Hard work pays off

MYDAUGHTER’S high school diploma arrived in the mail with no fanfare. Four years of seriously hard work, often with little to no sleep, wrapped up in this one sheet of paper delivered by the mailman on a Tuesday afternoon.

Isn’t that how it goes though? Years of hard work and dedication often go unnoticed until one day others recognize what you’ve been working so hard to achieve.

It reminded me of a similar discussion of the NADRA awards that I read in the Elite Deck Building Professionals group on Facebook. Builder David Phillabaum shared this about a recent project of his: “I probably have the best view from a deck, but it’s not going to win any awards.”

Deck Specialist columnist Brendan Casey replied: “A new NADRA award category needs to be created for views over $1 million.”

Phillabaum said: “Please tell me there’s a monetary prize.” To which Casey responded: “Are you kidding? There’s a fat monetary prize for winning... The upside of winning is you can leverage that award into far more than a cash prize. We doubled our sales from winning in less than two years.”

Casey isn’t wrong. The award or recognition may not have monetary value in itself, but the hard work, talent and expertise it symbolizes does.

That’s why we’ve dedicated this issue to highlighting 22 builders who have proven their worth in the industry. Each builder has been nominated by a manufacturer for their expertise using that manufacturer’s product.

As Deck Specialist of the Year Award winners (see deck-specialist.com for additional coverage of the winners), we honor these builders for their contribution to the industry. What’s amazing about being named a Deck Specialist of the Year builder is it proves the builder has put in years of dedication and commitment to master their craft.

For example, Michael Arneson, Jr., owner of

Cedarbrook Outdoor Design/Build, Inc., Mount Airy, MD., began working in construction at a young age with his father and grandfather. He worked for an outdoor construction company for years before venturing out on his own in 2006. Seventeen years later, he is being recognized by YellaWood (see page 50).

Likewise, Edward Pacylowski, ProBuilt Construction, Highland, MD., (see page 44) got his start in construction in 1974. In 2000, he built his first Trex deck in Ellicott, MD. Two years later, he received his first TrexPro Contractor card. Last year, he was recognized for having worked with Trex for over 20 years.

And for Mel, Brandon and Jordan Dueck at Windeck, it was 21 years before they landed on Wolf Home Products (see page 48). Then, in the past five years, they have received multiple awards at NADRA after having found their niche in the market.

These builders’ hard work paid off. Just as my daughter’s effort was similarly recognized at her high school graduation. Watching my daughter walk during her graduation ceremony as a distinguished scholar among her peers was proof enough that she put in the necessary work to earn that diploma. No doubt, four years from now, I will be watching from the sidelines once again as her college of choice recognizes her effort in her chosen field of medicine.

Trex Honors 8 Pro Contractors

For decking contractors, success is built on quality work and referrals. With this in mind, Trex Co. recently honored eight of its elite TrexPro contractors with the company’s prestigious Stellar Service Award.

The Trex Stellar Service Award is presented annually to the top performing TrexPro Platinum builder in each of the company’s sales regions based on project volume and customer satisfaction. To qualify for this honor, builders must install enough decks to rank within the top 25% of all TrexPro Platinum builders in their region by volume, and also earn the most and highest satisfaction ratings in postbuild customer surveys.

Based on their outstanding performance over the past year, eight TrexPro Platinum contractors were presented with Trex Stellar Service Awards. They include (by region):

Central: Mike Mitchell, Mitchell Construction, Illinois.

· Mid Atlantic: Bud Bradford, South Jersey Custom Decks, New Jersey

· Northeast: Nir Elimelch, Samsol Decks, New York.

Northwest: Tana Mallory, Three 60 Decks, Oregon.

South: Wes Brawner, Brawner Renovations, Georgia.

· South Central: Tony Clem, Add-a-Deck, The Rockies, Colorado.

· Southwest: Jake Johnson, Stone Ridge Decking California.

International: Roger Brown, Browns Landscape in the United Kingdom.

