage audiences across consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing. Meeting at the intersection of luxury and design, the SANDOW brands—all powered by innovation—span digital and print media, licensing, consulting, e-commerce and retail, business information and marketing services. Its diverse group of companies allows SANDOW to strategically cross-pollinate and create unique business models that help drive its aggressive growth. With more than 400 employees in 14 global offices, SANDOW brands include Culture + Commerce, Curator, Fred Segal, Furniture/Today Group, Interior Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, Material ConneXion, NewBeauty, Spalook.com, Watch Journal and Worth.

# # #

NEW YORK, April 10, 2013 – Wealth, insurance and legal advisors offer timely advice to high net worth investors in the Worth® Leading Wealth Advisors™ section published in the April/May 2013 issue of Worth. Advisors from 46 of the nation’s top firms (with combined assets under management of over $176 billion) offer expertise on a wide variety of relevant topics, from investment strategies to succession planning. Featured topics and essays (in alphabetical order by firm name) from the April/May issue include:

 THE ECONOMY & INVESTING

Should I consider private equity funds—and with what strategy?

Berman Capital Advisors, Justin Berman, MBA

Where in the world is the next great investment opportunity?

Corbin & Company, David A. Corbin, CFA®

Why should I add a private equity “secondary fund” to my portfolio?

CTC Consulting, Ryan Cotton

What will be the key to how financial markets behave this year?

Further Lane Asset Management, Marc Lowlicht, CFP®, MSFP, and J. Michael Araiz

What are the side effects of low interest rates?

The Haverford Trust Company, Joseph J. McLaughlin, Jr.; Binney H.C. Wietlisbach; Henry Smith; John Donaldson, CFA^®; Timothy Hoyle, CFA^®; and Jeffrey Bagley

Is yield chasing a dangerous game?

Massey, Quick & Co., LLC, Stewart Massey, Leslie Quick, Joseph Belfatto, Mark DeLotto and Christopher Moore

How do I understand and control my tolerance for investment risk?

Navigation Group Inc., Carlo A. Panaccione, CFP®

Now that Congress has avoided the “fiscal cliff,” how will the recent tax changes impact me?

New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC, Ira Rapaport, CFP®, CIMA®, AIF®, CPA/PFS

With the bull market nearing an all-time high, should I be less conservative and move more money into equities?

Osborne Partners Capital Management, Charles D. Osborne, Deglin F. Kenealy and Justin W. McNichols, CFA®

What is the best investment strategy in a rising interest rate environment?

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC, Paul Taghibagi, CFP®, ChFC®, AIF®

Is there actually such a thing as an “all-weather” investment?

Spouting Rock Consulting, Jeremy Tennenbaum

Have you ever considered the often-overlooked MLP for your portfolio?

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd., Timothy E. Flatley, ChFC®

Can mission-related investing reinforce my investment goals?

 Threshold Group, Ed Lazar, CPA/PFS; Ronald G. Albahary, CFA®; Kristen Bauer, CPA/PFS; and Craig Muska

Do MLPs offer an attractive investment opportunity for high net worth investors?

Whittier Trust Company, Judith A. Gordon, JD, CTFA; James A. Jeffs, MBA; John T. Kelly, JD, LLM; Caleb Silsby, CFA®, CFP®; Joan L. West; and Peter J. Zarifes, MBA

INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT

How should I incorporate long-term care costs into my portfolio planning?

Altair Advisers LLC, Dave Carpenter

Is long-term care planning right for me?

Bleakley, Schwartz, Cooney & Finney at Northwestern Mutual, John (Jack) Cooney, CPA, CLU®; J. Reed Finney, CFP®, CLU®; Andy Schwartz, CFP®; and Scott Schwartz, CFP®

As a woman, what special considerations should I be addressing in planning for retirement? BMO Private Bank, Mary Jo Herseth, CFP®, and Kimberly Bridges, PhD, CFP®, CPWA®, CDFA^TM

Should I consider a hybrid long-term care program?

