Coverings Rock Stars for 2021

ARLINGTON, Va. – Sixteen emerging leaders in the tile and stone industry are being recognized as Coverings Rock Stars for 2021.

The program, now in its seventh year, supports the growth and success of the industry by distinguishing talented young leaders and fostering networking and educational opportunities.

This year’s list includes:

Designer

Rebecca Oehlschlaeger, Designer & Special Projects Manager, Bellew Tile & Marble, Sandwich, Mass.
Raquel Raney, Designer, EoA Group, Miami

Distributor

Bruna Da Silva, Purchasing Manager, StoneHardscapes LLC, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Blakely Dent, RID, Commercial Sales Specialist, Florida Tile, Lexington, Ky.
Annie Llerena, Branch Manager, D&B Tile Distributors, Doral, Fla.

Fabricator

Steven Miranda, Production & Facilities Manager, NOVUS Building Services, Sterling, Va.

Installer

Ken Ballin, Owner, Skyro Floors, West Creek, N.J.
Mikaela Fedor, Owner, Tile Titan LLC, Bath, Pa.
Nick Struzik, Owner/Setter, Syndicate Tile and Stone, Burr Ridge, Ill.

Manufacturer

Adam Abell, Senior Market Manager – Tile & Stone and Surface Prep Products, Bostik, Wauwatosa, Wis.
Sarah Williams, Marketing Director, iQ Power Tools, Perris, Calif.

Retailer

Meagan Jensen, Co-Owner, Bella Pietra Design, Honolulu
Nicolas Valderrama, Sales Manager, Casa Linda Tile & Marble, Miami

Trade Associations

Christopher Ellis, Tile, Marble, Terrazzo Field Representative, Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 WA/AK, Lacey, Wash.
Amanda McMillan, Director of Member Experience, Rockheads Group USA, Beachwood, Ohio.

Other Category

Jennifer Diliberto Riquelme, Senior Development Chemist, MAPEI Corporation, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

“These young professionals have already made impactful contributions to the tile and stone industry in their careers, and we look forward to seeing even more advancement and evolution from them in the years to come,” said Jennifer Hoff, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the show management company for Coverings. “We are honored to yet again welcome an exceptional group of emerging leaders into the Rock Stars program.”

The group will be honored on July 7 in the Coverings Lounge as part of Coverings 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Featured programming created for young professionals will include an interactive session from Dahlia El Gazzar, founder of Dahlia+Agency, on social media, content creation and how to brand oneself in the marketplace.

Past Rock Star winners will be involved in the session to speak about how their careers and personal growth have changed since winning the coveted award.

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