Industry veteran, Hall of Fame inductee Michael Massood dies at 96

WAYNE, N.J. — Michael Massood Sr., co-founder of MGM Transport Corp. and furniture industry icon, is being remembered by industry leaders for his warmth, generous spirit, charm and achievements. He died peacefully Dec. 2, at the age of 96.

Massood was the oldest boy of 10 children in a family that immigrated to New Jersey from Aleppo, Syria in 1921. A self-educated man, Mossood first worked in his father’s business, delivering fruit in the 1940s. After serving in the Army Airforce, he co-founded MGM Transport with brother George Massood in 1952 as a railcar distributor of furniture in greater New York.

“Convinced there was room in the furniture industry for a dependable, customer-focused carrier, Michael Massood developed relationships with many of the industry’s leaders,” the Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation noted in its biography of Massood.

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“Building on a reputation for honesty, fairness and reliability, (he) grew MGM from a single truck operation into one of the Northeast’s premier railcar distributors with more than 700 employees and $60 million in annual revenue.” (For the full Hall of Fame write-up click here).

MGM’s position as one of the largest furniture distributors in the nation, ultimately attracted the attention of CF Holding, which acquired the business in 2007.

In 2015, Massood was inducted into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, “honoring his legacy of hard work, reliability, integrity and innovation,” the family noted. He was also receive the International Home Furnishings Assn.’s Pillar of the Industry honor; City of Hope’s National Home Furnishings Industry Man of the Year Award; The Anti-Defamation Leagues’ Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Greater New York Home Furnishings Assn’s Hal Meadoff Award and David Druckman Lifetime Achievement Award.

In a tribute to his father on Facebook, Edward Massood, owner of Massood Logistics in Archdale, N.C., noted the passing of “my dad, best friend and mentor.”

“We were blessed in so many ways,” Massood posted. “Dad taught us the importance of family, commitment, integrity and work ethic.

“Dad never met a stranger; he always welcomed everyone regardless of what you did or who you were, treating everyone with respect.”

Massood said his father lived the American dreams, building the successful MGM Transport, which supported his siblings and their families.

The replies (more than 200) to the post from friends and industry colleagues recalled Massood’s humor, kindness, integrity and inclusion.

“What a wonderful gentleman and industry icon,” wrote Vaughan-Bassett President Doug Bassett.

Massood is survived by his wife Norma Massood; five children, Elias Massood, Michael J. Massood, Edward Massood, Mary Massood and Bernadette Varone; 10 grandchildren, including Tara Massood Prevo, with Massood Logistics; and seven great-grandchildren. 

Services were held Dec. 7 at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne, N.J. 

Memorials may be made to Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J., or the City of Hope Cancer Center. 

The family will hold a memorial service after COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. More information will follow.

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