Coverings, the premier 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, Neb.

Contractor/Installer (6):

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

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, Wis.

Elly Warner, Apprentice Installer, Hawthorne Tile, Portland, Ore.

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

Distributor (1):

Melanie Lawton, Showroom Manager, Best Tile Company, North Scituate, R.I. 

Interior Designer (1):

Kenya Jones-Lowell, Interior Designer Hospitality, MG2 Corporation, Puyallup, Wash.

Manufacturer (1):

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

Retailer (1):

Jack Rautiola, Head Merchant – Renovation, Wayfair, Boston, Mass.

Stone Fabricator (1): 

Austin Maxwell, President, Maxwell Countertops, Farmer City, Ill.

Other (3): 

Casandra Guthrie, Manager, IS & Sales, Choices Wholesale Flooring Solutions, Albuquerque, N.M.

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, 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.  

To learn more about the Coverings 2023 Rock Stars, visit coverings.com/coverings-rock-stars.