The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) honored eight individuals who have excelled in teaching NAHB education courses and who have displayed notable professionalism as NAHB educational designation holders, naming them the 2018 Educators and Designees of the Year. The awards were given during the 2019 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) last month in Las Vegas.
“Ongoing education often means the difference between being good at what you do and being great at it,” said NAHB Education Committee Chair John Barrows, CGB, CGP, GMB, Master CGP. “These seasoned and accomplished professionals show their dedication to improving their own craft and also encourage others to take the same opportunity.”
The honorees are:
Builder Designee of the Year: Philip A. Calinda, Jr., GMB, GMR, CAPS, CGP, the sole proprietor of Millennium Custom Homes LLC, a design/build firm in Livingston, New Jersey, is a third-generation builder who oversees all new construction and renovation projects at his company. He credits mentoring from others in the industry and NAHB education courses as essential to his success, and he helped his local HBA become a destination for professionals seeking NAHB designation courses. The New Jersey Builders Association, Metropolitan Builders & Contractors Association of NJ and the New Jersey Association of Realtors have recognized his company with honors and awards.
CAPS Designee of the Year: Christine Fortenberry, CGB, CAPS, CGP, CGR, founder and CEO of FSCatlanta, Powder Springs, Georgia, brings more than 47 years of experience building custom homes, remodeling, developing and doing light commercial projects to her professional speaking and teaching. FSCatlanta provides evaluation, design and construction services for special needs and aging-in-place projects as well as offering classes on a variety of building industry topics.
Green Professional Designee of the Year: Ted L. Clifton, CGB, Master CGP, founder and CEO of Zero-Energy Plans in Coupeville, Washington, credits his father’s lessons in hard work, conserving resources, and the importance of education for his drive to develop and promote the use of green building plans and to educate others to do the same. His company has completed more than 300 plans for construction of zero-energy homes in virtually every climate zone in the U.S., from Central Florida to the interior of Alaska. He teaches and speaks widely on net-zero-energy building and design.
HCCP Designee of the Year: A.J. Johnson, HCCP, president of A.J. Johnson Consulting Services, Inc., in Williamsburg, Virginia, conducts seminars on housing related issues, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, Fair Housing, Section 8, Public Housing and the HOME Program, and is a frequent featured speaker for many public and private groups, including state agencies and large investors. His company has performed asset management reviews on more than 6,300 multi-family properties. Johnson is a technical advisor to the NAHB Housing Credit Certified Professionals Board of Governors.
Remodeler Designee of the Year: Vince Butler, GMR, GMB, CAPS, president of Butler Brothers Corporation in Clifton, Virginia, is a nationally recognized speaker on residential construction management who has presented at national and regional trade shows including IBS, The Remodeling Show, Sunbelt Builders Show, Southeast Builders Conference, Atlantic Builders Conference, Pacific Coast Builders Conference and NAHB Remodelers Road Show. Butler has appeared as an expert on aging-in-place and universal design on CBS, CNN, NBC and HGTV.
Sales and Marketing Designee of the Year: Tag Gilkeson, CGB, CGR, CGP, CAPS, CGA, CSP, GMB, Master CGP, Master CSP, MIRM, owner of Tag & Associates, LLC, in Carrollton, Texas, shares his extensive education and years of experience as a design/build professional, Realtor and architectural drafting and design professional in his role as an NAHB approved instructor. His firm emphasizes the design side of design/build, especially 3-D drawings and printing. Gilkeson serves on the board of directors for the Dallas Builders Association.
Builder/Remodeler Educator of the Year: Chuck Miller, GMB, GMR, CGB, CGR, CGP, CAPS, MIRM, CMP, Master CSP, CSP, is the owner of Chuck Miller Consulting in Boise, Idaho, which offers business planning, mediation and arbitration, and construction management services. Miller is a licensed provider of NAHB education programs, an NAHB Master Instructor, and has served as a subject matter expert on a number of NAHB course revisions. He is a National Director on the NAHB Board of Directors and serves on the NAHB’s Education Committee, National Sales and Marketing Council, and Remodelers Council.
CAPS Educator of the Year: Jack L. Werner, Ph. D., CAPS, owner of A to Z Inspections in Oklahoma City, Okla., a large commercial building and home inspection company providing services throughout the southwestern U.S. An NAHB Master Instructor, he teaches CAPS and universal design/build courses, among others, and writes a monthly column for a local paper, and has authored books on real estate and inspections. Werner is a member of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association, where he founded the group’s Remodelers Council, and in 2011 was named the Member of the Year by the Oklahoma Professional Women in Building.
“Exemplary educators and designation holders like these demonstrate their commitment to passing along the tried and true–and also new and proven–methods of home building and remodeling,” said Barrows. “We honor our dedicated educators and trainers who make sure the skills of great home building, remodeling, business management and marketing belong to many in the industry, not just a few.”
