Coverings Announces Young Leader Honors
ATLANTA – Coverings announces the honorees of the annual Rock Star Awards. The announcement comes ahead of Coverings 2024, which will take place April 22-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
This is the 10th year of the awards program, underscoring Coverings’ commitment to fostering industry growth by honoring exemplary young leaders in the tile and stone industry. Rock Star recipients epitomize the industry’s young professionals who are setting new standards in performance and excellence to further industry advancement.
Jenn Heinold, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the show management company for Coverings, says the Rock Stars program has become a Coverings cornerstone.
“The 2024 Rock Stars represent shining examples of professionals who demonstrate leadership, creativity, and commitment to excellence, helping to drive the industry forward in countless positive ways,” Heinold said. “Coverings is proud to honor these exceptional individuals as part of the program’s tenth anniversary celebration.”
This year’s 16 Rock Stars inductees were chosen by a panel of tile and stone industry leaders who carefully reviewed nominations to make their selections, who include seven contractor/installers, two designers, four distributors, two manufacturers and a retailer.
Those selected are:
Contractor/Installer:
Sean Gordy, owner, Gordy Tile, Atlanta
Shanan Hehir, owner, Shanans Absolute Tile LLC, Manchester, Vt.
Trever Hook, owner, Hooked on Tile LLC, Evansville, Wis.
Nathan Merrill, installer/owner Vision Stone and Tile, Mogadore, Ohio
Aryk Snowberger, owner, Snowbee Custom Tile, Canton, Ohio
Gus Tolleson, project manager, J&R Tile, Inc., San Antonio
Designer:
Marie Page, sales design consultant, Architessa, Rockville, Md.
Amala Raj Swenson, principal interior designer, Amala Raj Interiors, San Diego
Distributor:
Steve Bellew, operations manager, warehouse coordinator/ co-owner, Bellew Tile and Marble Co./ TJB Imports, Hingham, Mass.
John Donaghy, director of operations – commercial division, Best Tile, Fairhaven, Mass.
Jordan Johnson, procurement associate, International Tile & Stone, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Matthew Marchildon, tool & accessory division manager, Centura Tile. Toronto
Manufacturer
Markus Dworowy, national technical manager, Blanke Corporation, Rolling Meadows, Ill.
Kali Pharand, product standards and sustainability coordinator, Schluter Systems, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Retailer:
Dani Willians, CEO and creative director, Artesana Tile, Tucson, Az.
The 2024 Rock Stars will be honored at Coverings alongside winners from the past nine years. A panel with previous Rock Stars talking about unlocking the key to a successful career will top off the celebration.
The 2024 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and 10th Anniversary Celebration will be held April 22, from 4-5 p.m. EDT in the Outdoor Oasis, Hall C, at Coverings. For more information and to register for Coverings at no cost, visit www.coverings.com
