2 Kelowna companies get major industry shoutout

| January 30, 2017 in Business

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You know you’re doing something right when you walk away with a prestigious award for dominating your field.

That’s the case for two Kelowna companies that received Tommie Awards, which recognize home building excellence.

Concrete company SK Form & Finish Inc. took home the award for excellence in marketing, while Wilden/Blenk Development Corp. earned the FortisBC Award for Building Energy Efficiency.

Angie Kraushar, owner and brand manager at SK Form and Finish, said it was the company’s first time applying for a Tommie Award.

They decided to apply after completely rebranding their company last year.



"We've been in the Valley for 25 years now so this is a significant year for us,” she said. “We just decided, with the whole look of our company and the rebrand, it was time to put our ideas in front of some judges.”

Doing that paid off, considering they came out on top in their category.

"I think we stand out and I guess, winning the award, it was apparent that we've done some pretty cool stuff,” she said.

Wondering just how big of a deal a Tommie is? Kraushar said it’s the biggest ticket in the Valley when it comes to the homebuilding field.



"To have an award like that, it really means something to people who are looking at choosing a builder or choosing a trades person,” she said. “They really do want to invest their money with builders and trades people who are going to put their all into the job and do it with excellence.”

As advice to others, Krausher advises company to pair up with people who have different skills.

"We're really happy to work with Csek Creative in bringing our ideas to the table,” she said.

Director Karin Eger-Belenk said it meant a lot that their Living Lab project showed the most progress on energy efficiency.

"It's definitely one of the most desirable awards if your goal is to build greener and to save the environment and make use of a window of energies,” said Eger-Belenk. “This is an award that really confirms that you've been going in the right direction.”

Their project puts two homes against each other, one built up to industry standards and building codes, and the other built to a really high standard of energy efficiency.

Both will be monitored over the course of three years to put assumptions of energy efficiency to the test., measuring energy use, usage patterns, temperature loss and more.

The high-tech home uses geothermal heating and cooling, a heat pump water heater, solar panels on the roof and energy star rated appliances.

"It was very important to us to make it achievable, affordable and available,” Eger-Belenk said.

You can find updated data on the Living Lab on their website.

The full listing of the 2017 Tommie Gold Winners

Excellence in Kitchen Design (New Home) $65,000 & Under
Christina Hartman with Westwood Fine Cabinetry - Clarance

Hundal Legacy Homes

 
Excellence in Kitchen Design (New Home) $65,000 - $150,000
Vineyard Developments Ltd. - Ten Ten Woodland Hills

Loney Plumbing
TMCC Wood & Design Inc.

 
Excellence in Outdoor Living Space - New or Renovation
Edgecombe Enterprises Inc. - Wilden Project

Norelco Cabinetry


Excellence in Landscape Design - New or Renovation
Candel Custom Homes Ltd. - Greenbay Gem

Excellence in Creating an Interior Feature/Innovation in a Home
Vineyard Developments Ltd. - Ten Ten Woodland Hills: Fireplace-Canopy

Loney Plumbing
TMCC Wood & Design Inc.

 
Excellence in Master Suite Design
Destination Custom Homes - Shepherd Residence

Norelco Cabinets


 Excellence in Any Room - New or Renovation
Skill Tech Builders Inc. - Hobson Road

Excellence in Marketing
SK Form & Finish Inc.
 
Excellence in Show Home $500,000 & Under 
Gibson Framing Ltd. - The Lakes Show Home

NovaRae Interiors
Center Stage Interior Decorating


Excellence in Show Home $500,000 & Over
Sierra West Homes - Lux Ultima
 
Best Environmental Initiative in Construction (Residential or Commercial) 
Okanagan College - Okanagan College Trades Complex

PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.

 
Excellence in Public or Private Partnership
VanMar Constructors Inc. - Pleasantvale Homes
 
FortisBC Award for Building Energy Efficiency 
Wilden / Blenk Development Corp. - Wilden Living Lab

AuthenTech Homes Inc. 
School of Engineering UBC Okanagan 
Okanagan College


Excellence in Creating Affordable Housing
VanMar Constructors Inc. - Pleasantvale Homes

Excellence in Innovative Architecture, Design and Construction
MacDonald Lakeshore Properties - Lakestone

Excellence in Residential Renovations Under $100,000
Gord Turner Renovations - Family Kitchen

Pure Granite Rocks

 
Excellence in Residential Renovations $100,000 - $250,000 
NovaRae Interiors - Glencara Way

Norelco Cabinets

 
Excellence in Residential Renovations $250,000 - $400,000 
Big Valley Homes and Renovations - Shannon Lake
 
 Excellence in Residential Renovations Over $400,000 
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet

K2 Stone
Robinson Lighting

 
Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $65,000 & Under
Sunterra Custom Homes - Hillside Crest

Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $65,000 - $100,000
Big Valley Homes and Renovations - Shannon Lake

Christine Caracciolo with Westwood Fine Cabinetry


Excellence in Kitchen Renovations $100,000 & Over
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet

Robinson Lighting


Excellence in Bathroom Renovations $20,000 & Under 
Ian Paine Construction Ltd. - Lake Country Eclectic Ensuite
 
Excellence in Bathroom Renovations $20,000 & Over
Weninger Construction & Design Ltd. - Bearfoot Chalet

K2 Stone
Robinson Lighting


Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $350,000 - $500,000 
Keith Dahlen Construction - The Spicer/Roman Residence

Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $500,000 - $750,000
Hauge Construction Ltd. - Kuiper Private Residence

Westeck Windows & Doors
Norelco Cabinets
Pure Granite Rocks


Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $750,000 - $1,000,000
Keith Dahlen Construction - Timberframe Home in the Woods

Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $1,000,000 - $1,500,000
Wesbild Homes powered by Rykon - Zien Residence

Predator Ridge
Norelco Cabinets
Sticks + Stones Design Group Inc. 


Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $1,500,000 - $2,000,000
Wilson & Company Ltd. - Cross Residence

Grand Openings
Pure Granite Rocks 
Kitchen and Bath Classics
Lights on Banks 


Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Wilson & Company Ltd. - Cloutier Residence

Grand Openings
Pure Granite Rocks 
Dannburg Interiors
Loney Plumbing


Excellence in Single Family Detached Home $3,000,000 - $5,000,000
Turner Custom Homes - Waterfront Estate

Pure Granite Rocks
Quality Air Care
Loney Plumbing
Grand Openings Windows & Doors

 
Excellence in Semi-Detached or Town-Home Development
Aldebaran Homes - Emerald Views
 
Excellence in Creating a Low-Rise Multi-Family Development
Adhi Developments - Imperial Heights
 
Excellence in Urban Infill – Residential 
Thomson Dwellings - The Patterson Project

Kati Knorr with Westwood Fine Cabinetry 
Westerkamp Design Inc. 
Ramco Flooring


Residential Renovator of the Year 
Gord Turner Renovations Ltd.

Multi-Family Builder of the Year 
Pentar Homes Ltd.

Single Family Home Builder of the Year Small Volume (10 Homes or Less)
Vineyard Developments Ltd.

​Single Family Home Builder of the Year Large Volume (11 Homes or More)
Edgecombe Enterprises Inc.

Home of the Year
Turner Custom Homes - Waterfront Estate​

To see all the winners with photos for the 2017 Tommie Gold Winners...click here.

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