Bedding executive Doug Krinsky, who has raised more than $1.6 million to help those affected by autism, has been named the inaugural winner of Bedding News Now’s Bedding Humanitarian Award.
The award will be presented at BNN’s Best In Bedding event, set for Monday, July 27, at WorldView on the 16th floor of Building B on the World Market Center campus. The event, which will include drinks and appetizers, begins at 4:30 p.m. and will wrap up by 6 p.m.
The event is open to all market-goers. Also honored at the event will be Florida retailer Keith Koenig, receiving a Bedding Legend Award, and Best In Bedding Retailers in the five regions of the country.
Krinsky, a long-time sales executive in the mattress industry, is currently director of sales for 3Z Brands, the vertically integrated bedding manufacturer and retailer with a portfolio of leading mattress brands.
He has seen his Ante4Autism fundraiser, a regular event on the calendar for the summer Las Vegas Market, become a major event in the industry, drawing hundreds of attendees and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“I started Ante4autism and our 501 C 3 Beat Autism Now nonprofit to raise awareness of autism in the home furnishings industry,” Krinsky told Bedding News Now. “Twenty years ago no one seemed to know anything about autism in the industry. I wanted to change that, raising money to help the kids and adults with autism and the families impacted by autism. We have raised $1,657,001 in the 17 years since we have been hosting the Ante4autism poker event. And we have helped thousands of kids and families across the country.”
The first event, held in 2009 at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas, featured 27 players and raised $6,220, but it had a winning vibe that quickly made it a fixture in the industry.
The upcoming event, set for Saturday, July 25 at South Point Hotel and Casino, is expected to draw 160 players and more than 100 spectators. It has attracted strong industry support. Bedding Industries of America is the $25,000 Presenting Sponsor, while 3Z Brands is the $15,000 Final Table Sponsor. The $10,000 Diamond Sponsor is Furniture First National Buying Group, while $5,000 Platinum Sponsors include Carpenter, Karl and Cathi Glassman, Krinsky’s Taekwondo Academy, Serta Simmons Bedding, Planned Furniture Promotions, Bread Financial, Leggett & Platt, Ashley and Englander.
The five autism charities that will be receiving the proceeds from the event are AJ Foundation, Avenues of Autism, Bridgeway Academy, Feat of Southern Nevada, and the National Autism Association of SE Ohio.
Why has his event struck a chord in the industry? Krinsky said it is a matter of growing awareness.
“Twenty years ago the autism prevalence rate was 1 in 10,000, but it is now 1 in 34, so everyone knows someone with autism or has a child or grandchild with autism,” he said. “People can relate to the cause because they have seen the impacts of autism firsthand.”
Last year’s Best In Bedding event, the first held by BNN, featured an address by Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale of Gallery Furniture, who received a Bedding Legend Award. More than 150 industry players attended that first event, a partnership between Andmore and BNN.
Sponsors for BNN’s Best In Bedding event include Bread Financial, Snap Finance, and Serta Simmons Bedding.
