Awards 2024
All photos courtesy ISFA.
Residential Mineral Surface Project of the Year
Surface Providers Alpharetta, Ga.
The project, upon completion, glows with light and illuminates the full-height backsplash, mitered edges, and waterfall legs. Measured utilizing templating software and then matched with digital layout tools, this complex project was created using quartzite.
Panels were custom-fabricated and -wired to switches to create the lighting effect seen throughout the end result. Access points were created to facilitate future maintenance on the lighting and safety was a top priority for the project at every step.
Surface Providers noted that the material was challenging due to density and best practices in working with quartzite.
Excellence in Commercial Projects - <$100K
RWE Austin, Texas
Gecko Solid Surface Solutions San Antonio
This winning project, was created using Corian solid surface and thermoforming of the desk facades. This project required compound radii on all corners and a 180° wrap around one of the custom desks. Custom colors were created to match the quartz countertops. Gecko SSS noted that the compound radii was a challenge that required a lot of trial and error and provided a great learning opportunity for all involved in the project.
Fabricator of the Year
Nate Kolenski (center) of Block Tops, flanked by ISFA Executive Director Marissa Bankert and President Ted Sherritt.
Nate Kolenski
Block Tops Sacramento and Anaheim, Calif.
,In the industry for over 30 years, Nate Kolenski and his team have built the business to two shops in California. He has been dedicated to technology and safety while also being profitable and efficient.
While the work of his shops is exemplary, his selection as Fabricator of the Year is also based upon his work as an advocate for the industry. He has invested time and resources to be avoice of the surfaces-fabrication industry in California. He has spent an unparalleled amount of time sharing why he loves the industry and has tirelessly worked with regulators and lawmakers to ensure that the industry is safe and can continue to thrive.
His organization continues to be a shining example of the type of shop that ISFA members aspire to be, and his work as an advocate is unparalleled.
ISFA Hall of Fame Inductee
Dr. Michael A. Banks (right) receives his Hall of Fame award from ISFA Executive Director Marissa Bankert and President Ted Sherritt.
Dr. Michael A. Banks
Dr. Michael A. Banks' distinguished, decades-long career in the decorative-surfaces industry contributed both broadly and deeply to its underpinning. In his 31 years with DuPont's Corian® business as a Senior Scientist and Global Codes and Regulatory Compliance Leader, he developed and disseminated a science-based understanding of solid-surface products, collaborated on critical and foundational global standards, and operated within the highest ethical standards, serving as an exemplar for the broader industry.
These deep wells of knowledge did not remain siloed within DuPont, but rather were entered into the industry through Dr, Bank’s work on codes and standards, as well as patents in the public domain. He served as an ISFA solid-surface-manufacturer committee member, and contributed most notably to the creation of ISFA 2-01 (2013) Classification and Standards for Solid Surfacing Material. He was a CMA (formerly ICPA) Solid Surface Standard Committee member and the DuPont representative within the Cast Polymer Association.
To this day, Dr. Banks continues his support as an industry consultant though Surfacing Insights LLC.