Jeffrey Matthews—owner of Trade International Inc. in Atlanta, and one of the natural stone industry’s most knowledgeable experts—has been awarded the 2014 Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement by the MIA, the industry’s highest honor. It was presented at MIA’s annual awards luncheon at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas, Jan. 22, 2015.

Matthews, a native of Washington D.C., has been in the stone industry since the early 1970s, amassing more than four decades of experience in sales, marketing consulting and service to the industry and the MIA. He has visited over 30 countries, over 300 quarries, and inspected more than 400 factories worldwide.

In 1986, at the age of 37 and after several years of service to the MIA as an officer and director, he was named the association’s youngest president.Over the years, he and other officers were instrumental in revising the Dimension Stone Design Manual (DSDM), producing the MIA Stone Color Book, and assisting the MIA with becoming a more relevant organization. Once off the board, his involvement with the MIA continued.

He assisted in authoring the early version of the Stone Selection & Stone Testing technical bulletin, as well as helping to complete version six of DSDM, after MIA technical director Vincent Migliore passed away. Today, Matthews is still consumed with learning and helping others do a better job in selling and producing better projects.  He is currently working with other MIA volunteers on a new “Supplier to Buyer” stone manual, which will debut in 2015.

In a letter nominating Matthews for the Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement Award, David Carnevale of Carnevale and Lohr in Bell Gardens, Calif. said, “His vast knowledge makes him a valuable asset to our industry. But more important is his unwavering dedication to the betterment of our industry.”