IBS 2020 Scholarship Recipients

Archibald Homes, LLC

Katie spent 13 years working in accounting and project management for a big corporation but never felt like she was following her passion. Her experience leading complex acquisition transitions and new country start-ups gave her the confidence to run a business of her own. She started a homebuilding and remodeling company in Wichita, Kansas in 2016 and now leads a team of 4 people. Archibald Homes specializes in custom homes and high-end remodeling. She also has a passion for helping the community and is working with civic and service leaders on projects to revitalize neighborhoods and provide affordable housing.

Katie Archibald’s home designs are built for the way you live, and her innovative ideas and fresh perspective bring details you will love! Katie’s expertise and 3D design software enable the customer to visualize their project before it even begins.

Katie serves on the board for the Wichita Area Builders Association and is looking for ways to attract more women to the trades. She volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and serves on the committee for the annual Women Build. She has been a Junior League member for 3 years and is on the steering team for their Holiday Galleria fundraiser.

Archibald Homes

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Bettis Construction

Andrew Bettis is a project manager for his father’s Fort Worth, Texas based company, Bettis Construction. The company has built a strong reputation while serving the custom-building needs of DFW residents since 1973.

In 2010, Andrew joined the family business with aspirations of learning the building process from building science to supervision. He now manages projects ranging from backyard remodels to million-dollar, full home renovations- with a love/hate relationship for change orders throughout the spectrum! One attribute that has served Andrew well in his position is dedication to detail and the ability to keep a positive outlook through any challenge.

Out of the office and off the jobsite, Andrew keeps physically active by playing in several soccer leagues, one of which he enlisted into by meeting a new drywall contractor on a jobsite. Past the soccer field, he loves throwing a fishing line into almost any body of water and, when time allows, continue his camping passion that was kindled in his formative years as a Boy Scout.

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High Efficiency Homes

Andrew Brindley is a passionate entrepreneur, focused on streamlining the design and production process for fully-custom homes. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, High Efficiency Homes (H-E Homes) is a homebuilder dedicated to delivering customized energy-efficient infill homes for the urban market.

As the founder and owner, Andrew is responsible for the overall company strategy, land development, and client experience directives. Each and every day, he works hard to find the friction points and develop innovative and scalable solutions to the complex challenges of the homebuilding industry. He works to continue offering unique new streamlined downtown developments for young professionals and baby boomer generations alike.

Outside of H-E Homes, Andrew is strongly dedicated to the local Builder’s Association of Greater Indianapolis, proudly serving on the Board of Directors, Professional Development and Education Committees, Workforce Development and more.

Andrew developed his passion following a degree in architecture, where he consistently saw the friction between design, construction, and development teams as part of a project. As such, he worked to create an integrated business to help provide a collective team from start to finish, resulting in a better process to help deliver differently each and every day.

H-E Homes

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Franklin Door & Trim

Jesse C. Brown is the Owner/Operator of Franklin Door & Trim in El Paso, Texas where he has immersed himself in building and supplying practices.

Jesse graduated from Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Business Administration. After interning with the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., Jesse ran for and was subsequently elected to the Wichita Falls City Council in 2016, at twenty-two years of age; the youngest elected official in city history. It was here where Jesse developed his interpersonal and administrative skills. Representing over 100,000 people and managing a 175 Million dollar budget, Jesse learned the importance of empathy and accountability.

Jesse relocated with his wife, Jordan, to El Paso, Texas when she was accepted into Texas Tech’s Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. With no building background, $2,000 to his name and trusting in God, Jesse jumped straight into the building industry by purchasing Franklin Door and Trim in December 2018. Jesse continues to follow politics and contribute to his fellow citizens though volunteer and social programs. 

Franklin Door & Trim

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CLEAResult

While working in the building industry, Rachel Burton Williams has led an impressive career as Market Outreach Specialist for CLEAResult and Implementor of the Atmos Energy SmartChoice Mississippi program. In 2018, she was recognized for her tenacity and dedication, and she was sponsored into the Home Builders Association by a leader of HBA of Jackson. Rachel has also been asked to speak during several industry events, including Remodelers’ Forums, Home Builders Luncheons, and building awards ceremonies. 

