Longtime industry advocate and Invacare Corp. founder A. Malachi “Mal” Mixon has received a lifetime achievement award from the American Association of Homecare (AAHomecare).

Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) presented the award to Mixon during last week’s AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

Mixon retired as executive chairman of Invacare’s board of directors in December, but remains a board member. In the announcement of Mixon’s retirement, Invacare said he would be nominated for a final board of directors term this year.

Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president/CEO, said of the award, “Mal’s tenacity and compassion are admirable. It is important that we, as an industry, recognize his contributions. He has certainly set a high bar for what it means to be an impactful business leader.”

In its announcement, AAHomecare added that it “intends the award to serve as motivation for other business leaders to become more active in the legislative process both locally and in Washington.”