With yet another International Builders’ Show (more commonly referred to as ‘IBS’ in the industry) on the books, we can’t help but reflect on how grateful we are to be a part of this amazing industry. The KGA team had many reasons to celebrate this year, and we are excited to share the highlights of our trip with you.
For those of you not familiar with IBS, it is a yearly event that brings building industry professionals from across the globe together for 3 days as part of Design & Construction Week. IBS 2018 took place in Orlando from January 9-11, welcoming approximately 60,000 attendees. The show is made up of a massive exhibit floor (583,000 SF) with over 1,500 exhibitors, more than 150 educations sessions, networking events and awards ceremonies.
Best in American Living Awards
We are incredibly proud to announce that Jerry Gloss was recently inducted into the National Association of Home Builders’ Best in American Living Awards (BALA) Hall of Fame! BALA is the nation’s premier awards program dedicated exclusively to recognizing and promoting residential design excellence. The BALA Hall of Fame program honors housing industry thought leaders who have significantly influenced residential design and the residential building industry.
Jerry’s involvement in the NAHB dates back to 1992, when he began attending spring and fall board meetings. Those first meetings sparked Jerry to further involvement in the Design Committee, where he served in various capacities until 2005. Jerry has been involved with the NAHB on the national and local levels for many years, contributing his time and efforts as an industry speaker, serving on committees, judging awards, and authoring articles. With a long history of BALA Awards his peers cite his contributions as adding to the success and prestige of the program.
In his acceptance remarks he reflected on the benefits of becoming involved in NAHB, and particularly with the Design Committee, noting that he gained tremendous knowledge and insights by “hanging out in rooms with smart people.” In turn, the experience furthered his career and helped to build KGA’s national reputation.
To receive this award on the heels of our 40th anniversary is incredibly special, and we couldn’t be more proud of Jerry!
MIRM
We are excited to announce that Jennifer Williams has officially received her MIRM designation! MIRM stands for Master in Residential Marketing, and represents the highest level of new home sales education offered by the NAHB. The MIRM designation represents years of industry experience, serious coursework requirements (including two eight-hour online courses and two full days of in-person classes) and a successful case study to complete the designation. The case study portion is an enormous undertaking in and of itself, and represents numerous hours of research and work. It is also a wonderful insight into the entire homebuilding process and what builders go through. There are not a lot of MIRM designees in the market, and we are proud to now have two at KGA!
The Nationals
The Nationals salutes and honors the best in the building industry for their determination, integrity, creativity and endurance. The most prestigious awards of their kind, Nationals winners set the benchmark for innovations in new home design, marketing and sales. Winners were selected by a panel of 7 industry professionals from a pool of over 1,300 entries from across the country.
KGA is thrilled to announce that we took home the Gold Award for Building Industry Community Spirit for the John Zay Guest House Expansion. The John Zay Guest House is a home away from home for outpatients and their families while receiving treatment at Penrose Hospital or Penrose Cancer Center in Colorado Springs. The expansion has added 11 mini-suites, making between 3,600 and 4,000 additional nights of lodging per year available for patients and their families.
The Denver Sales and Marketing Council (SMC) took home the Gold Award for Sales and Marketing Council of the Year. This is the second year in row and the fourth time in five years that the Denver SMC has received this recognition. This year is especially significant for KGA, since our Managing Partner Jennifer Williams was the 2017 SMC Chair.
Education Sessions
Jennifer Williams joined Angela Harris of TRIO Environments, Mary DeWalt of Mary DeWalt Design Group and CJ Ametrano of Toll Brothers in presenting “First Impression: How to Maximize your Design and Merchandising on a Budget”. Jennifer moderated this fast-paced panel discussion of industry leading interior merchandisers exploring budget-friendly design ideas, space plans and creative ways to differentiate yourself from the competition. Topics included lessons learned, creating memory points, ideas on how to create a trend setting design with wide audience appeal, and more.
To check out a recording of this session, visit www.buildersshow.com/ondemand