Heritage Financial Consultants LLC, Brian Gracie, ChFC®, CLU®, REBC; Brian Horn, CFP®, ChFC®; Peter Maller, CFP®, MBA; John McCarthy; and Kenneth Rudzinski, CFP®, CRPC®, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL, CAP

CHARITABLE GIVING & PHILANTHROPY

Why is cash not always the best asset for me to donate to charity?

Fidelity Charitable®, Karla D’Alleva Valas

As a fiduciary, do you have a roadmap to success for yourself and your not-for-profit?

LLBH Private Wealth Management LLC, Kevin Burns; Bill Loftus; Bill Lomas, CFP®, CIMA®, CRPC®; Jim Pratt-Heaney, CIMA®; and Michael Kazakewich, CFP®, CRPC®

How can I harness the power of impact investing?

Marin Community Foundation, Thomas Peters, PhD

BUSINESS OWNERS

How do I sidestep any pitfalls of national security when selling my business to a foreign investor?

LKP Global Law LLP, Kevin Leung

How can you improve your employees’ chances for a financially secure retirement?

Richard P. Slaughter Associates Inc., Bob Tabor, AWMA®, AIF®

How do I keep an important perspective on my business—my own?

SEI Private Wealth Management, Michael Farrell; Joseph Mukurazita, CFP®, CFA®; Susan West; Debbie Phillips; Steven Wittenberg, JD, LLM, MBA; and Doug Pugliese

FAMILY MATTERS

Are you preparing your heirs to be successful?

Mosaic Financial Partners, Susan S. Morse, CFA®, CFP®; Geoffrey Zimmerman, CFP®; Kevin Gahagan, CIMA®, CFP®; Norman Boone, MBA, CFP®; Holly Gillian-Kindel, CLU, CPCC, CFP®; Sabrina Lowell, CFP®; and Ricci M. Victorio, CSP, CPCC

INSURANCE

Dad, can I borrow the car?

AIG, Peter Piotrowski

Is your art properly protected?

Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners, Laura Sherman, Lowry Baldwin, Elizabeth Krystyn, CEBS

How can I fortify my family’s personal insurance?

Bruce Gendelman Company, Bruce Gendelman, JD, and Joseph Gendelman

Are you “sharing” too much?

Celedinas Insurance Group, Ray Celedinas

How can boating incidents expose your personal assets?

Gowrie Group, S. Carter Gowrie, Ed Gumbrecht and John Fisher

What criteria should I use to select my collector car insurance company?

Grundy Insurance, James Grundy, Jr.

How do I know if I need an insurance review?

Lane McVicker LLC, Amy Ciasulli, Gilbert Lai, Paul Gallagher, Salvatore Lundy, Heather Gladwell, and Patricia O’Brien, CPCU, ARM

Should I worry about personal liability when joining a board?

Lane McVicker LLC, Brett Woodward, Christopher Shanks and Julie Lovall

Do I need a personal “kidnap and ransom” policy?

Lane McVicker LLC, Krista Tankersley, Diane Beatty and Natalie Wages

Why is my home insured for more than its market value?

Lane McVicker LLC, Michael Carmody, Penne Crews, Katlyn Dennis, Craig Low and DeAnna Pledger

Is there a more creative and efficient way to insure my multiple properties?

Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers, Lisa Doherty

WORKING WITH YOUR ADVISOR

I have a bunch of people helping me, but my financial life still feels disorganized. What am I missing?

Traust Sollus Wealth Management, Al Zdenek, CPA/PFS

About Worth and the Worth^® Leading Wealth Advisors™ Program

The editorial mission of Worth is to enlighten, inspire and serve high net worth individuals with an avid interest in the intelligent stewardship of their personal wealth. Founded in 1992, the magazine was re-launched by Sandow in May 2009 and underwent a complete transformation. Featuring a cutting-edge design and compact format, today’s Worth is a sophisticated, practical and portable resource for C-suite executives, entrepreneurs and high net worth investors. Worth has a guaranteed rate base of 125,000 and is audited by BPA. The magazine is mailed six times a year to individuals with a net worth of $5 million or greater and to 5,000 wealth advisors at firms who manage $100 million or more. Worth is also available at select newsstands at a cover price of $18.95 and at private airports (FBOs) via Sandow’s exclusive network of FBO newsstands. The Worth app is available on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. For more information, please visit www.sandow.com/worth.

