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2000 CADRE Awards

Dec. 1, 2000
7 min read

Each year, local Remodelors Councils accomplish many outstanding goals and activities. The Council Awards for Demonstrating Remodeling Excellence (CADRE) recognize local councils and council members who have worked tirelessly to promote remodeling to the public, council members and the rest of the industry. CADRE is the highest national award a local Remodelors Council can receive. The awards are sponsored by the NAHB Remodelors Council, Professional Remodeler magazine and Weather Shield Windows & Doors.

Winners are awarded on the following criteria:

 

 

 

  • benefit to/for council
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  • benefit to/for industry
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  • benefit to/for the public
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  • strength of idea, concept or program
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  • overall success of idea, concept or program

    The CADRE judging panel is made up of NAHB Remodelors Council members and representatives from Professional Remodeler. Judging for the awards took place at the NAHB Fall Board meeting in Greensboro, N.C.

    Remodelor of the Year
    New to the CADRE program this year, the Remodelor of the Year award is given to a remodeler who demonstrates longevity in business; customer satisfaction; community involvement; industry involvement at the state, local or national level; business technology and innovation; and continuing education participation. This year, the newly revised award goes to Lonny Rutherford, CGR, of Farmington, N.M. He has owned his remodeling firm since 1969. Rutherford is active in his community. He founded the local Home and Garden Show sponsored by his HBA. He has taken part in building children’s playhouses from which the proceeds went to indigent families, he is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce, and he is chairman of the City of Farmington Capital Improvement Advisory Council, which assists the city in land-use plans and improvements. Rutherford began his industry involvement in his local HBA. He was president in 1995 and then went on to serve as president of the state HBA in 1997. He serves on the NAHB Remodelors Council Board of Trustees and is chairman of the council’s Membership Committee. "I believe in my industry. I strive to spread the word [about it] by speaking to formal groups, by educating myself and my clients, and by serving my community," he says.

    Membership Recruitment and Retention
    Through educational programs for remodelers, networking opportunities, a commitment to professionalism and a Parade of Remodeled Homes, the Iowa City HBA Remodelors Council has gone from 26 members to 115 since 1996. The council’s retention rate is 90%. The council holds a membership drive that lasts an entire year. Many remodelers are recruited through the annual remodelors parade, and discounts are offered to offset the cost of first-year dues. The exposure -- through a multimedia marketing campaign for the parade -- for new members works as an excellent marketing tool for the council.

    Community Service Project
    A letter from a single mother and a picture of her handicapped daughter sparked the Greater Greensboro, N.C., HBA Remodelors Council to take on this year’s winning Community Service Project. The letter, written to a member of the HBA’s board, detailed the need for a bathroom that would accommodate a child in a wheelchair. It was a cry for help that tugged at the heartstrings of the members in the Remodelors Council. After careful assessment, the council determined that the existing bathroom could not be properly modified. So it began a bathroom addition project that led to many home improvements for the family. In total, an estimated $35,000 worth of new additions and renovations was provided at no cost to the mother and child. The out-of-pocket cost to the council was $9,647. The remaining costs for labor and materials were donated by members. To the mother and her child with cerebral palsy, the project was a "wonderful Christmas present," she told a local newspaper.

    Public Relations and Promotion
    The Remodelors Council of the HBA of Livingston County, Mich., uses a variety of methods to promote the remodeling industry to the public. And this year, its work has earned a CADRE. The council distributes several thousand Membership Directories each year. In addition, it recently created a Web site -- www.hbalc.com -- that links to the Tour of Remodeled Homes. The council also takes advantage of advertising in local real estate publications, from which it reports that many consumer calls are generated. The council’s promotional events and activities include an annual Tour of Remodeled Homes, a council booth at local home shows, Christmas in April renovation blitz sponsorship and support, and National Job Shadow Day, for which council members "adopt" students for a day. As a result of Job Shadow Day, a local charter school whose students followed council members established ongoing five-week internships.

    Member Services and Education
    The York County HBA Remodelors Council takes education and member service seriously. Its CADRE-winning efforts include a wide array of courses including the PREP exam; a monthly council newsletter; several council meetings and social events; remodeling awards; the Remodeling Expo; and several forms, pamphlets and brochures that offer business tips and resources. The council also provides tools and information to consumers, such as the 2000 Consumers Guide. And the council takes part in several community service events, which are promoted to members and consumers. One mission of this council is to "ensure that the CGR designation is obtained in many ways." The council has 129 members.

    Outstanding Council Chairman
    Some people’s energy seems boundless. David Ewing’s just might be. He has been named the 2000 Outstanding Council Chairman. Under his direction, the HBA of Metro Portland Remodelors Council was formed in June 1998. He continued to serve as chairman for 2000. Ewing has been a driving force behind many successful council projects. He introduced the idea of a booth at the HBA’s Home and Garden Show, which increased public awareness of the industry as well as local remodelers. Ewing's contributions also include setting up sponsorship for the monthly council meetings; encouraging staff to produce a monthly newsletter, for which he writes articles; introducing the PAC House Remodel project (council members buy and renovate an existing home, and the proceeds from the sale benefit the HBA PAC); and creating the Remodelers Scholarship Fund. He recognizes opportunities for the council -- such as producing a Tour of Remodeled Homes, which generated $37,000 in nondues revenue -- and makes them reality.

    Outstanding Council Coordinator
    Hilde Bennighof has been with the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders Remodelors Council since 1994. Through her efforts, the council runs smoothly and efficiently, according to Bill Crawford, executive vice president of the association. Bennighof manages many of the council’s activities and services. She assists in member recruitment drives, prepares and processes all new member and renewal applications, designs fliers and brochures, recruits sponsors, manages events such as golf tournaments and annual parties, writes articles for the HBA highlighting members, manages awards programs and coordinates the Council Directory.

    Outstanding Associate Member
    Associate members are integral members of local Remodelors Councils. Their insight and support is invaluable, as Tom Dunn of Dunn Lumber Co. illustrates in his work with the Remodelors Council of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in Washington. Sherry Schwab, CGR, a council member, says Dunn is a "unique person who gives much of himself without seeking glory." While preparing the CADRE entry for Dunn, Schwab and other members found out just how incredible Dunn’s behind-the-scenes work for the council really is. Dunn supports all council events, such as Rampathon, the Remodeled Homes Tour, the Remodelors Golf Tournament and the Remodeling Excellence Awards, through financial contributions and his participation. According to another member, Sandy McAdams, CGR, "Dunn is definitely a friend of our association and unhesitatingly supports the council’s events."

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