The co-founder of Vitality Furniture has turned an eye for restoration, a talent for relationships and a belief in skilled craftsmanship into a business whose work reaches far beyond Los Angeles. Before Felecia Fisher-Shamu’s furniture appeared in luxury hotels and major entertainment venues, she was getting to know the people who kept hotels running. Early in her hospitality career, she built relationships with engineering and housekeeping teams at properties in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. She learned what guests might never notice: how much work goes into maintaining a beautiful space, and how important it is for furnishings to endure. That understanding helped shape Vitality Casegoods, Restorations, and Furniture Manufacturing, Inc. As its CEO and co-founder, Fisher-Shamu has made a name for herself in custom furniture design, manufacturing and restoration. She has built the business with perseverance, creative vision and a team of experienced craftspeople. Her work has traveled well beyond Southern California, reaching properties in the United States, Anguilla, Saudi Arabia and Canada. Vitality’s projects have included sustainable furnishings work with Google and Aria Hotel Las Vegas, hospitality properties such as the Westin Bonaventure, and settings for the NAACP Image Awards, Daytime Emmys and Oscar celebrations. Its event work also included a VIP gala honoring Ruth E. Carter, the Academy Award-winning costume designer behind Black Panther. Each assignment called for more than a good design. Fisher-Shamu and her team had to understand a client’s vision, solve practical problems and deliver work suited to the space. That ability to bring an idea into the room—and make it work there—has helped Vitality earn opportunities across hospitality and entertainment. The pandemic tested businesses connected to travel and live events. Vitality continued to take on demanding projects, including work associated with SoFi Stadium’s Owner’s Club, Live! by Loews St. Louis and Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The company’s own portfolio also lists custom furnishings for SoFi Stadium and renovation work at the Westin Bonaventure. For all the excitement of a new venue, Fisher-Shamu has long been drawn to pieces with a past. Vitality helped restore antiques brought from Paris for Lumière at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Earlier in her career, she restored antiques for the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills. Her passion for restoring and reproducing antique furnishings reflects a maker’s ability to see what a piece has been—and what it can become. That same outlook runs through her entrepreneurial journey. Fisher-Shamu began by building trust, paid attention to the work behind the scenes and surrounded herself with people who could help bring ambitious projects to life. She did not simply find a place in furniture manufacturing. She helped build one. Felecia Fisher-Shamu is a possibility builder because she sees potential in people, partnerships and materials—and has made a business of bringing it to life.

Richard “Rick” Benbow III connects employers, educators and communities to help more people reach the careers they imagine for themselves. For Rick Benbow, access to education means more than opening a door. People also need a path through it: a way to gain skills, connect with employers and see where their effort can take them. As a vice president at Western Governors University , Benbow builds partnerships that connect education with workforce needs. His market expansion work has contributed to more than 45% enrollment growth, and he has secured $5 million in grant funding to address education gaps. Among his accomplishments is a California High Road Training Partnership grant aimed at expanding workforce opportunities. Benbow’s work has also included developing Nevada’s first software development apprenticeship program and building relationships with companies such as Apple and Google. Across these efforts, he focuses on a practical question: What would make this opportunity reachable for someone who has the talent, but needs a clear route forward? He describes his leadership style as part builder, part connector and part coach. That approach has shaped his work with employers, agencies and educational institutions, as well as outreach efforts designed to speak to the communities they hope to serve. His experience also includes a strategic plan that strengthened UCLA’s engagement across greater Los Angeles. Benbow measures growth by more than enrollment or the size of a partnership. The greater promise is what happens when those connections lead to skills, credentials and careers. By bringing the right people and resources together, he is helping make that promise possible for more learners. Connect with Richard (Rick) Benbow, III >> here .