During the past three years the Building Industry Association (BIA) has been honored to recognize our housing industry leaders at the Annual Industry Awards celebration. These leaders recognized each year have had an important role in impacting Central Ohio’s thumbprint of growth and development. They are not just homebuilders, developers, remodelors and landscapers – they are the architects of our communities. This year’s Industry Award winners and BIA Hall of Fame inductees were recognized Oct. 11.

The BIA is proud to announce the following Industry Award winners:

2006 Developer of the Year
Village Communities – Founded by Central Ohio developer Donald R. Kenney, Sr. in 1996, Village Communities is one of the leading builders of single-family homes, ranch and town home condominiums in Central Ohio. The company has built and sold more than 3,700 residential units in Central Ohio. In 2006, under the leadership of President Rowland S. “Tre” Giller, Village sold 359 condominiums, totalling $58,526,437 in revenue, up 14 percent over 2005. Village also opened seven new communities, opened up a new design studio – a value-added service to home buyers and understands the importance of Internet home shopping by launching a new Web site featuring community photo galleries, videos of home collections and homeowner testimonials, interactive locations map and a Virtual Decorator Tool.

2006 Remodeling Project of the Year
R. J. Landis Design & Construction, Inc. – The focal point of this project was creating a stunning, but highly functional kitchen for a family with five active teenagers. The biggest challenge for this re-design was the original kitchen was a 16-by- 20-foot open space that had only two short walls and several doorways. It did not need more floor space, but more wall space to accommodate better design concepts for countertops and cabinets. Large soffits were removed extending the ceiling height for appliances and cabinets. More cabinet, counter and eating space were added by creating a peninsula extending 90 degrees from the wall. In addition to the many luxury kitchen details – like granite counters and multiple work triangles – the new kitchen design also included a new pantry, hearth room, built-in entertainment center and a functional laundry room with storage, countertops and walk-in ironing board – all within steps of the kitchen – essential for a family with five teenagers.

2006 Landscaping Design
Peabody Landscape – The scope of this project was to enhance the front entry of a newly constructed home featuring a straight narrow sidewalk with a small entry and simple foundation planting. Peabody created a courtyard living space that is open, inviting, colorful, private – yet allows space to mingle with neighbors and watch their three children play in the front yard. A perfect blend of hardscapes and softscapes created a new and unique front courtyard entrance complimenting the home and the lifestyle of the homeowners.

Four business leaders were also inducted in the BIA Hall of Fame: John E. Sandefur, President, Sandefur Builders, Inc. and Sandefur Companies, 1962 BIA President; Page M. Vornbrock, banking executive and 1993 Associate Vice President; Larry J. Bellman, Emerson Lumber Company, 1989 Associate Vice President and the late Carlyle Perry, Jr., CV Perry & Co., 2001 BIA Builder of the year and member of the BIA executive committee, including Senior Vice President 2003. These BIA member-leaders are entrepreneurs, trend setters, and trail blazers. In addition to being successful in their own businesses, they are deeply committed to giving back to the industry and the communities they serve.

The BIA Industry Awards were established to recognize past leaders, celebrate the present and build the future in central Ohio together. For more information on the BIA and its services, visit www.biahomebuilders.com or call 614-891-0575.