National Kitchen & Bath Hall of Fame, Founding Member - 1989
Herb was inaugurated as a founding member of the NKBA Hall of Fame for his leading role in innovative kitchen and bath design and maintaining craftsmanship, quality and originality within the industry. Four years later, Herb received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Home Builders Hall of Fame.
U.S. Business Hall of Fame, Legend of Business Honors - 2006
The Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame recognized Herb as a Legend of Business by adding him to a growing exhibit of more than 200 award laureates on display at The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
National Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year - 2002
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards honor recipients’ ingenuity, perseverance and sustained business success. Herb earned the award for his foresight in manufacturing and was described in his induction as, “More than a visionary, he also personifies the persistence and drive required to transform such visions into real products.”
Ellis Island Medal of Honor - 1997
Exemplifying American ideals in his business pursuits and preserving his Austrian heritage in and around the Village of Kohler, Herb was a recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Old Tom Morris Award, Lifetime Commitment to Golf - 2016
The award honors a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf and to those who mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris, the Scottish father of modern golf. The Board of Director of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of American (GCSAA) honored Herb with the award in 2016.
Steward of History & Historic Preservation Award - 2018
In 2018, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of The American Club, the Historic Hotels of America honored Herb as a hotelier who recognizes, preserves, and celebrates the importance of these icons of American history.
Kurt Hahn Award - Outward Bound - 2020
Named in honor of Outward Bound’s founder, the Kurt Hahn Award is the organization’s highest honor. It was presented to Herb and his daughter Laura Kohler for exemplifying the organization’s mission to change lives through challenge and discovery and create a more resilient and compassionate world.
American Morgan Horse Hall of Fame - 1995
Recognizing his passion for Morgan horses and excellence in maintaining the breed, Herb was inducted into the American Morgan Horse Association Hall of Fame. He went on to earn Breeder of the Year and Horse of the Decade for (Noble Flaire).
University of St. Andrews - Honorary Degree - 2018
After purchasing, restoring and developing the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, Herb was awarded an honorary degree in recognition of his significant contributions to the town and community of St Andrews.
Additional Achievements
- Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts, Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts (1980)
- Wisconsin Wildlife Habitat Development Award, Wisconsin Land Conservation Association (1992)
- Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (1994)
- Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Excellence in Hazardous Waste Reduction (1995 and 1996)
- Visionaries Award, American Craft Museum (1999)
- Kohler Co. Quarter Century Club (1986)
- National Kitchen and Bath Hall of Fame (1989, founding year)
- National “Spirt of Life” award, Plumbing and Mechanical Industries Alliance for the City of Hope. (1990, first award)
- National Housing Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement (1993)
- Family Business Hall of Fame, Case Western University (1997)
- National Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young (2002)
- Friend of the University Award, Marquette University (2005)
- Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame – Legend of Business (2006)
- Best in American Living Awards Hall of Fame (2016)
- Morgan Horse Hall of Fame (1995)
- Morgan Horse Breeder of the Decade, Horse World magazine (1999)
- People’s Choice Breeder of the Year, Horse World magazine (five times, latest in 2000)
- Red Smith Award for outstanding contributions to Wisconsin sports (2002)
- Founder and trustee, Environmental Institute of Golf, philanthropic arm of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (2003)
- Wisconsin State Golf Association Hall of Fame (2004)
- Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeder’s Award, U.S. Equestrian Foundation (2005)
- Old Tom Morris Award for lifetime commitment to the game of golf, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (2015)
- Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (2019)
- Wisconsin Advertising Hall of Fame along with his wife, Natalie Black Kohler (2019)
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1997)
- Corporate Humanitarianism Award, DIFFA – Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (1998)
- Outward Bound award for contributions and continuing support (2001)
- Steward of History and Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide (2018)
- Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, University of St Andrews (2018)
- Outward Bound-Kurt Hahn Award, along with his daughter, Laura Kohler (2020)
- Choate Rosemary Hall
- Kohler Foundation, Inc.
- Kennedy Center
- Lawrence A. Appley Foundation
- National Association of Home Builders
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Kitchen & Bath Association
- Golf Course Superintendents of America Association
- PGA of America
- United States Golf Association
- The Royal & Ancient Golf Club
- Olmsted 200
- Outward Bound
- Lawrence University
- Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art
Why do we succeed? Because at this company we all believe in each other and believe in our product.”
– Herb Kohler