Fabulous Furs founder Donna Salyers was given the Pioneer Award by the Kenton County Fiscal Court on Tuesday night.
The Pioneer Award honors Kenton County residents who have a record of demonstrating outstanding service within the community.
“We want to say thank you for representing the region so well and setting a standard by which, as an entrepreneur, as a business person, and giving back and setting the standard that everybody can reach,” Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said.
The fiscal court played a video during the meeting honoring Salyers. The video featured an appearance from Jeanne Schroer, CEO of the Catalytic Fund, who shared kind remarks about Salyers’ impact on Covington.
“I think that the reason that Donna Salyers is one of the most wonderful business people and wonderful individuals, and I know is that she is a great example of how someone can be a truly nice and generous person, and at the same time achieve great success in her business and all of her other charitable endeavors,” Schroer said.
Salyers launched Fabulous Furs, a luxury faux fur retailer, out of her garage in 1989. Her business grew from there, eventually drawing the eye of Hollywood wardrobe stylists. Her coats have been used in featured in popular shows such as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Only Murders in the Building.”
In addition to Fabulous Furs, Salyers is also a founder of the Salyers Group, a commercial real estate venture widely credited with helping restore downtown Covington throughout the 2000s. The Salyers Group is behind a number of the city’s most notable businesses, including the Hotel Covington and Madison Event Center.