The Worth^® Leading Wealth Advisors™ Program is an integrated marketing platform and vetted venue for top wealth, legal and insurance advisors nationwide. Advisors who apply for admission into the program are vetted by Worth and experts at Paladin Advisor Research to help ensure advisor quality. In order to be considered, professionals must be willing to provide complete and full disclosure to investors so that analysts can thoroughly screen and evaluate their credentials, ethics and business practices. Once admitted, advisors pay a fee to be included. For more information, please contact leadingwealthadvisors@worth.com.

About SANDOW

Founded by visionary media entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow in 2003, SANDOW® (sandow.com) builds multiplatform brands that engage audiences across consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing. Meeting at the intersection of luxury and design, the SANDOW brands—all powered by innovation—span digital and print media, licensing, consulting, e-commerce and retail, business information and marketing services. Its diverse group of companies allows SANDOW to strategically cross-pollinate and create unique business models that help drive its aggressive growth. With more than 400 employees in 14 global offices, SANDOW brands include Culture + Commerce, Curator, Fred Segal, Furniture/Today Group, Interior Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, Material ConneXion, NewBeauty, Spalook.com, Watch Journal and Worth.

# # #

NEW YORK, March 28, 2013 – Material ConneXion (http://www.materialconnexion.com), the world’s largest library of innovative, advanced and sustainable materials and consulting services, today announced the opening of its 10th international library, located in Tokyo, Japan. Material ConneXion Tokyo will be licensed to Japanese printing giant Nissha Printing Co., Ltd.

Over the past three years, Material ConneXion has expanded its reach to Turkey, Korea, China and Sweden, establishing important networks and business relationships that led to the opening of the Japanese branch. As the world’s third largest economy, Japan thrives on technology and innovation, making the need for advanced materials important in the nation’s development across industries.

With more than 3,000 employees and 23 subsidiaries, Nissha is a key player in the materials business, dominating the market by offering five key technologies: CMF design, printing coating, processing, material design and materials evaluation and solutions. The company’s experience in material application combined with Material ConneXion’s knowledge will establish game-changing industry cross-pollination for designers across Japan.

Material ConneXion Tokyo will open its doors in October 2013 with an initial library of 500 samples and an additional 30-40 new materials each month. The library will offer membership and consulting services to designers from all disciplines with the expert support of its in-house Materials Scientists and materials specialists.

“To be a trendsetter, you should know where to look for ideas, proactively find solutions and define the elements that form a trend. Material ConneXion offers researchers, designers and creatives the inspiration they need to produce innovative products and services for their customers. Tokyo is a leading source of trend information and Japan is one of the most advanced centers of raw materials and processing technologies. I am sure Material ConneXion and our raw local dynamism will be quite a force,” said Junya Suzuki, president and CEO of Nissha Printing Co., Ltd.

“Japan is a leader in many fields that are vital for Material ConneXion, such as technology and innovation. As one of the country’s preeminent printing houses, Nissha is the ideal partner for us to introduce a library into this booming region,” said Michele Caniato, president of Material ConneXion. “Their core values, like ours, focus on innovation and advancement. We look forward to working with the Japanese market firms and designers involved in all facets of design, be it fashion, automotive, architecture or large consumer product companies.”

“It is wonderful news that Nissha will take part in opening a Material ConneXion library in Japan. I truly hope that with the help of this new library, Japanese designers will be able to easily source the best and most appropriate materials from all over the world, while at the same time allowing fine Japanese materials to be introduced globally,” said Koichiro Tsujino, president and CEO of ALEX Corporation,  former president of Google Japan and former GM of Sony Vaio. “Moreover, the library will create the opportunity for the local community to take advantage of new technologies like 3D CAD or 3D printing, which are becoming increasingly accessible. I strongly believe that this will contribute to the growing momentum of fabrication in the 21st century.”

