CLEVELAND, OH - Chester A. Smith of Chester A. Smith, Inc. in Columbus, OH, has been awarded the 2010 Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Marble Institute of America (MIA). Smith’s lifetime of work began in 1912 as a draftsman for Columbus Marble Works. When that company went out of business, he joined the Wege Marble & Tile Co. and spent 16 years with that firm. In 1928, he formed Chester A. Smith, Inc. and concurrently operated the Detroit Marble Works in Detroit, MI.

“Chester is so deserving of this award not only because of his lifetime of leadership in the stone industry, but because of his dedication to the MIA,” said Garis Distelhorst, Executive Vice President of the MIA. “Chester served as the only president of the MIA to be elected twice in a row and also served as the organization’s treasurer for five terms. This honor was deserved and overdue.”

The Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement is named for the late Vincent Migliore, long-time technical director for the MIA and the first winner of the award. Smith was presented the award on January 26, 2011 at MIA’s Annual Awards Luncheon at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas. Other winners of the Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement are Joe Kapcheck, Malcolm Cohen, Bernie Polak, Vic Green, Louie Carnevale and Terry O’Neill.