For the past 25 years, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) has been designating both national and regional winners of its Contractor of the Year (Cot Y) Awards. Since its inception, this program has grown 250%, both in terms of entries and winners. Any NARI member may enter a project in one of the 27 categories that range from modest bathroom to exterior specialty to a whole house remodel. While we’ve grown accustomed to highlighting the CotY winners in NARI’s magazine, The Remodelers’ Journal, we found we were running out of space to adequately showcase the marvelous work and craftsmanship of our members.

What is craftsmanship? It’s defined as the practice of a trade or craft with high skill or dexterity. Our main reason for establishing this publication is to raise awareness of our Cot Y Winners’ skill, imagination, creativity

and talent. A project that displays exceptional craftsmanship has a quality to it that stirs and inspires.

The benefits of being able to label a project a Cot Y winner are many. NARI sends press releases announcing both regional and national winners to more than 10,000 publications nationwide, many that request imagery from the award-winning projects. In addition, the editors of Remodel, a Better Homes & Gardens special interest publication, choose projects to feature in the bimonthly magazine that is published in both print and online formats. It also gives companies another tool to boost sales and marketing efforts as a reason to get in touch with past and prospective future clients.

Traditionally, these award winners are honored at the Evening of Excellence™ dinner, where the winners at the

national level are announced, and the CotY Wall of Fame is on display, but NARI sought to take it a step further and honor the award winners who put in the time, hard work, problem-solving skills, and yes, craftsmanship that made these winning projects stand above other entries.

Here we bring you not just any showcase, but rather a place where you can see the remodeling projects that are recognized as the "cream of the crop" in the remodeling industry.

Please join us in congratulating these true artists in the our industry.

— Amy Brown

Chair of the Awards Committee

— Carroll Bogard, CGRA

Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee

Cot Y judging took place Jan. 9 and 10 in Des Plaines, Ill. NARI thanks the following judges for their expertise and time:

Back row, from left

Nick Virgilio, CKD, CGR, Janco Design Group, Bloomingdale, Ill.

Anna Marie Mavrakis, IDS, Mavrakis Construction Inc., Canton, Ohio

Donna Dew, CR, Oak Tree Construction Services, Schaumburg, Ill.

Doug Fauth, CKBR, Carriage Hill Cabinet Co., Frederick, Md.

Awards Vice Chair, Debbie Mackey, Daniel Mackey Construction Inc., San Jose, Calif.

True Davis, True T. Davis Building & Remodeling, Milford, Mass.

Alan Zielinski, CKD, Better Kitchens Inc., Niles, Ill

Tony Tripp, CR, CKBR, CLC,
Tripp Builders Inc., Chicago, Ill.

Douglas Traver, CR, Traver Construction Inc., Dallas, Texas

Patrick Ganey, Julius Lowenberg & Associates Construction, El Paso, Texas

Awards Chair, Amy Brown, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by Worldwide, Waco, Texas

Front row, from left Awards Vice Chair, Nick Kress, Standards of Excellence, Sacramento, Calif.

Roy Bryhn, CR, Bryhn Construction Inc., Flemington, N.J.

Eliot Nusbaum, Better Homes and Gardens/Remodel, Des Moines, Iowa

Thomas McKee, CR, Cottage Craft Design & Construction, Portland, Ore.

Peter Favia, N.A. Favia Builders, Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Adam Berlin, Maverick Home Remodeling Inc., Littleton, Colo.