By Dianne M. Pogoda
Company News
NSI Touts Pinnacle Winners: The Natural Stone Institute recognized the winners of its 2024 Grande Pinnacle Awards, including Lorton Stone LLC and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, who earned the prestigious Grande Pinnacle Award for their work on the Washington National Cathedral South Transept Grand Pinnacles in Washington, DC. This year’s awards highlighted 16 projects in all for excellence in design, sustainability, and expert stonework. The cathedral was damaged in a rare earthquake in 2011, and crews worked in the subsequent years to repair and restore the building. See more info and all the winners here.
Thyme & Place Named a Top Blog: Thyme & Place Design, owned by NKBA member Sharon L. Sherman, CKD, has been named one of the top 100 interior design blogs for 2025 by Feedspot, a media database for bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and other media and influencers. Sherman, who also holds ASID, CID, and NCIDQ certifications, founded her award-winning design-build firm in 2002 in Wyckoff, NJ, and is a member of the Manhattan Chapter. Learn more about her blog here.
Elmira Stove Revamps Consumer Website: Ontario-based Elmira Stove Works, a manufacturer of premium vintage-inspired appliances, redesigned its website with enhanced features and two advanced visualization tools for products and kitchens. Shoppers may research and view products and images, save selections, and build, price and purchase appliances through the site. The site also has upgraded dealer and media portals. More detail here.
Miele Continues Partnership with Single Thread Duo: Premium German appliance maker Miele has renewed its partnership with Chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife, Katina Connaughton, head farmer of their farm and exclusive 3 Michelin Starred restaurant, Single Thread. It is the only Sonoma County restaurant to have ever earned three Michelin Stars. Miele sponsors ThroughLine by Single Thread, an immersive, cinematic dining experience designed to deepen connections with food systems and take guests on a culinary journey. Learn more here.
Chapter Update
Big CEUs the Northwest: The Big Sky and Mountain States Chapters are offering multiple CEUs at the Hotel Renegade, 1110 W Grove Street in Boise, ID, from March 27 to 29 at their combined spring meeting. More than a dozen companies will offer CEU sessions, and special guests and presentations include Deb Webb, Executive Vice-President, NKBA; David Weinstein, VP of Residential Sales, Lutron; Kelly Buchsbaum, Director, Chapters & Learning, NKBA, and Tom Knotts, President of NKBA’s Central Florida Chapter. Learn more here.
Industry Updates
Housing Starts Dive in January: Privately owned housing starts dropped 9.8 percent in January from December, but were down a marginal 0.7 percent from January 2024, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The figure for single-family housing starts in January was 8.4 percent below December’s total. Permits were more promising, however, as overall building permits inched up 0.1 percent in January over December, while YOY, they edged down 1.7 percent compared to January 2024. Learn more here.
Land and Lot Supply Rises in Q4 2024: The supply of land and lots for new home construction rose 5.4 percent in the 4th quarter compared to the 3rd quarter of 2024, according to the New Home Lot Supply Index from Zonda Research. Ali Wolf, chief economist with Zonda, said supply is at its healthiest level in years. “Between 2021 and 2022, builders expressed concerns about a potential shortage of buildable lots due to rapid demand growth,” Wolf said. “However, lot supply surged in late 2022 and early 2023 as consumer demand softened while lot development continued. Currently, the market is characterized by steady growth in both lot supply and new housing starts.” Builder Online has more.