About Material ConneXion

Material ConneXion, a SANDOW company, is a global materials and innovation consultancy that helps companies create the products and services of tomorrow through smart materials and design thinking. Focused on delivering Innovation That Matters, Material ConneXion is the trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, as well as forward-thinking companies or government agencies seeking a creative, competitive or sustainable edge. With 10 locations in New York, Milan, Cologne, Bangkok, Seoul, Daegu, Istanbul, Beijing, Shanghai and Skövde, Material ConneXion’s international network of specialists provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials, design, new product development, sustainability and innovation. Material ConneXion maintains the world’s largest subscription-based Materials Library of almost 7,000 innovative materials and processes—an indispensable asset to a wide audience of users. Its sister company, Culture + Commerce, represents the world’s leading designers including Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders, in licensing their groundbreaking new products and projects.  For more information, visit http://www.materialconnexion.com.

About SANDOW

Founded by visionary media entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow in 2003, SANDOW® (http://www.sandow.com) builds multiplatform brands that engage audiences across consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing. Meeting at the intersection of luxury and design, the SANDOW brands—all powered by innovation—span digital and print media, licensing, consulting, e-commerce and retail, business information and marketing services. Its diverse group of companies allows SANDOW to strategically cross-pollinate and create unique business models that help drive its aggressive growth. With more than 400 employees in 14 global offices, SANDOW brands include Culture + Commerce, Curator, Fred Segal, Furniture/Today Group, Interior Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, Material ConneXion, NewBeauty, Spalook.com, Watch Journal and Worth.

About Nissha

Nissha provides valuable products and services to its customers and society at large through proprietary technologies, with printing as its core focus. Nissha was founded in Kyoto, Japan, in 1929 with the aim of “creating a company that specializes, at an unparalleled level, in sophisticated photographic printing rather than the more commonplace typesetting.” Based on this founding principle, Nissha gradually expanded business activities by applying technical expertise. Currently, Nissha conducts operations in three business fields: Industrial Materials, Devices, Information and Communication. The company is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan.

NEW YORK, March 28, 2013 — Interior Design magazine (interiordesign.net) introduces its first-ever “100 Big Ideas in Design” issue this month, today announced Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen. In this comprehensive feature, Interior Design has identified the most creative, groundbreaking and inventive projects and products happening across design, architecture, art and other related disciplines.

“Making the extraordinary from the ordinary by sculpting in paper, innovating in a decaying paint factory and exploring your inner child while defying gravity are just a few of the concepts that we serve up in the issue,” said Allen. “A first-time attempt on this theme, it proved a mammoth undertaking for our team, but one well-worth the effort.”

Below are 10 highlights of the 100 biggest ideas in design today:

#3 – Be Quiet: To give its customers a place to rest and recuperate from retail-induced exhaustion, London department store Selfridges & Co. asked Alex Cochrane Architects to design the Silence Room, a 2,500 meditative square feet at the end of a dimly lit corridor. Check your shoes and PDAs at the door. (p. 52)

#13 – Dream Big, Build Small: With an increasing demand for affordable living spaces in big cities worldwide, New York City’s Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development launched the adAPT NYC competition to develop proposals for buildings containing micro-apartments. N Architects’ winning “My Micro NY” comprises 55 prefabricated modular apartments ranging from 250 to 370 square feet—the first such development in Manhattan and a stylish one at that. (p. 80)

#14 – Expect the Unexpected: A small house in Lisbon, Spain, designed by father-son architects Luis and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade, turns a private residence into a delightful public amenity with an 1,100 square foot vertical garden and a rooftop lap pool. (p. 83)

#42 – Feel and See: At the NewView Oklahoma Low Vision Clinic in Oklahoma City, designed by Elliott + Associates Architects, patients walking along a corridor can read a Juro Osawa short story flocked on Braille Project wallpaper by Ilias Fotopoulos. (p. 158)

#44 – Sail the High Seas: These phosphorescent cubes in epoxy-coated plywood and pine, by artist Max Mulhern, may look like giant dice, but they also serve as a feasibility study for unmanned, wind-powered transatlantic shipping (p. 162)

