Organizers of Coverings have announced 22 honorees for its prestigious annual awards programs Coverings Rock Stars and Coverings Champions, ahead of the show’s return to the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 30-April 2.
Coverings Rock Stars honors some of the best and brightest young leaders in the tile and stone industry, selected following an extensive candidate review by a panel of industry leaders.
This year’s inductees include the builders/remodelers Catherine Atkins, Thorntree Fine Porcelain & Natural Stone in Dallas and Michael Ray, Ray’s Renovation in Ramer, Tenn.; these contractors/installers: Hector Ruiz, HR Tile in Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Joppe Aguirre, Cascadia Tile Co. in Bend, Ore.; JP Bagget, Elite Tile Setters in South Jordan, Utah; Mauricio Rapalo, Prominent Tile in Houston; Neil Levens, Levens Renovations in Corpus Christi, Texas and Nicko Dimaadal, Tsunami Homes in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; these designers: Angie Gonzalez, Nico Tati Designs in Rockwall, Texas; Jennifer Hutton, Grau Design Studio in Durham, N.C. and Liany Arvelo, C4 Architecture in Orlando, Fla.; the distributor Vidya Walia, Arista International Inc. in Tempe, Ariz.; the manufacturer Leonardo Guardia, Cortag Tools USA Corp. in Hiram, Ga.; the marketing professionals Sara White, Novita Communications in New York City and Vanessa Leite, PBA Stones in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil; the retailers Anna McCortney, Ultimate Flooring in Akron, Ohio and Jessica Jackson, L & L Flooring and Design in Nashville; and the stone fabricator Noah Marques, Marques Countertops in Slidell, La.
Coverings Champions recognizes industry leaders for their outstanding contributions to the Coverings show and overall tile and stone community. Event organizers selected four nominees, then invited the tile and stone industry to vote online last February. Nominees were Betty Sullivan, Architectural Ceramics dba Architessa in Rockville, Md.; Dan Welch, Welch Tile in Kent City, Mich.; Jennifer Richinelli, Stone World magazine in Verona, N.J. and Scott Conwell, International Masonry Institute in Chicago.
Richinelli won with nearly 1,500 votes. According to organizers, “Richinelli is recognized for her unwavering dedication and outstanding contributions to the industry and the Coverings show, including serving on the Coverings Installation & Design (CID) Awards judging panel for more than 15 years.”
Awards ceremonies will take place in The Coverings Lounge, Booth 6014 on Monday, March 30 from 4 to 5 p.m. PDT.
