Remodelers Council, Karyl Bohnsack Among Iowa City Area HBA Winners at IBS

The Greater Iowa City Area HBA took home multiple awards at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders Show (IBS) Jan. 21-23 in Las Vegas. The accolades are:

• Remodelers Council 2019 CADRE Award for Membership Recruitment and Retention Project: Council Development. CADRE stands for Council Awards for Demonstrating Remodeling Excellence and is one of the most prestigious awards NAHB grants a local Remodelers Council. At the end of 2018, the Iowa City Area HBA Remodelers Council had 73 members and grew to 198 in a year through a campaign that included creating awareness and event participation. Currently the council boasts 234 members.
• 2019 Local Executive Officer of the Year Award – Karyl Bohnsack. Nominations for this honor are only made by NAHB executives, and just one is selected among all association sizes combined nationwide. Bohnsack also received recognition for five years of service at the helm of the Iowa City Area HBA.
• First Place, Associate Program Student Competition – Kirkwood Community College. The team from the two-year degree, Cedar Rapids-based school applied its classroom skills to a real construction company by completing a management project/proposal. Proposals were submitted to construction company executives who acted as judges. At IBS, the team defended its proposal to the judges in front of an audience. The Iowa City Area HBA is a co-sponsor for the Kirkwood Student Chapter.
• Outstanding Student Award – Diana Wubbena, Kirkwood Community College. Wubbena, a team member in the student competition, is studying interior design at Kirkwood and interns at McCreedy-Ruth Construction in Riverside.
• National Housing Endowment Homebuilding Education Leadership Program Grant – Kirkwood Community College. The school received $100,000 and will use the money to further develop its Architecture-Construction-Engineering Academy Apprenticeship Program, including updates and putting it online.

“The judges were astounded by the team collaboration and their dedication to the project. Countless hours were spent on making the proposal the best it could,” said Kirkwood Construction Management Professor Joe Greathouse. “These students are going to be outstanding professionals in our industry.”

Iowa City Area HBA President Glenn Siders, Siders Development, noted that Iowa City is getting noticed. “We are extremely proud that all the hard work The Greater Iowa City Area HBA puts in is being recognized nationally,” he said. “Karyl’s award is especially terrific because she spearheads so much of what our organization accomplishes.”

IBS is the largest annual light construction show in the world and is accompanied by member meetings, awards ceremonies and more. 

PHOTOS

Iowa City Area HBA Remodelers Council Vice Chair Kevin McCreedy, McCreedy-Ruth Construction (left); council Past Chair GT Karr, Sueppel’s Siding & Remodeling; and Iowa City Area HBA Executive Officer Karyl Bohnsack celebrate the council’s CADRE Award for Membership Recruitment and Retention Project: Council Development.

Iowa City Area HBA Executive Officer Karyl Bohnsack poses with her Local Executive Officer of the Year Award alongside National Association of Home Builders CEO Jerry Howard.

A contest judge (left) presents the Kirkwood Community College Student Chapter team with the traveling trophy for winning the Associate Program Student Competition. Pictured from Kirkwood are (second from left to right) Chase Bennett, Cambridge Hathaway, Marshal Teets, Eric Lamp, Erika Schroeder and Diana Wubbena and Construction Management Professor Joe Greathouse. Wubbena was also named an Outstanding Student.

Eastern Iowa ACE Sector Board member Tim Ruth (left), McCreedy-Ruth Construction (an Iowa City Area HBA Board of Directors member); and Kirkwood Community College Construction Management Professor Joe Greathouse (center and an Iowa City Area HBA member); accept the National Housing Endowment (NHE) Homebuilding Education Leadership Program $100,000 grant from NHE Chair Ted Mahoney.