#80 – Watch Out: The wind-powered Mine Kafon is a landmine detonator made of bamboo and biodegradable plastics that can set off up to four mines, shedding legs as it rolls—and costs 24 times less than a typical detonator. (p. 200)

#81 – Sit in the Sweet Spot: Pieter Brenner’s Sugarchair is made from more than 60 lbs. of shaped sucrose, an emerging raw material, and can be licked by user into a personalized perch. (p. 202)

#91 – Find Your Inner Child: A single poplar tree yielded virtually everything needed to construct Chop Stick, a concession stand at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. Designer Visiondivision even made syrup from the bark! (p. 224)

#95 – Cut and Paste: Designer Irving Harper turns ordinary paper and other objects into extraordinary sculptures, a passion celebrated in a new book by Rizzoli. (p. 232)

#96 – Rack Up the Creativity Points (featured on March cover): A wine store reinvented the bottle rack to contain 12,000 bottles of wine, of 1,200 types, within a 750-square-foot space. (p. 240)

The entire list can be found in the March issue of Interior Design, available now on newsstands and digitally through the App Store. In addition, the feature can be accessed online at http://www.interiordesign.net/article/561041-100_Big_Ideas.php.

About Interior Design® magazine

Interior Design is the global, industry-leading design publication, website, and events company serving the interior design, architectural, and facility management audiences. For 80 years, Interior Design—published by SANDOW, a leader in multichannel brands that meet at the intersection of luxury and design—has been the essential design authority for every professional, on all projects, throughout the design process. Its digital companion, interiordesign.net, has become the go-to site for relevant and real-time content for the industry’s largest and most engaged design audience. Launched in 2011, Interior Design Events connects the industry, promoting creative leadership, innovation, and collaboration across a wide range of practice areas and platforms. For more information, visit interiordesign.net.

# # #

HI-RES IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Press Contact
Jessica Kleiman, EVP, Communications, SANDOW

212.842.1509, jkleiman@sandow.com

NEW YORK and BOCA RATON, FL, March 7, 2013 — SANDOW (http://sandow.com), a leader in building multiplatform brands in consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing, has named Peter Fain its first-ever stand-alone Chief Operating Officer. The news was announced today by Adam I. Sandow, Chairman and CEO of SANDOW.

In this position, Fain will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations, focusing on streamlining SANDOW’s businesses, creating increased cross-pollination among its brands and helping to implement new initiatives companywide. He will be based out of SANDOW’s South Florida corporate headquarters.

Over the course of his career, Fain has led organizations from start-up phase to established operating units with significant impact on bottom line growth. His experience spans leading production, sales and marketing, product development, training and brand management. Additionally, Fain has an impressive track record of building effective teams and turning action plans into results.

“With the rapid growth our company has experienced both organically and through acquisitions, it was the right time to bring in a COO to help us manage our continued expansion,” said Sandow. “Peter is an accomplished operations executive and will be an invaluable asset as we develop new businesses and build on existing ones. I am pleased to welcome him to our leadership team.”

Fain added, “I’m delighted to join SANDOW at such an exciting time. I look forward to working closely with Adam to further the company’s growth and establish it as a true leader in the global marketplace.”

Over a 16-year period, Fain helped build TrialGraphix into a leading national litigation support provider with over 300 employees in eight full-service production facilities across the country. As President of Litigation Technology, he was responsible for the company’s extraordinary growth during his tenure. TrialGraphix, like SANDOW, was an entrepreneurial, spirited organization with a strong culture focused on product quality and customer service. Prior to his role as President of Litigation Technology, Fain held the position of Chief Operating Officer.

About SANDOW

Founded by visionary media entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow in 2003, SANDOW® (sandow.com) builds multiplatform brands that engage audiences across consumer and business media, retail and e-commerce, licensing and marketing. Meeting at the intersection of luxury and design, the SANDOW brands—all powered by innovation—span digital and print media, licensing, consulting, e-commerce and retail, business information and marketing services. Its diverse group of companies allows SANDOW to strategically cross-pollinate and create unique business models that help drive its aggressive growth. With more than 400 employees in 14 global offices, SANDOW brands include Culture + Commerce, Curator, Fred Segal, Furniture/Today Group, Interior Design, Luxe Interiors + Design, Material ConneXion, NewBeauty, Spalook.com, Watch Journal and Worth.

