BURBANK, Calif. – Tom Stewart, founder of BDSM and fetish pleasure products manufacturer Sportsheets, was inducted into the StorErotica Hall of Fame during the 2015 awards ceremony. The StorErotica Awards were part of the Adult Novelty Manufacturers Expo, the largest annual industry trade show in the U.S. devoted to the pleasure products industry.

“When I won this award I didn’t know it was a category, otherwise I would have voted for myself,” Stewart joked during his acceptance speech.

Unlike many other awards, the StorErotica Awards maintain secrecy about the annual inductee into the Hall of Fame. Stewart literally didn’t know he was to be honored until his name was announced.

“It was clear that no one had tipped Tom off about him being inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said industry veteran Mike Kulich, who was seated across the table from Stewart in the audience. “As I heard Kris [Kay, PR director for StorErotica magazine] describing Tom’s career, from his humble beginnings as a military pilot to the infamous David Letterman story which sparked the idea for the original Sportsheet prototype, I looked at Tom. He tried to play himself off as undeserving, yet he ­­­was overwhelmed with the applause and standing ovations of his industry peers. That is the kind of guy that Tom is — charismatic, but extremely humble.”

Julie Stewart, Tom Stewart’s sister and the president of Sportsheets, said, “Seeing Tom get the Hall of Fame Award was one of the highlights of my career. Tom works so hard and puts so much into our products and the company. He is so generous, creative and sincere. To see him receive that standing ovation from his peers was priceless.”

Kay, too, had kind words for Stewart, which he delivered as part of the Hall of Fame inductee announcement.

“In our industry not too many people can measure up to Tom Stewart, which made him an ideal choice for our 2015 StorErotica Hall of Fame,” Kay said. “As a business leader he has built the Sportsheets brand from conception to cornerstone, thereby creating what we know now as the soft bondage market. Personally, though, he’s just a helluva nice guy whose integrity proceeds him. Added to all of that is his wonderful family who has helped see his vision through to make Sportsheets a leading manufacturer in adult retail today. Mr. Stewart is more than deserving.”