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, NE

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, WI

Elly Warner, Apprentice Installer

Hawthorne Tile

Portland, OR

Schannon Yodice, Owner/Tile Contractor

That Tile Chick

League City, Texas

Distributor (1):

Melanie Lawton, Showroom Manager

Best Tile Company

North Scituate, RI 

Interior Designer (1):

Kenya Jones-Lowell, Interior Designer Hospitality

MG2 Corporation

Puyallup, WA

Manufacturer (1):

Heather Ruhl, National Technical Manager

TEC/H.B. Fuller Construction Products, Inc.

Retailer (1):

Jack Rautiola, Head Merchant – Renovation 

Wayfair

Boston, MA

Stone Fabricator (1): 

Austin Maxwell, President

Maxwell Countertops

Farmer City, IL

Other (3): 

Casandra Guthrie, Manager, IS & Sales

Choices Wholesale Flooring Solutions

Albuquerque, NM

Manasa Rao, Sustainability Manager

WAP Sustainability Consulting

Chandler, AZ 

Vincenzo Spina, Stone Consultant

STONEX Consulting

Dubai, UAE.

The 2023 award recipients will be honored at Coverings 2023, April 18th, 4 p.m. to 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 p.m. to 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.

For more information and to register for Coverings 2023 at no cost, visit coverings.com.