Rachel plays a major role in the New Construction and Existing Residential energy efficiency programs for Atmos Energy. With commitment to this role, she has improved company presence throughout the state, increased energy therm savings thus saving customers energy usage, and increased rebates given allowing builders, contractors, and homeowners to save money.

Before joining the CLEAResult team, Rachel worked in retail sales, operations, and women’s fashion for 15 years. She then decided that she wanted to make a difference in the world and changed her career path to encourage people to Go Green. Rachel has a Bachelor’s of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Mississippi. She currently resides in Madison, Mississippi with her husband, Colby, and her Golden Doodle, The Dude. 

CLEAResult

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Dion Builders LLC

Yvette is a Residential Design Specialist for Dion Builders LLC, a family owned Design Build Company in Tallahassee, Florida founded in 1981. She owns Dion Builders alongside her father and husband. She is also a full service Realtor, licensed in 2006.

Yvette is a Tallahassee native that grew up in the construction industry. She learned how to run a business from her father who ran his remodeling company from their home office. Hall was drawn to the family business from a young age and took her first job with him at 13. She began studying for her Real Estate License after high school graduation. In 2009 she along with her father wrapped up her first whole home remodel as the lead designer, an award winning FGBC certified Platinum 1960’s bungalow. In 2010 she graduated from FSU with her degree in Interior Design. The addition of a real estate license and design degree to the business was an integral part of turning their company into a one stop shop with the ability to handle the entire process in house for a client from start to finish.

When Yvette is not in the office she enjoys traveling with her family, making memories with her kids, a glass of wine with friends and Florida State Football. Go Noles!

Dion Builders LLC

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Sedgewick Homes

New to the home building industry, Jessy is currently employed as the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Sedgewick Homes in Statesville, NC. On the marketing side of her role, Jessy maintains the company’s website, social media accounts, and assists in planning events. She uses her creative background to bring new ideas to the company and strives for growth in all areas. On the sales side, Jessy assists in assigning leads, maintaining online homeowner portals, and tracking overall traffic.  

She received her B.A. in Journalism and Digital Media from Queens University of Charlotte in 2017. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. Shortly after graduation, she and 17 classmates traveled to South Africa for a study abroad program that centered on storytelling, which eventually lead to her decision to pursue a career in marketing.

Her creative mind doesn’t stop after hours, though. In her free time, she likes to paint, draw, and write poetry. In April of 2018, she was able to display one of her paintings for over 40,000 people at a local music festival. The painting currently hangs in a small museum in Baltimore, MD.

Sedgewick Homes

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KGA Studio Architects, PC

Kristen Fowler started her love for architecture at a young age. At first she was drawing homes, skyscrapers, and even brownstones, while also building structures with Legos. When she was 9 years old, her parents decided to finish their basement. Soon after, Kristen’s passion developed and thrived. She realized she wanted to be an architect after following the foreman around her parents’ basement as it was being finished. Her parents, knowing all she ever drew were buildings, told her about architects and how they combine art and building. After this, Kristen researched what architects do and started designing, through sketches and some computer programs. After learning drafting and competing in some design competitions in high school, Kristen went on to attend California Polytechnic State University. After completing her Bachelor of Architecture degree, this Colorado native missed the mountains and home and moved back to Colorado to pursue her license near friends and family. After some searching for the right fit, Kristen found her place at KGA. 

Kristen is an architect at KGA Studio Architects, PC in Louisville, Colorado. KGA Studio Architects, PC focuses mainly on residential design, working on custom and production homes, community centers, land planning for residential developments, charity work, and ranch design. Since Kristen has a passion for residential architecture, she has found a great work family at KGA and is working towards brighter futures for all. She has been with KGA since 2015 contributing skills in a variety of ways. She is a talented graphic illustrator who makes KGA’s floorplans, elevations, and renderings come to life. In addition, as an architect, she works with the principles, other architects, and designers at the firm to deliver considered designs to clients. With design as her passion, every day is a joy and an experience in learning and growing.

