NELSON Chief Brand and Creative Officer, Bevan Bloemendaal had the esteemed honor to welcome Mardi Najafi of Figure3 and Rebekah Sigfrids of Bank of America to the Retail Design Institute’s Legion of Honor in New York this month. Additionally, John McNulty (MBH Architects), Sanjay Agarwal of FRDC, and Ron Pompei of Pompei C3, were welcomed. For decades, the Legion of Honor has acknowledged industry visionaries who embody design excellence and have influenced the store design community. Congratulations to all on this incredible lifetime achievement award!

“What an amazing group of individuals and a true honor to induct these five visionaries into the Legion of Honor. It is a full circle moment. I recall the feeling of being recognized by my peers when I was inducted in 2012, and I am overjoyed to have been included in welcoming this year’s recipients. The Legion of Honor is proof of the immense creativity and ingenuity that has moved our industry ahead for decades and will move us forward into the future,” says Bloemendaal.

Pictured (from left to right): Bevan Bloemendaal, NELSON Worldwide (2012 Legion of Honor Inductee); Mardi Najafi, Figure3 (2023 Inductee); Ray Ehscheid, FRDI; Rebekah Sigfrids, Bank of America (2023 Inductee); John McNulty’s son accepting on his father’s behalf, MBH Architects (2023 Inductee); Cynthia Ortiz, RDI; Sanjay Agarwal, FRDC (2023 Inductee); Ron Pompei, Pompei C3 (2023 Inductee); Joe Nevin (2017 Inductee).