New digs

By Keith J. Kelly

The Time & Life Building

NEW YORK — As of next year, Time Inc. won’t be the only publisher with its headquarters in the Time & Life Building.

Sandow Media, the publisher of New Beauty, Worth and Interior Design, is moving its corporate headquarters to 1251 Avenue of the Americas early next year.

CEO Adam Sandow said he is in the midst of building out a new 40,000-square-foot operation on the 17th floor of the Time & Life Building, part of “Publishers Row” in Midtown.

A Time Inc. spokeswoman confirmed that the 17th floor is indeed being leased to Sandow. It previously housed Fortune, before the business magazine was downsized and its offices were consolidated on another floor in the building.

“It’s a great neighborhood,” said Sandow, who currently has two offices in Manhattan on 26th Street.

He also purchased the licensing rights to Beverly Hills clothing retailer Fred Segal and is planning worldwide expansion of the brand under licensing deals.

He said Sandow Media recently moved into a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Boca Raton, Fla., which houses a subsidized Starbucks and a brand-new gym.

At the moment, that serves as the corporate headquarters, but that designation will shift to Manhattan once the new offices open.

“We’re going to build a very innovative space in the Time Inc. building,” he said.

The company, which also owns Material Connection, plans to offer a library where engineers and designers can inspect new building materials. It also plans an exhibit space as well as offices for three magazines.

Sandow Media is believed to have annual revenue close to $100 million. It has grown from only 10 employees at its inception as a single-magazine publisher in 2005 to more than 400 employees today.

Sandow said he has eschewed private-equity backers but uses boutique investment bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson as his lender.

“My goal is to double the size of the company in the next two years, and I don’t want private equity funding that growth,” he said.

Magazine releases comprehensive annual business survey of interior design industry.

NEW YORK, February 5, 2013 — Interior Design® magazine (http://www.interiordesign.net), the trusted resource for the interior design industry, has released the first installment of its annual two-part Giants of Design business survey, a look at overall industry changes and how the world’s largest design firms have performed over the past year. The Top 100 Giants, ranked according to reported annual fees from interiors projects, are featured in the January 2013 issue. Interior Design’s annual business survey is conducted each October with over 2,000 design firms from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.

 ”The Giants list is the who’s who in the interior design industry,” said Interior Design Editor in Chief Cindy Allen. “Every year the top firms are eager to see who made the cut and who ranks on top of who. As a bonus, we also follow the firms rising in the ranks with July’s second 100 Giants. Together, they gauge how the industry is faring and heading, while celebrating the nation’s best and most innovative firms.”

The top 10 Giants for 2013 are:

1. Gensler (San Francisco, http://www.gensler.com)
2. Jacobs (Pasadena, http://www.jacobs.com)
3. HOK (St. Louis, http://www.hok.com)
4. Perkins-Will (Chicago, http://www.perkinswill.com)
5. HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates Design Consultants (Los Angeles, http://www.hbadesign.com)
6. Cannon Design (Chicago, http://www.cannondesign.com)
7. Leo A Laly (Omaha, http://www.leoadaly.com)
8. Callison (Seattle, http://www.callison.com)
9. Interior Architects (San Francisco, http://www.interiorarchitects.com)
10. NBBJ (Seattle, http://www.nbbj.com)

From all indications in this year’s survey, the top design firms are in the best shape since the recession, as evidenced by the following results:

• Total top 100 giants’ interiors project earnings increased 7% to $2.6 million in 2012; the highest in 4 years.
• Current number of design staff (11,868) is exceeding the pre-recession 2008 level of 11,708.
• These top giants expect their total earnings from interiors projects to grow almost 4% to $2.7 billion.
• For the first time in Top Giants ranking history, we have the most firms (eight) based outside of the U.S. from Canada (three), Hong Kong (two), the United Kingdom, Singapore and Thailand.

