Troy Lee to Receive the Academy of Achievement Award at the 37th ARTS Awards
The Progressive Lighting CEO is honored for more than four decades of industry leadership
DALLAS – September 22, 2026 — Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, announce Troy Lee, chief executive officer of Progressive Lighting, as the recipient of the Academy of Achievement Award for a career of leadership, growth, and lasting commitment to the home and lighting industries. The award will be presented at the 37th ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Friday, January 8, 2027.
The Academy of Achievement is one of the ARTS Awards’ special honors, selected by the ARTS Awards Committee rather than through the nomination and judging process that determines the category awards (see this year’s judges here). It recognizes an individual whose body of work has shaped the industry over the course of a career.
“Troy Lee has spent more than 40 years building businesses that raised the standard for the entire lighting industry, and he has given just as generously of his time to the organizations that move it forward,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “His leadership on our Lightovation Board helped shape the market our lighting customers know today. This honor is well earned.”
“Troy started on a showroom floor and never lost sight of what happens there,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “That perspective is what makes his career remarkable — he built a national brand and a leading retail organization while staying close to the people who sell, specify, and live with these products every day.”
Lee earned his degree in economics from Mercer University and began his career with Progressive Lighting in 1983, learning the business from the ground up as first a sales associate, then showroom manager, store manager, and director of operations. That breadth of experience led him to found Savoy House in 2000, where he served as president and director of operations. In 2019, he was named chief executive officer of Progressive Lighting.
Today he leads the largest chain of family-owned and operated residential lighting showrooms in the Southeast, along with the Savoy House lighting brand and the e-commerce platform LightsOnline.com. The companies encompass 11 showroom locations across Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, and Savoy House distributes from a 550,000-square-foot facility in Duluth, Georgia, with an international presence that includes offices in Asia.
His impact extends well beyond the companies he leads. A longtime advocate for the lighting industry, Lee has served as chairman of the Dallas Market Center Lightovation Board, chairman of the American Lighting Association (ALA) Finance Committee, and a member of the ALA Board of Governors. That same commitment to service extends to his community, where he holds leadership roles with his church, the Johns Creek Symphony, and the Johns Creek Chorale Board.
“This industry has given me a career I could not have imagined when I walked onto a showroom floor in 1983, and every good thing that followed came from the people I have worked alongside since,” said Lee. “To be recognized by ART and Dallas Market Center, in the room where our industry celebrates its best work, is a true honor.”
In addition to the Academy of Achievement, dozens of category awards will be presented at the ARTS Awards to retailers, manufacturers, designers, and sales representatives.
A full list of the 37th ARTS Awards finalists can be viewed here. Reservations for the ARTS Awards open in early October.
ABOUT THE ARTS AWARDS
The ARTS Awards process started with industry professionals, companies, and individuals submitting nominations online across various categories. An independent panel of experts reviewed these nominations and selected a shortlist of finalists. Finalists will next submit additional materials for further evaluation by a separate judging panel. Winners are determined and announced at the ARTS Awards ceremony on January 8, 2027, where they are celebrated for their excellence. Neither membership in ART nor representation at Dallas Market Center is necessary to nominate or to be a nominee.
To learn more about ARTS Awards, visit dallasmarketcenter.com/ArtsAwards/.
Gold media and organization sponsors for the ARTS Awards are: Business of Home, Designers Today, Furniture Today, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Accents Today, and Home Textiles Today. Silver media and organization sponsors are: aspire design and home, Design News Now, Home News Now, and Lighting News Now. Bronze media and organization sponsors are: American Society of Interior Designers Texas Chapter (ASID), Interior Design Society (IDS), International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA), PaperCity, Modern Luxury Interiors, and Cascale | Sustainable Furnishings Council.
For information about all upcoming markets and events, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the new, completely redesigned Dallas Market Center mobile app. Stay current by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose blog, and use #ARTSAwards to stay connected.
ABOUT ART
Founded in 1988, ART is the creative home furnishings network representing manufacturers, retailers, representatives and other individuals and companies interested in promoting and enhancing the market position of the home furnishings industry. Each year ART sponsors programs such as the ART conference, regional educational seminars, the ART card, and the ARTS Awards. The ART website is available at www.accessoriesresourceteam.org.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in gourmet and housewares, home décor, holiday/floral, gifts, lighting, and apparel. Inside its dynamic, 5 million-square-foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education, and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday, and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center App.