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Golden Rule Builders, Inc

Ramy Hanna currently works as the Leader of Architecture Dept. for Golden Rule Builders, a design-build firm in the Washington DC suburbs that completes custom new homes (400K to 3M), renovations, and light commercial projects.

Ramy started his career in 2009 as an Assistant Professor at the University where he studied architecture in Egypt, then traveled to Kuwait to work as an architect in a consulting engineer company. During this time, Ramy worked with a team that managed many commercial projects in the Middle East and Europe.

In 2014 Ramy moved to USA with his wife; finding a job in the architecture field was difficult due to the different building techniques and materials that are used in the USA.  However, this did not stop his passion to practice architecture.  He began studying to earn his US architecture credentials while he worked other jobs (Uber driver, pizza delivery, etc.) to support his growing family.

In 2017, Golden Rule Builders hired Ramy to be the leader of their architecture department; and since then he has taken ownership of the department by updating and developing processes and standards for design and construction drawings.

Ramy attended the 2018 IBS and earned the Building Science Certificate from NAHB.

Golden Rule Builders

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Brady Colt Custom Homes

Brady is the Owner and President of Brady Colt Custom Homes in San Antonio, TX. Brady began working with his uncle in the construction field when he was 14 years old during his summers off from school. It didn’t take long during that time that he fell in love with construction and he knew that building was what he was meant to do.

Brady graduated from Texas State University with a degree in construction science and management and immediately went to work for a nation-wide commercial contracting firm. After 5 years of high intensity building, he realized his passion was in serving clients and he could best achieve this in the residential custom home building industry. So, in 2013 he started Brady Colt Custom Homes.

Brady sits on the Board at his local Builders Association and is involved in the young professional leadership council as well. Brady is passionate about younger generations entering the construction workforce. He offers paid summer internships and job shadowing opportunities to local high school students who show an interest in the construction industry and hosts local field trips to his job sites every semester. 

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Garman Homes, LLC

Jake Kaplan is a homebuilding, calculator crunching, data diver, finance fanatic at Garman Homes and Fresh Paint by Garman. He is also a husband and a dad. His two-year-old keeps him on his toes, while his three inherited kids are older and help wrangle in the chaos (when they aren’t creating their own).

New to the home building industry, Jake has a background in negotiations by running a pawn shop and later serving others in the art of residential real estate. Looking for his passion, he joined the leadership team of the owner’s previous real estate school where he increased headcount by 500%.

Jake is quickly learning the homebuilding business, construction process and all things finance as he prepares to take the company national with the owners, Jim and Alaina, in 2021.

Garman Homes

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Kurk, Inc.

Amanda is a project manager and second-generation owner of Kurk, Inc. in Union Grove, WI. Kurk, Inc. is a family owned and operated business celebrating 30 years in business. They specialize in custom home concrete foundations as well as commercial, retail, and light industrial foundations and excavation work.

Amanda has been involved in the construction industry since childhood and became involved in the family business after receiving her BS in Structural Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering. As a small family business, Amanda is required to take on variety of tasks including daily operations, project design, bidding, employee management, and marketing. 

Amanda is passionate about teaching the next generation about rewarding careers in the trades. She organized two local events, Touch a Truck Wisconsin, where children are allowed to climb on and learn about different construction vehicles, and Kurk Kids, where children are build a new project with the help of local builders. 

As Kurk, Inc. continues to grow, Amanda is excited to help develop and train new employees and leaders as well as implement new construction technologies. She is looking forward to IBS 2020 to learn from fellow NAHB members and bring back insights to Kurk, Inc.

Kurk, Inc.

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ELM Construction LLC

Kevin Lovoy is a Project Manager for ELM Construction, LLC. in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a residential design/build company specializing in home additions, restorations, and remodeling in the greater Birmingham area.  Kevin's primary role is in project management, but he also does estimating for ELM as needed.  Growing up, Kevin worked for a residential home framer, which sparked his interest in construction.  Both of his grandfathers were in the construction industry as well.

Kevin has been in several different roles in the construction industry since graduating with a degree in Building Construction from Auburn University in 2012.  He enjoys residential construction because of how fast paced it is, and also enjoys getting to know the clients on a personal level.