For a full list of the top 100 Giants of Design, please visit interiordesign.net. Interior Design’s January issue is on newsstands now and is available digitally in the App Store.

About Interior Design® magazine

Interior Design® (interiordesign.net) is the global, industry-leading design publication, website, and events company serving the interior design, architectural, and facility management audiences. For 80 years, Interior Design has been the essential design authority for every professional, on all projects, throughout the design process. Its website has become the go-to site for relevant and real-time content for the industry’s largest and most engaged design audience. Launched in 2011, Interior Design Events connects the industry, promoting creative leadership, innovation, and collaboration across a wide range of practice areas and platforms. Interior Design is published by SANDOW, a leader in multiplatform brands that meet at the intersection of luxury and design.

Luxury housewarming gifts when coupons
just won’t do

By Mary Umberger

LuxeBox is a high-end collection of gifts and design tools for affluent new homebuyers.

CHICAGO — When most of us move, we might expect to receive a few coupons in the mail from local merchants, extolling their services and welcoming us to the neighborhood.

But in the proverbial “The Rich are Different from You and Me” category, we have the LuxeBox, a welcome-to-the-neighborhood offering for homebuyers who have more than a few bucks to spend on upgrading their newly acquired homes.

“Some people have called us Welcome Wagon on steroids,” said Mike Ruskin, vice president of sales for Sandow, publisher of Luxe Interiors + Design magazine and several other design-oriented publications. His company has dreamed up the LuxeBox, which is 15 pounds of greetings and goodies from designers, remodelers, and suppliers of cabinetry, carpeting, home electronics, and just about anything else a homebuyer could dream of for the new abode. Sandow recently teamed up with real estate brokerages around the country to hand-deliver the LuxeBox to their clients who have just bought or are about to close on properties priced at $1 million and up.

“The idea is to put our (magazine) clients in front of somebody who needs their products and services,” Ruskin said.

The practice of cozying up to recent arrivals in the neighborhood isn’t new: Welcome Wagon (a company not affiliated with LuxeBox) created its widely recognized brand in 1928 by having representatives make get-acquainted visits to newcomers in order to introduce them to local businesses. Years ago, it shifted its efforts solely to direct-mail marketing.

The idea of courting recent movers hasn’t changed: If anything, it’s more commercially advisable than ever before, because homebuyers in all price brackets spend buckets of money in the first six months, according to numerous researchers. In 2012, for example, the real estate website Zillow calculated that 21 percent of all recent movers spend $10,000 or more on furniture, appliances, etc.

And in the upper brackets, it’s almost routine for new owners to consider substantial changes in order to put a personal stamp on their new home, Ruskin said.

“It might be a bathroom re-do, it might be a kitchen freshening — there’s always something being done,” said Craig Hogan, city division director of Coldwell Banker Previews in Chicago, one of a half-dozen Chicago brokerages who recently began sending out LuxeBoxes to their million-dollar buyers.

Hogan explained that it’s a basic tenet of real estate that though the deal may have closed, brokerages are always looking for ways to help their clients remember who they are for future needs and referrals.

“It gives us an opportunity to be in front of the client one more time, in a very, very nice way,” he said.

How nice? Well, it surely goes beyond a few coupons: The company estimates the cost of an individual LuxeBox and contents at $500. It contains a design portfolio and linen-wrapped attache that features the work of numerous designers, furniture and accessories showrooms, etc; there’s a case for an iPad (but not an actual iPad, sorry) that’s also meant to store notes, tear sheets, etc., on interior design ideas; custom monogrammed stationery; a Fred Segal limited-edition throw; a membership in a private concierge service that connects consumers with design professionals; a stainless-steel measuring tape, and more, Ruskin said. A subscription to Luxe Interiors + Design will follow after receipt of the LuxeBox, he said.

The program launched in Chicago, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas and Palm Beach, Fla., in December, and introductions in Texas (Houston and Austin), California (San Diego and San Francisco), Arizona and Colorado, were planned in January. In all, LuxeBox will go out to affluent new homeowners in 20 areas by the end of the year, he said.

