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(L-R) Peter Schauben, GFL Founder; Doug Cofiell, honoree; and Emalee Hoffman, GFL Chair

DALLAS – Gift for Life honored CEO with its 2025 Industry Achievement Award during the 74th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards this week in Dallas.  To date, some $38,355 has been donated to World Central Kitchen’s crisis-related hunger relief efforts in Cofiell’s honor, with fundraising continuing through the summer gift and home markets.

“It’s weird to get an individual award when it’s not about the individual, it’s about the people around you,” Cofiell said during his acceptance speech.  He also commented on current economic stressors, saying, “Resilience is the word you think of when you think of the independent gift industry.”

In honor of Cofiell, gift and home industry colleagues have already donated more than $38,000 to World Central Kitchen, fundraising which will serve hot, healthy meals to in-need communities around the world.  The 130+ donors include a wide range of manufacturers, sales agencies, retailers, media, market centers and industry suppliers. Donations will be accepted through the summer gift and home markets in Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York City.  To donate, visit www.giftforlife.org/donate.

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“This year feels especially meaningful to me personally,” said Gift for Life Chair Emalee Hoffman. “After spending the past few years working within one of the companies Doug leads, I can say with absolute certainty: he embodies the kind of leadership this award was created to honor.”

Gift for Life’s Industry Achievement Award, which has been presented at Gifts & Decorative Accessories’ Retailer Excellence Awards (REA) since 2009, recognizes overall excellence and contribution to the gift and home industry – whether as a thought leader, standard-bearer or overall industry influencer.

Past honorees include: Dorothy Belshaw of (2024); Todd and Jannetta Litzman of MarketTime (2023); Warren Shoulberg (2022); (2021) and Adam Glassman of O, The Oprah Magazine (2020).

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