Heller Continues to Support Radical Innovation Awards Annual Competition Fueling the Future of Design

Heller is proud to announce that John Edelman, President & CEO of the modern design brand, will be a product juror for the second year in a row for the Radical Innovation Award Competition. Now in its 19th year, Radical Innovation is an annual competition that has been shifting the norm in the global hospitality industry, by recognizing excellence in design, architecture, travel, and products. The initiative challenges creative thinkers and design visionaries at the professional and student level to pioneer compelling innovations that fuel the future of hospitality. Edelman will be joined by fellow jurors: Dan Dobin – Chairman of Valley Forge Fabrics, Isaac Kubryk – CEO of Global Allies, and Josh Owen – Vignelli Distinguished Professor and Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT and President of Josh Owen LLC.

“I’m so proud to be a judge for the second year in a row for Radical Innovation,” explains John Edelman, President & CEO of Heller. “Opportunities for young designers to show their talents to such a diverse and prestigious audience are few and far between. The folks at Radical Innovation believe in the future of our design community and are fostering it at its roots and nurturing existing forms. I hope to always have the honor and privilege to be an active supporter of Radical Innovation as well as our amazing world of hospitality design.”

In addition to judging, Heller is generously furnishing the main stage with a custom assortment of iconic designs utilizing their new Made to Order Program. These include a Gehry Easy Chair, Limbo Chair, Bluff Chair, Gehry Coffee Table, and Gehry Cube all in a Celadon colorway. With this new Made to Order Program, designers and architects can now order any of Heller’s rotationally molded furniture products in any of the 35 colors currently offered. Edelman explains, “We are excited to launch Heller’s new Made to Order program on the Radical Innovation stage and we can’t wait for the crowd’s reaction.”

Heller encourages design enthusiasts to buy a ticket to participate in the awards dinner and festivities taking place at 5pm on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at CURRENT located at Pier 59 in New York City: https://radicalinnovation2025.eventbrite.com.

About Heller

Heller began in 1971 and from the outset has been known for the true meaning of modern. Their timeless, functional designs are created without ego by some of the world’s greatest architects and designers—Frank Gehry, Massimo & Lella Vignelli, and Mario Bellini to name a few. Heller products have claimed international recognition with design awards from the Compasso d’Oro to NeoCon and are featured in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Made in America, suited for indoors and outdoors, Heller can be found in homes, restaurants, museums and offices around the world. In 2025, Heller partnered with Worry Free Plastics, continuing their exploration of new technologies to create more innovative, sustainable and transparent manufacturing processes. This technology transforms their already recyclable products into a fully regenerative material, completely free of microplastics at end-of-life. As a proud member of Be Original Americas, Heller continues to champion original design and became the first company to work with the Digby Design Authenticator, guaranteeing authenticity of their designs and sustainability for the future.