A pioneer in the gambling venues furniture industry, Zeno Rizzo, passed away on September 17. Rizzo was the founder of MGR Casino Chairs, a world leader in the design and production of chairs and other furniture for the gambling industry.
MGR Casino Chairs Founder Dies from Heart Attack
Last week MGR Casino Chairs announced with deep regret that its founder Zeno Rizzo died in his sleep on September 17. 74-year-old Rizzo suffered a heart attack and died peacefully at his home in Castelfranco Veneto.
Rizzo, born in 1948, founded MGR Casino Chairs in the late 90s. He found inspiration in the handcrafts in Treviso and developed a unique design of chairs for casinos, slot machines, and other games of chance.
In 20 years, Rizzo together with his wife, four sons, and extended family managed to develop the company into a world leader in furniture for the casino seating industry. Starting as a small business in Castelfranco Veneto, the company eventually established itself on the US market and opened a branch in Las Vegas.
With an unprecedented vision for innovation, Rizzo developed a brand that distanced itself from mass production and focused on ergonomics and unique design. Rizzo succeeded in revolutionizing the casino seating sector by highlighting the link between profits and the level of comfort gamblers experience sitting in front of a table game or slot machine.
Not Just a Company but a Family Heritage
As old age came upon Rizzo he decided to draw back and left the management of MGR Casino Chairs to his four sons Guido, Giovanni, Giacomo, and Giorgio as he wanted to spend more time with his loving wife Maria and his five grandchildren. This happened a few years ago. However, his sons report that he could never keep fully away from the company. Rizzo always kept an eye on MGR Casino Chair’s new designs and lines of products.
A note written by Rizzo and found in his assorted notes expresses his vision and philosophy in the best way: “Escaping banality, making beauty democratic, rejecting both bourgeois luxury and mass production in harmony with the aesthetics of simplicity.”
Rizzo will be remembered not only as a furniture innovator but also as a loving husband, father, and grandfather, colleague, mentor, and leader. In the same way, he showed compassion to his loved ones he also cared for his employees Always ready to offer advice and help, his family and employees knew Rizzo will always be there to support them.