A full house at a red carpet Awards Gala on Thursday, October 24th, suggests the Twin Cities housing market continues to gain strength. The Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) honored its top firms and individuals for excellence in home building last evening at the Lafayette Club in Minnetonka with emcee Jason DeRusha, WCCO TV morning anchor. With over 460 guests, the event featured the 45th annual Reggie Awards(sm) and the 23rd annual Trillium Awards(sm), both presented for design and construction excellence in new homes.
The evening also included presentation of the coveted Builder of the Year and Associate of the Year trophies to firms that exemplify the highest standards in business conduct. BATC recognized winners of its Robert L. Hanson Service Award for industry service, Spike of the Year for recruitment of new members, and its Advocate of the Year for work by a member in the advocacy arena. In addition, BATC bestowed Legislator of the Year award to Representative Michael Nelson (Brooklyn Park) for his support of the housing industry.
“This is the biggest and best night of the year for the home building community,” said Pamela Belz, BATC 2013 President and Project Manager for Senior Housing Partners. “And this year clearly showed that our membership is on the mend after a long and difficult recession.”
With more than 30 percent increase in attendance from 2012 to 2013, the packed house enjoyed networking and bidding on a substantial list of donated items to benefit the BATC Foundation. The charitable arm of the Builders Association raised a nice sum (totals to follow) to continue its efforts providing housing and remodeling for families in need.
Information about the Awards and Winners Lists follow:
BUILDER OF THE YEAR AND ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR
The evening culminated with the presentation of BATC’s most coveted honors, the annual Builder of the Year and Associate of the Year Awards. The winning companies were selected based upon evaluations (ratings points plus subjective criteria and comments) of trust, communications, loyalty and ethics by the firms with which they do business, and in the case of Builder of the Year, by their customers. The subjective criteria and comments from companies receiving the highest point scores were reviewed by past award winners to determine the year’s winners.
2013 BATC Builder of the Year
John Kraemer & Sons, Inc. • Edina
Runner up firms were:
Highmark Builders, Inc. • Burnsville
Accent Homes, Inc. • Ham Lake
Hendel Homes • Wayzata
Jonathan Homes of Minnesota • Andover
2013 BATC Associate of the Year
Lyman Lumber Company • Chanhassen
Runner up firms were:
Great Plains Millwork • Oakdale
Water Doctors Water Treatment • Spring Lake Park
Cornerstone • Ramsey
Reggie and Trillium Awards for Excellence in Home Design and Construction
Since 1968, BATC has presented the Reggie Award to member builders for outstanding achievement in the design, construction quality and value of their homes as judged by their harshest critics, builders and professionals within the industry. All of the homes judged were on display to the public during the 2013 Fall Parade of Homes(sm). After viewing all the homes in each of 13 price categories, the four judges assigned to the category met to compare notes and select the winner. A total of 78 homes from 48 building firms were entered in the competition.
The Trillium Awards were designed over two decades ago to recognize the partnership between builder and their suppliers and sub-contractors in creating excellence. BATC member companies that participated with the builder in the design and construction of any Reggie-entered home could enter the competition. The Trillium Awards were then presented to the participating companies for their work on Reggie-winning homes. A total of 146 entries from 30 companies participated in the competition. A total of eight firms earned trophies.
Reggie and Trillium Award Winners
(Price category listed is exclusive of the homesite and associated costs, the city within which the firm is located is included in parentheses, and the number listed is the 2013 Fall Parade of Homes entry number.)