His company sees this expansion as a vote of confidence in a reviving real estate market, particularly in the upper brackets.

“I travel the country in my job, and real estate agents, custom builders — all of the luxury market — they’re feeling much better than they have over the past few years,” Ruskin said. “They have work that’s planned out for six to 18 months from now.”

Data from the National Association of Realtors bear that out. The trade group’s sales numbers showed a steady increase in million-dollar-and-up sales throughout 2012, hitting an eye-popping 51 percent year-over-year increase in December. Analysts pointed out, however, that much of that end-of-year activity may have been spurred by fears of fiscal-cliff related tax-law changes, and they suggested that December’s sales numbers may be a flash in the pan — in essence, borrowing from sales that would have occurred in 2013.

“That’s possible,” said Hogan, whose Previews division within Coldwell Banker specializes in high-end properties. “We definitely had some sellers who wanted to get done by the end of the year, and it wouldn’t be the first time that the housing market borrowed from future buyers.

“But I do believe we’re seeing a resurgence on the high end,” he said. “I can’t believe that just tax incentives could have fueled that kind of increase nationwide.

“And I don’t think billionaires are dumb.”

NEW YORK, NY, January 29, 2013 — For New York Fashion Week, Material ConneXion is launching “Material Runway,” an exhibit open to the public from February 9th to the 25th at Ace Hotel, located at 20 West 29th Street.

Designed to showcase materials that can add innovation to the catwalk, “Material Runway” features a selection of eight of the most advanced material samples from Material ConneXion, a global materials consultancy and library of innovative and sustainable materials.

These samples encompass the library’s cross-disciplinary approach, bringing unexpected materials to the fashion world: reflective fabrics, dried algae leaves, thermo chromatic textile, leather-like paper, iridescent film, hand-dyed silk and cotton, three-dimensional sheep wool and peacock feathers.

“Fashion is one of the most dynamic markets where, lately, we have seen a shift towards the implementation of more advanced materials that have enhanced properties,” said Dr. Andrew H. Dent, VP – library & materials research at Material ConneXion. “The samples we chose for this exhibit are examples of the groundbreaking processes and materials that can be used by fashion designers to create accessories, footwear or apparel.”

During New York Fashion Week, Ace Hotel has collaborated with Shapeways and Michael Schmidt — known for his innovative wardrobing and jewelry designs for clients such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Deborah Harry, Dita Von Teese and Tina Turner — to create a one-of-a-kind 3D printed dress. The piece, inspired by Michael’s model and muse, Dita Von Teese and designed in collaboration with Francis A. Bitonti, will be unveiled at a Fashion Week party held at Ace Hotel New York on Saturday evening.

“From 3D printing to innovative materials, fashion is one of the fields that best demonstrates the capability to combine design, creativity and advanced materials,” said Michele Caniato, president of Material ConneXion. “This industry predicts trends and transforms them into reality; we have the materials that can make this happen.”

“Material Runway” will be located on the ground floor in the Gallery of Ace Hotel.

About Material ConneXion™

Material ConneXion™ (materialconnexion.com) is a global materials and innovation consultancy that helps companies create the products and services of tomorrow through smart materials and design thinking. Focused on delivering Innovation That Matters, Material ConneXion is the trusted advisor to Fortune 500s, and any forward-thinking company or government agency seeking a creative, competitive, or sustainable edge. With offices in New York, Milan, Cologne, Bangkok, Seoul, Daegu, Istanbul, Beijing, Shanghai and Skövde, Material ConneXion’s international network of specialists provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials, design, new product development, sustainability and innovation. Material ConneXion maintains the world’s largest subscription-based Materials Library of over 7,000 innovative materials and processes-an indispensable asset to a wide audience of users.

About Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel reinvents hospitality to make something fresh, energized and human. We embrace and reimagine classic buildings and interesting opportunities, creating a sense of history and place that pairs the pragmatic with the romantic. Our hotels are inspired by an affinity for the soulful and fueled by localized and handmade culture. For more information go to acehotel.com.