March 30, 2023

Coverings, the international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, has announced the annual Rock Star Award winners in advance of Coverings 2023, which will take place April 18-21, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida. 

The Coverings Rock Stars program has a long history of honoring up-and-coming trailblazers in the tile and stone industry who continually revolutionize and inspire as pioneers of success. 

The coveted annual awards reinforce Coverings’ mission to support the advancement and achievements of the industry by distinguishing exemplary young leaders and fostering networking and educational opportunities. Award winners represent the industry’s brightest and most inventive young professionals raising the bar on performance and excellence. 

“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.” 

A committee of longstanding tile and stone industry leaders thoughtfully evaluated nominations to select this year’s inductees for Coverings Rock Star status. The 2023 Rock Stars represent numerous industry segments and include the following winners: 

Builder/Remodeler (1):

Christopher Rachel, Owner
Superior Home Solutions, Ashland, Nebraska

Contractor/Installer (6):

Nathan Cooper, Owner
Infinity Bath. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Cody Cox, Operations Manager
Cox Tile Inc., San Antonio, Texas

Randall Johnson, Tile Contractor
The Tile Geek, LLC, Meridian, Idaho

Maria Meyer, Tile Artisan Apprentice
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works Inc, Shorewood, Wisconsin

Elly Warner, Apprentice Installer
Hawthorne Tile, Portland, Oregon

Schannon Yodice, Owner/Tile Contractor
That Tile Chick, League City, Texas

Distributor (1):

Melanie Lawton, Showroom Manager
Best Tile Company, North Scituate, Rhode Island

Interior Designer (1):

Kenya Jones-Lowell, Interior Designer Hospitality
MG2 Corporation, Puyallup, Washington

Manufacturer (1):

Heather Ruhl, National Technical Manager
TEC/H.B. Fuller Construction Products Inc. 

Retailer (1):

Jack Rautiola, Head Merchant – Renovation
Wayfair, Boston

Stone Fabricator (1):

Austin Maxwell, President
Maxwell Countertops, Farmer City, Illinois

Other (3):

Casandra Guthrie, Manager, IS & Sales
Choices Wholesale Flooring Solutions, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Manasa Rao, Sustainability Manager
WAP Sustainability Consulting, Chandler, Arizona

Vincenzo Spina, Stone Consultant
STONEX Consulting, Dubai, UAE

The 2023 award recipients will be honored at Coverings 2023, April 18, 4-5 p.m. EDT. Coverings attendees are welcome to join the celebration at the awards ceremony and networking reception in the Coverings Lounge, 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.