Shaw Industries' Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer Kellie Ballew has been honored with the 2024 IWBI Trailblazer Award by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The award recognizes individuals pushing boundaries in the WELL movement, advancing health and well-being in the built environment.

IWBI is the organization behind the WELL Building Standard, a performance-based certification system that measures, certifies, and monitors features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being. The standard addresses factors such as air quality, water, light, comfort, nutrition, fitness, and mental health in buildings and spaces where people live and work.

Throughout her 30-year career at Shaw, Ballew has embedded sustainability into product development and manufacturing processes. She was instrumental in developing Shaw's EcoWorx carpet tile, the industry's first PVC-free and fully recyclable carpet tile. Under her leadership, Shaw became the first flooring company to receive the Works with WELL product license for its EcoWorx carpet tile.

Ballew also played a key role in launching EcoWorx Resilient in 2024, a PVC-free, fully recyclable, and low embodied carbon flooring solution.

"Kellie's dedication to sustainability, innovation, and human-centric design has made a profound impact on both Shaw and the broader industry," said Shaw President & CEO Tim Baucom.

"I am honored to receive the IWBI Trailblazer Award and to be recognized among such an inspiring group of professionals from around the world," Ballew said. "At Shaw, we believe in putting people at the center of all we do – what we call sustain[HUMAN]ability – which ensures we are designing and manufacturing products that help contribute to healthier, more sustainable spaces."

The recognition is part of IWBI's annual Community Awards, celebrating leaders committed to promoting people-first places. IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon noted, "Each of these leaders have made profound contributions to the healthy building movement and advancing our shared vision for people-first places and flourishing organizations."