2013 Masonry Veneer Design Awards Contest Opens for Submissions

The Masonry Veneer Manufacturers Association (MVMA) is now accepting submissions into their annual MasonryVeneer Design Awards contest.

The judges are looking for entries that highlight innovative use and design, proper installation, and creative looks in Masonry Veneer, also known as manufactured stone veneer. In all, there are 10 award categories, ranging from New Construction, Residential and Exterior through Remodel, Commercial and Interior. A new “Innovation” category has been added this year, which will award innovation in masonry veneer.

“The 2013 Masonry Veneer Design Awards will be recognizing the year’s best Masonry Veneer projects for their innovation and beauty,” says Mike Fischer, MVMA general manager. “We had a close and exciting contest in 2012, with more than 250 entries submitted from around the country. We hope to outpace that this year and showcase some amazing projects.”

Winners will be announced at the MVMA Winter Meeting in Las Vegas during the 2013 International Builders Show. Each winner will receive a Certificate and national recognition for their work.

MVMA Design Awards Facts

-- All entries must be submitted online at www.MasonryVeneerDesignAwards.com by Nov. 11, 2012

-- An independent judging panel, made up of members of the American Institute of Building Design, will score the entries

-- There is no entry fee

-- Submissions require high-resolution images of the completed project

-- More information, including rules and entry requirements can be found at MasonryVeneerDesignAwards.com.

MVMA Announces Winners of Third-Annual Design Awards Competition

Thirty-six projects in nine categories were announced as winners in the third-annual Masonry Veneer Manufacturers Association (MVMA) Design Awards Contest at the annual MVMA Winter Meeting. The event was held in February during the International Builders Show in Orlando. The winners were chosen by five judges from the American Institute of Building Design. The MVMA Design Awards were created to recognize the work of industry professionals who are setting trends by featuring adhered concrete masonry veneer in their projects.  

2012 MVMA Design Awards Winners

Best in Show: Platinum – Van Winkle Residence, Paradise Valley, Ariz., Coronado Stone Products

New Construction – Residential – Interior: Platinum – Randy Cups, Celebrity Homes, Sunset Stone

New Construction – Residential – Exterior: Platinum – Derrick Johnson, Van Winkle Residence, Coronado

New Construction – Nonresidential – Interior: Platinum – Randy Cups, Sundial House, Sunset Stone           

New Construction – Nonresidential – Exterior: Platinum - Derrick Johnson, Greek Orthodox Church, Coronado 

Remodel – Residential – Interior: Platinum – Jim Doane, White Residence, Boral 

Remodel – Residential – Exterior: Platinum – Vic Breedlove, Home, Boral

Remodel – Nonresidential – Interior: Platinum – Cathy Burris, Hershey Medical Center Café, Quality Stone Veneer 

Remodel – Nonresidential – Exterior: Platinum – Cathy Burris, The Backdoor Café, Quality Stone Veneer 

Hardscape: Platinum – Lake Road Project, Boral

Best in Show: Platinum Award – Derrick Johnson, Van Winkle Residence, Paradise Valley, Ariz., Coronado Stone Products

Staff Innovation Award: Tom Calaccino, Clovis Tower, Veneerstone

Department of Management Services (DMS) Hosts Masonry Competition

Next week, the Florida Department of Management Services (DMS), the administrative arm of Florida’s state government, will be supporting the Florida Masonry Apprentice & Educational Foundation as it grooms Florida's next generation of masons.

The 8th Annual Northeast Florida Masonry Showcase, which will be held in Starke, Fla., Feb. 24, serves as the regional contest for up-and-coming masons to compete on a state and, then, hopefully, national level. This year, 35 young masons from seven schools will compete for a chance to move on to the statewide Florida Skills State Contest in Pensacola.

“Vocational training in these crafts teaches skills through the age-old apprenticeship method and prepares the next generation for entering the workforce,” says Department of Management Services' secretary, Jack Miles. “It is also incredibly fitting that the Starke warehouse plays host to this event, as both the participants and the surplus facility are some of Florida’s most valuable, but often untapped, resources.”

The DMS Bureau of Federal Property Assistance coordinates the distribution of roughly $5 million in donated federal property each year from the bureau’s warehouse in Starke, Fla. The Starke warehouse is the hub for federal surplus equipment and supplies that are provided to state and local governments, nonprofits, and other eligible organizations. DMS staff members at the warehouse are responsible for acquiring and distributing these goods, which saves taxpayer dollars and offers major cost avoidance in asset procurement, one of the lesser known but important services that DMS offers.

“This contest has become one of the premier masonry contests in America, and ‘recruiters’ from regional companies come to see the talent at work,” says Al Herndon, the northern representative for the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the training of the masonry trade in Florida.

For more information on the showcase, contact the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation at 904-838-6531, or visit www.MasonryEducation.org. For more information on the Florida Department of Management Services surplus property services, call the DMS Communications Office 850-921-5266 or the Bureau of Federal Property Assistance at 904-964-5601.