Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale To Receive McLane Leadership In Business Award At Bush School
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale will receive the McLane Leadership in Business Award on Wednesday, Sept. 26. The award will be presented by the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Presented annually, the award recognizes a prominent individual in the field of business for outstanding contributions in the area of business, public service, or community service at the national level. Mr. McIngvale is noted for his keen business entrepreneurship and his unwavering commitment to serving others through his philanthropy.
The event will be held in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by Mr. McIngvale’s lecture at 5:30 p.m.
Mr. McIngvale is a Texas-grown phenomenon, and his catch-phrase “Save You Money TODAY!” on his television ads reflects his enthusiasm about his business and his commitment to his customers. Mack and his wife, Linda, started Gallery Furniture in 1981with five thousand dollars and a dream. Mack began television advertising early, and with his motto “early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise,” he quickly became a household name. Gallery Furniture has had major expansions over the years, including a rebuild of the flagship store as well as additions in the Galleria location and in the third and largest store located in Fort Bend County on Grand Parkway, which features a 165,000 square foot showroom. The success of Gallery Furniture is mostly attributed to Mack’s “do-whatever-it-takes” approach to pleasing the customer.
Mack’s strong work ethic is matched by his philanthropic efforts, for which he has received numerous awards, including the Points of Life award, personally presented by former President George H. W. Bush. The list of organizations and individuals helped by Mr. McIngvale is almost unmatched, and he is nearly always one of the first to help during disasters. Most recently, Mack provided shelter for hundreds of people displaced by Hurricane Harvey and hosted countless relief efforts following the disaster, supplying Houstonians with cleaning materials, clothing, water, and food. His annual Christmas Giveaways have furnished hundreds of homes over the past thirty years. He helped raise more than $12 million for the Bush/Clinton fund to aid those affected by the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Each Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mack has fed people in need—some 25,000 over the years. He regularly supports Houston nonprofits as well as medical and educational institutions.
The Mosbacher Institute was founded in October 2009 to produce policy-oriented research in trade, energy, and good governance. The McLane Leadership in Business Award was established by Drayton McLane Jr., a noted entrepreneur and chairman of the McLane Group, a diversified collection of businesses that demonstrate a tradition of excellence and innovation.
The award ceremony and lecture are open to the public, but reservations are required by Monday, September 24, 2018, either online at http://bush.tamu.edu/mack or by calling (979) 845-1927.
This article originally appeared on the Bush School website.
