Rick Seidman to Receive Guiding Light Award at Goombay Bash

The H Foundation has selected Quoizel’s Rick Seidman as this year’s recipient.

During next month’s annual Goombay Bash at Chicago’s Navy Pier, The H Foundation will present Rick Seidman, president & CEO of Quoizel, with the 2026 Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award.  

The award will be presented at the organization’s annual fundraiser Goombay Bash, which will be held July 25 in the Aon Grand Ballroom on Chicago’s Navy Pier. The event benefits basic science cancer research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Since its founding in 2001 by Hortons Home Lighting and other LaGrange, Ill.-based businesses, The H Foundation and the Goombay Bash have been celebrated and supported by a sense of community. This grassroots spirit has underscored the message that “Cancer Is Personal,” affecting real people — families, friends, neighbors, partners and patrons.

In 2017, The H Foundation created an opportunity to specifically celebrate the lighting industry community for its unwavering and continued support. The Guiding Light Award was created to honor companies and individuals in the lighting community for their consistent and enduring efforts supporting The H Foundation’s mission to fund basic science research and find a cure for cancer. Quoizel, as a company, was presented with the inaugural award, along with Generation Lighting, Hinkley, Kichler, Satco and WAC Lighting.

Subsequent recipients have included Lighting One President Gregg Garofalo, Hubbardton Forge CEO Maria Mullen, former WAC Lighting Co-CEOs Dirk and Shelley Wald, Satco President Bill Gildin, and Satco Senior Vice President of Global Sales Alan Karen.

In 2022, the award was given posthumously to former Hinkley CEO Rick Wiedemer, for whom the award is now named.

The Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award is given annually to an individual or company who exemplifies the leadership qualities that will guide others toward a brighter future in which no one will suffer the hardships of this horrible disease that affects one in three people. Thanks to the lighting industry and other supporters, The H Foundation has raised more than $15 million to date.

Nominations are accepted from the entire lighting industry for the Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award. Those nominations are then reviewed by a committee to determine the 2026 recipient.

Seidman’s passion for advancing cancer research, combined with his longstanding commitment to The H Foundation and the lighting industry, makes him a truly deserving recipient of the 2026 Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award.

Like so many, cancer became deeply personal to him at a young age when his father passed away from pancreatic cancer. Years later, cancer would impact his family again when his wife’s sister lost her battle with cancer just 45 days after their wedding. Because cancer ran in both of their families, Seidman’s wife underwent BRCA genetic testing and, after receiving a positive result, took proactive steps to eradicate the disease before it could progress. Today, their two daughters have also tested positive for the BRCA gene and continue to closely monitor their health with the support of advancements in research and technology.

Through every challenge, Seidman and his family have approached cancer with determination, hope, and action. His message is simple yet powerful: Do not live in fear.

Tickets are now available to attend the July 25 Goombay Bash, which runs 5pm to midnight and has a casual Caribbean theme where tropical prints and comfortable attire are encouraged.

Tickets are $195 or $350 for VIP seating and can be purchased here.

Donations of cash or items and services for auction are also accepted, and there are multiple levels of sponsorship opportunities available.

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