FastenMaster Celebrates 25 Years

FastenMaster is celebrating 25 years of providing professional building contractors with innovative products and fastening solutions that make work faster, easier, and more efficient.

Established in 1998, FastenMaster created the category of structural wood-to-wood screws with the introduction of TimberLOK, a heavy-duty wood screw designed to eliminate the need to predrill when attaching two pieces of wood together. It was the first of what has become the very popular ‘LOK Line’ of structural wood-to-wood fasteners for residential applications, and solidified FastenMaster’s focus on providing PRO-Driven solutions.

“By actively listening to our PROs, FastenMaster has helped contractors achieve great success by offering them the very best solutions on the market,” said Web Shaffer, senior VP and general manager. “Developing productivity solutions through innovation has been our north star during the past 25 years and we expect to deliver even more new and innovative solutions to the market in the next 25 years.”

“Referrals are the lifeblood of any decking contractor,” noted Phariss. “Earning this award distinguishes them as great TrexPro builders with a lot of enthusiastic customers.”

Vista Railings Expands Distribution in Northern Georgia

Vista Railing Systems Inc. is expanding its distribution network in Northern Georgia with the addition of Carolina Atlantic Forest Products.

“We are very excited to work with Carolina Atlantic to make our products available in the Northern Georgia market on a day-to-day basis,” said Kalvin Eden, national sales manager, Vista Railing Systems Inc. “They have been providing excellent service to the Northern Georgia market for several years, and the addition of the Vista Railing line will allow them to expand and grow with their current customers and extend their reach to new opportunities by offering our full line of premium quality aluminum, glass, and cable railing products.”

“At Carolina Atlantic Forest Products, our team draws from decades of experience to provide best in class service to all the markets exterior envelopes covers including deck and stair railings. We pride ourselves on being knowledgeable and reliable, and we measure success with repeat business. Carolina Atlantic has several long-term partnerships with our suppliers and customers because we have a vested interest in providing the supplies needed to help their businesses grow. We believe Vista Railing Systems’ people and products operate with a similar approach and is an appropriate partnership to further our mission, ‘Building the Future with Quality Building Products’,” said Jamie Brown, regional VP and partner at Carolina Atlantic.

Deck Specialist for the third year has partnered with the leading manufacturers in outdoor living to honor top builders that specialize in their brands, based on sales growth or artistic excellence. In this special issue, the winners discuss their businesses, passions, and what they look forward to seeing in the future.

Owner: Michael Clark

Location: Mankato, MN.

Year Founded: 2014

Website: mikeshomeservices.net

Instagram: @mikeshomeservicesllc

Facebook.com: Mike’s Home Services, LLC

Specialty: Maintenance-free decking/fencing

Q. Tell us how you got started in construction.

A. I received the opportunity 25 years ago to get into the construction industry with a family member.

Q. How has business changed in recent years?

A. I would say you have to be more intuitive in how you converse with a potential client as internet searching is readily available with lots of information.

Q. How did you first start using Armadillo products in your projects?

A. While walking the IBS show, the Armadillo decking caught my eye with its vibrant colors. Soon to find out the boards are fully capped, and made here in Minnesota where we get wild temperature swings, it was an easy switch, and I was hooked.

Q. Any projects for which the use of Armadillo products was particularly beneficial?

A. I built a two-story deck last year, and the client was very pleased the underside of the material was finished when they looked up from their patio below.

Q. Where do your design ideas come from?

A. I would say the IBS show helped tremendously in gaining knowledge, ideas, and also reading building magazines, such as yours.

Q. What’s ahead for your company?

A. Looking forward, I would say keeping great customer satisfaction, quality, growth, and employee development.

As the outdoor living space trend continues to rise, give your customers new options to protect their space, rain or shine! Meet the sleek, architectural SUNSCAPE system featuring a sophisticated, glass-like appearance and all-weather, long-lasting protection.

► 3-part system easily installs on a new or existing roof structure

► Virtually unbreakable polycarbonate in a variety of colors

► Lightweight aluminum profiles with a durable anodized finish

► Blocks 100% UV rays to protect the ones you love Offer