Coverings Announces Young Industry Honors for 2023
ARLINGTON, Va. – Austin Maxwell, board president for the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA), is one of 15 young industry leaders selected as Rock Star Award winners for Coverings 2023.
Maxwell, the president of Maxwell Countertops in Farmer City, Ill, is the sole stone fabricator to be honored this year.
The Coverings Rock Stars program honors up-and-coming trailblazers in the tile and stone industry who continually revolutionize and inspire as pioneers of success. Award winners represent the industry’s brightest and most inventive young professionals raising the bar on performance and excellence.
A committee of longstanding tile and stone industry leaders thoughtfully evaluated nominations to select this year’s inductees.
“The Coverings Rock Stars program celebrates many incredible tile and stone industry experts of which the 15 most outstanding nominees are being honored across various categories this year,” said Jennifer Hoff, CEO of Taffy Event Strategies, LLC, the event management company for Coverings. “The winners are an extremely talented group of individuals who provide inspiration for their peers and colleagues from the creativity, innovation and commitment they consistently showcase.”
Other winners are:
Builder/Remodeler:
Christopher Rachel, Owner
Superior Home Solutions
Ashland, Neb.
Contractor/Installer:
Nathan Cooper, Owner
Infinity Bath
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Cody Cox, Operations Manager
Cox Tile Inc.
San Antonio
Randall Johnson, Tile Contractor
The Tile Geek, LLC
Meridian, Idaho
Maria Meyer, Tile Artisan Apprentice
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc
Shorewood, Wis.
Elly Warner, Apprentice Installer
Hawthorne Tile
Portland, Ore.
Schannon Yodice, Owner/Tile Contractor
That Tile Chick
League City, Texas
Distributor:
Melanie Lawton, Showroom Manager
Best Tile Company
North Scituate, R.I.
Interior Designer:
Kenya Jones-Lowell, Interior Designer Hospitality
MG2 Corporation
Puyallup, Wash.
Manufacturer:
Heather Ruhl, National Technical Manager
TEC/H.B. Fuller Construction Products, Inc.
Retailer:
Jack Rautiola, Head Merchant – Renovation
Wayfair
Boston
Other:
Casandra Guthrie, Manager, IS & Sales
Choices Wholesale Flooring Solutions
Albuquerque.
Manasa Rao, Sustainability Manager
WAP Sustainability Consulting
Chandler, Ariz.
Vincenzo Spina, Stone Consultant
STONEX Consulting
Dubai, UAE
The 2023 award recipients will be honored at Coverings 2023 on April 18 from 4-5 p.m. EDT in the Coverings Lounge at Booth 4209.
Wally Adamchik, Founder, FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, will present a professional development session geared toward emerging leaders entitled, “One Hit Wonder or Future Hall of Famer?” that will take place prior to the awards ceremony at the same location from 3:30-4 p.m.
Recognition for the winners also includes Coverings 2023 press content, a year-long professional feature on the Coverings website, and postings on Coverings’ social media channels and blog.
To learn more about the Coverings 2023 Rock Stars, visit coverings.com/coverings-rock-stars.
For more information and to register for Coverings 2023 at no cost, visit coverings.com.