Kevin is excited to attend IBS 2020 to learn about building techniques used by others in different parts of the country, as well as new materials and technology coming to the industry.

ELM Construction LLC

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Garman Homes, LLC

Cameron Medlin is a Sales Manager, wife, mom to the sweetest little boy and 2 crazy dogs. Cameron is the Sales Manager of Garman Homes and Fresh Paint by Garman Homes in Raleigh, NC.

Prior to her current role, Cameron managed and sold 9 different Communities across the Triangle area. She started in the industry as an Internet Concierge allowing her both experience on the online side of sales and the face to face.

Cameron was recognized as Employee of the Quarter as the Internet Concierge and Sales Person of the Year in 2015 and 2018. As the Sales Manager, Cameron is currently focusing on recruiting and developing the most talented sales team in the industry which will support the growth and expansion of Garman Homes.

Garman Homes

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Loren Homes, Inc

Lauren Merritt is co-owner of Loren Homes, Inc., a homebuilding company in the Atlanta metro area.  She comes from a multi-generational family of homebuilders, including her father Mark Carruth, who founded his first home building company Loren Construction Company, Inc. in 1984. 

After earning her BA in Global Leadership from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL, Lauren returned home to the Atlanta area and began working for the family home building businesses.  Over the next 10 years, Lauren gained experience working in accounting, warranty, and purchasing.  In 2017, Lauren and her brother Andrew launched Loren Homes, Inc. to continue the legacy established by Loren Construction to build semi-custom and custom homes with a high level of service and integrity.

As a small company, Lauren handles multiple responsibilities including accounting, finance, administration, and estimating, as well as guiding her clients through the planning and design selection process.  She enjoys the variety of getting to both work with customers on design and product development, as well as focus on business management. 

Outside of the office, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband Conor and their two young daughters.

Loren Homes, Inc.

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Main Street Lumber & Millwork

Aaron is an outside salesman with Main Street Lumber & Millwork , a family owned dealer that focuses on custom residential homes. Main Street Lumber & Millwork has been in business for nearly 50 years.

In his role selling lumber and millwork, he enjoys working with the custom builder and focusing on how to deliver a superior product.  Aaron’s business has grown leaps and bounds throughout his young career. He has created lasting relationships with his builders while providing the highest level of customer service. Above all else he is passionate about delivering a quality product.

He is actively involved in his local HBA and attributes much of his success to the networking within the association. Aarons business ranges from the modest 1,200sf custom home to the extravagant 14,000sf estate and everything in between.

Aaron’s drive to succeed, and desire to learn are what continue to propel him and his customer base.

When not immersed in work and the booming Dallas homebuilding market, Aaron enjoys spending time with his wife and two little girls. Aside from his girls, hunting and fishing are his passions.

Main Street Lumber & Millwork

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Brady Built Construction LLC

Brady, an Oklahoma native himself, began building homes in the Oklahoma City metro area in 2010 and has been employed in the construction industry for 15 years. Following graduation from Oklahoma State University, Brady chose to pursue a career in residential construction. 

After gaining valuable experience working for successful home builders throughout the Oklahoma City metro he decided to use his industry knowledge to open Brady Built Homes. His continues to strive in designing remarkable, energy efficient, and highly desirable homes make Brady an easy choice when deciding on a home builder.

Brady Built Homes

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Strohmaier Construction Inc

Mackenzie whttps://strohmaier.comas born and raised in Spokane, Washington getting involved in the community at a very early age by competing in local scholarship pageants and being an advocate for putting a halt to bullying in schools.

Being the youngest employee at Strohmaier Construction Inc she brings new and fun ideas to the table. While she is the first person you will talk to when you call Strohmaier Construction, she also manages the team, the office, and the social media channels.

Strohmaier Construction INC is a general contractor who finds themselves focusing on renovations and custom homes. Mackenzie has grown to love old homes and the character that they house. Her favorite part about working at a renovation company is working with the character and craftsmanship of the old homes while reconfiguring floor plans to make spaces functional again.

Strohmaier Construction INC

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