At The Cleary Company Remodel Design Build in Columbus OH, we’re proud members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). NARI’s Central Ohio chapter (NARI-CO) is located in the organization’s East Central Region. Each year NARI presents their Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards to it’s membership. NARI-CO local winners are announced the first Friday each December. Our first local winner was received in 2007. Since then our Team has won a total of 21 local CotY awards. A record number 6 wins were awarded in 2019 which was an extra special honor since we were also celebrating 25 years of remodeling!
The NARI Regional winners are announced each February. In 2017 we won our first East Central CotY for a whole house remodel in the $250-500k category. To view before and after photos of this project click here! Since then we have been won a total of 14 Regional CotYs including 4 in February 2021. Watch this video clip of our four East Central Region winners!
All winners from each Region move on to the National competition. They are then scored by a panel of judges who are leading experts in their field. Our Team’s first National CotY award win was in 2019 for an amazing master suite addition that included a private Zen inspired courtyard. A video of this courtyard has over 4 million views on YouTube! Watch it now. We were so excited to win 2 more National CotY awards in 2020 and our fingers are crossed for even more in 2021.
What are the NARI CotY Awards?
The CotY or Contractor of the Year awards are presented each year by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) to its members at the local, regional and national levels. Remodeling projects submitted by members have demonstrated outstanding work through their craftsmanship, problem solving and use of innovation to meet the needs of their clients. The awards recognize excellence in remodeling and with over 45 categories available, there’s a category for every sized remodeler and project.
NARI’s promise, Remodeling Done Right, is exemplified by members who submit projects for judging. Each year entrants exhibit the highest level of skill, professionalism and dedication to the remodeling industry. “For forty years, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry has celebrated the best remodeling projects in the country through our Contractor of the Year Awards competition.” says David Pekel, CEO at NARI. “These award-winning projects exemplify the pinnacle of what the professional remodeling industry represents in both craftsmanship and innovation and NARI is proud to recognize the year’s best of the best.”
3 Reasons Why CotY Awards Matter to Our Team?
The numerous marketing opportunities available to CotY winners help set our business apart from other remodeling companies, and NARI helps by providing tools and resources to make the most of this distinguished honor. “We’re proud of our association with NARI and when our projects are recognized thru the CotY awards at any level it’s an accomplishment with a great ROI”, says April Howe, Allied ASID, Marketing Coordinator for The Cleary Company. Sure the most obvious reason for winning CotY awards is marketing but beyond showing off our amazing and setting our business apart from other local remodeling companies there are 3 reasons we value our wins.
1- Motivation – Who doesn’t love friendly competition? Each award winning project at The Cleary Company Remodel Design Build was produced by many members of our Team. As part of our Team’s culture we strive as individuals to always be better but to also support each other to be better. Winning a NARI CotY award is also an extra validation from remodeling industry peers.
2- Education – When our company wins our Team benefits. Each winning entry at both the Regional and National level earn scholarship money applicable toward new certification fees. These funds help offset professional training courses for employees looking to further their remodeling knowledge. Aaron Enfinger, CR, Chief Operations Officer at The Cleary Company says, “NARI Certifications not only benefit our company’s bottom line and our Team’s professional development but also demonstrate to our clients our commitment to our industry.”
3- Recruitment – We’re always on the lookout for great industry talent. Promoting our CotY award winning projects to prospective new Team members shows we value the highest level of skill, professionalism and pride in our industry. For many remodeling professionals looking to improve their careers, searching for opportunities with the companies that are showcasing innovative and creative designs and construction is a good place to start.
Stay tuned for more award announcements! The 2021 NARI National Contractor of the Year awards will be presented via Zoom on Friday April 30th at the their annual conference.