Upper Nyack Resident & Local Business Leader Wins Prestigious Licensing Industry Award

Upper Nyack resident, Bernard Leifer, President and CEO of Hackensack, NJ-based SG Companies, has been selected by The Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), the primary trade organization for the worldwide licensing industry, as its 2013 Licensing Industry Hall of Fame inductee.

Leifer has been with the privately-held footwear and apparel manufacturer, originally known as S. Goldberg, for 32 years. He is recognized for his pioneering spirit and leadership within North America’s annual $109.3 billion licensing industry. Leifer has helped the company achieve remarkable growth in excess of 700 percent since he was named president and CEO in 1985.

From his first deal with Tonka for Pound Puppies-licensed slippers in 1985 to SG’s expansion into apparel via the formation of SGI Apparel Group, for which it secured the worldwide license to produce Harley-Davidson-branded products for children – among many other globally-famous brands – Leifer is a recognized visionary in the licensing industry.

Capitalizing on the success of the company’s first license – Roy Rogers slippers in 1953 – Leifer enhanced SG’s offerings across an expansive range of footwear and apparel categories, expanding distribution to mass market and mid-tier retail stores from Nordstrom to Dollar General as well as supermarket and drugstore chains.

Leifer will receive his honor on June 18 in Las Vegas at 2013 Licensing Expo, the annual trade show for the licensing industry.

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