LOS ANGELES — Dan and Shay Martin of Vibratex will receive the Pioneer Award tonight at the 2017 XBIZ Awards, to be held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles and hosted by veteran adult star Ron Jeremy.
“We are so touched by this generous recognition, and we want to thank our friends and customers in the industry from the bottom of our hearts,” said Shay Martin, who started helping out in the family business during her high school years and has served as Vibratex’s vice president since 1999.
The Pioneer Award honors company figures who have had a profound impact on the adult industry through vision and innovation.
More than 30 years ago, Vibratex introduced its blended-orgasm vibrator, now the Rabbit Habit Original Deluxe.
“Later, the company was instrumental in saving the iconic Magic Wand massager not once but twice — first, when Hitachi had stopped sales to the U.S market, and then a second time when the Japanese company decided to remove its name from the Magic Wand,” a Vibratex spokesperson said.
More recently, Vibratex brought the cordless Magic Wand Rechargeable to consumers, together with Hitachi. Vibratex, which remains the sole importer to North America of the Magic Wand, continues to be a second-generation, family-owned company, based in Napa, Calif.
In addition to their work with Vibratex and Magic Wand-branded products, Dan and Shay Martin have supported people coming into industry, and have helped new brands get off the ground, including We-Vibe and Jimmyjane.
"We’ve seen such wonderful change in our industry over the years: the empowerment of women, greater openness about sexuality, acceptance of others and so many amazing products brought about by innovation and thinking outside the box,” Shay Martin said. “But one thing that has not changed is the fact that we all support each other in this business and are like a big family. For that, we are continually grateful.”
Other Pioneer Award recipients this year are Ron Cadwell of CCBill, Kelly Holland of Penthouse and Eldorado CEO and founder Larry Garland.
For more information on Vibratex, visit their official website or follow them on Twitter.