$140,000 – $254,999
Semler Construction, Inc. (Andover), for their home #202 in Ramsey
Trillium Winners:
Fireside Hearth & Home (Roseville)
Granite-Tops, LLC (Cold Spring)
Village Floor & Wall, Inc. (Blaine)
$255,000 – $259,999
MC Custom Homes, LLC (Andover), for their home #204 in Ramsey
Trillium Winner:
Village Floor & Wall, Inc. (Blaine)
$290,000 – $329,999
K.A. Witt Construction, Inc. (New Prague), for their home #45 in New Prague
$330,000 – $379,999
Michael Lee, Inc. (Woodbury), #293 for their home #293 in Woodbury
Trillium Winner:
Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. (New Hope)
$380,000 – $439,999
Imperial Homes, Inc. (Shoreview), for their home #240 in Lino Lakes
Trillium Winners:
Fireside Hearth & Home (Roseville)
Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. (New Hope)
$440,000 – $471,999
Paulson Construction, Inc. (Anoka), for their home #235 in Blaine
Trillium Winner:
Aspen Electric, Inc. (Savage)
$472,000 – $499,999
Amaris Homes, LLC (White Bear Township), for their home #307 in St. Paul
Trillium Winner:
Minnesota Exteriors, Inc. (Osseo)
$500,000 – $524,999
Hartman Homes, Inc. (Hudson, WI), for their home #274 in Hudson, WI
$525,000 – $569,999
Homes by Tradition, LLC (Lakeville), for their home #22 in Lakeville
Trillium Winners:
Designed Cabinets, Inc. (Lakeville)
Southern Lights (Burnsville)
$570,000 – $699,999
Zawadski Homes, Inc. (Shoreview), for their home #260 in Roseville
Trillium Winner:
Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. (New Hope)
$700,000 – $899,999
Donnay Homes (Maple Grove), for their home #143 in Plymouth
Trillium Winner:
Southern Lights (Burnsville)
$900,000 – $1,199,999
Swanson Homes (Medina), for their home #164 in Maple Grove
Trillium Winners:
Glowing Hearth & Home (Jordan)
Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. (New Hope)
$1,200,000 and above
Divine Custom Homes, LLC, (Hudson, WI) for their home #282 in Afton
Trillium Winner:
Fireside Hearth & Home (Roseville)
ROBERT L. HANSON INDUSTRY SERVICE AWARD
The Robert L. Hanson Service Award was created to recognize the contributions members make to BATC and the homebuilding industry. BATC’s committees, councils and staff nominate members who have gone a step above in supporting the industry during the past year. Nominees provide biographies which are reviewed by BATC’s current president and previous winners of the award who confer to choose the winner. This year, two individuals were honored.
The 2013 Robert L. Hanson Industry Service Award Winners:
Lowell Pratt, Pratt Homes • Vadnais Heights
Bob Bennett, Fireside Hearth & Home • Roseville
SPIKE OF THE YEAR
The Spike of the Year is awarded to an individual BATC member for recruiting new members to BATC.
2013 BATC Spike of the Year
Curt Christensen, Lee Lyn Construction, LLC • Watertown
ADVOCATE AND LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR
BATC is the voice for builders and remodelers, and works to ensure local, regional and state legislators and government officials understand the impacts of regulation and law on the industry’s ability to provide affordable, durable and quality homes for Minnesotans. A healthy residential construction industry is a huge boon to the local economy as well. In fact, according to a study from the National Association of Home Builders, building 1,000 single family homes in the Twin Cities generates over $275 million in local income, over $20 million in taxes and other revenue for local governments, 3,615 local jobs and almost $200 million in wages.
In 2012, two new awards were created, one to honor an individual BATC member for efforts helping BATC in this advocacy work, and one to recognize one or more legislators for their support of the housing industry. The winners are selected by BATC’s public policy committee.
2013 BATC Advocate of the Year
Ian Peterson, Pulte Homes of Minnesota, LLC • Eden Prairie
2013 BATC Legislator of the Year
State Representative Michael V. Nelson, District 40A • Brooklyn Park
The Builders Association of the Twin Cities is the leading voice for builders and remodelers. BATC represents 1,100 builders, remodelers, developers and industry suppliers with a mission of helping its members grow their businesses through marketing, advocacy and industry connections. BATC is widely recognized as a powerful force at the state Legislature and with state regulatory agencies. It’s also known for its twice-a-year signature events: The Parade of Homes(sm) and Remodelers Showcase®. In addition, BATC offers Minnesota’s Green Path, a growing new home and remodeling certification program providing healthy, durable, energy-efficient homes to buyers and homeowners.
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Photos available on request. Contact: Wendy Danks, wendy@batc.org, 651/697-7565.