The program, sponsored by Signature Kitchen Suite, supports emerging designers in their quest toward certification.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

In its drive to support rising designers and help them enhance their professional skills, NKBA | KBIS instituted an annual grant program to allow eligible designers to earn certification or level up to a higher designation at no cost. The program is generously sponsored by luxury appliance brand Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS).

Forty rising design stars were selected to receive the grants, which cover the costs associated with certification. In addition, NKBA and SKS will support the recipients throughout the certification process with special events and awards.

“Like our partners at NKBA, Signature Kitchen Suite believes in the power of design to inspire and innovate,” said Donille Perrone, Senior Brand Manager for SKS. “We are thrilled to sponsor the inaugural NKBA Certified Designer Grant Program to help further drive opportunities for innovation and design excellence within the talented KB community.”

To qualify for the grant, designers must be NKBA members in good standing, currently working in K&B design, and earning $75,000 or less annually. They must complete a two-part exam process, submit a portfolio, and verify a minimum of two years of industry-related work experience.

The 2024 recipients are:

Arnaz Khambatta, Good Deeds Design, San Diego

Amber Howard, CKD-CBD, Six Walls Interior Design, Aurora, CO

Yvonne Landivar, AKBD, Creative Construction & Design, Reseda, CA

Elizabeth Leahy, AKBD, Leahy Interior Design, Escondido, CA

Gloribell Lebron, G. Lebron Interiors, Miami

Denean Jackson, D. Nicole Design Studio, Charlotte, NC

Christine Germaine Lucas, The Artsy Designer by LR Designs / Cochrane Floors and More, Calgary, Alberta

Samantha McClintic, McClintic Interiors, Bend, OR

Isaac Musket, C&K Custom Remodeling, Portland, OR

Gia Rushton, OC&D Design Studio, Riverton, UT

Dawn Simpson, Essence Designs, Ottawa, Ontario

Sarah Wilson, Chansaerae Designs, Woodbridge, VA

Julie Schuster, Julie Schuster Design Studio, New York

Jessica Rogers, Simmer and Soak, Saint Simons Island, GA

Melanie Prechel, Jemma Living, Hermantown, MN

Patty Smith, Patty Smith Interior Design, Littleton, CO

Victoria Tramonto, Victoria Isabella Home Designs, Staten Island, NY

Andria Uhrig, Project Kitchens, Windsor, CO

Roxana Villaseñor, Roxy Interiors, San Jose, CA

Beth Rush, AKBD, Uniway of Columbia, Columbia, SC

Joshua Ouimet, Hinge Works, Washington, UT

Melissa Longley, Longley Kitchens, Fort Meyers, FL

Yanis Anis Mezouar, Prestigious Kitchen & Home Design, Chicago

Kimberly Melchior, KMB Design, La Mesa, CA

Ella Long, Kitchens Unlimited, Memphis, TN

Melissa Mailly, Allied Kitchen and Bath, Wilton Manors, FL

Stephanie Lagos, MCG Homes, Fernandina Beach, FL

Kacie Gelsinger, Floor Trader Outlet, Chambersburg, PA

Laura Zmuda, Laura ZB Design, Browns Point WA

Samia Verbist, Samia Verbist Interior Design, Huntington Beach, CA

Leonia Azevedo, AKBD, Bouchard Design, Georgetown, Ontario

Delayna Adams-Pascoe, Tile and Bath Service, St. Louis

Yan “Butterfly” Yao, CKBD, Homey Kitchen Cabinet Design, Toronto

Jennifer Feliciano, CKBD, Masterful Designs by Jen, Delray Beach, FL

Ashley Christensen, Lindy Design Build, Littleton, CO

Shaqueria Dial, Daltile, Birmingham, AL

Cristina DePina, Cristina DePina Interior Design, Worcester, MA

Ken Ellner, Laurel Home Improvements, Mount Laurel, NJ

Christina Birkentall, CKD, NCIDQ, Studio 626 Interiors, Lafayette, LA

Melissa Dreyer, Lindross Remodeling, Tampa, FL

Interested designers who were unable to apply in time will have the opportunity to apply in 2025.

Certification distinguishes designers for their proficiency in design and execution, and gives them a competitive edge in business. Click here for more information on certification, and here for details on the Grant Program.

Gutierrez wrote NKBA’s Economic Indicators column for many years.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Manuel D. Gutierrez, a longtime NKBA contributor and economist for Kohler Co., died peacefully at his home in Kohler, WI, on Sept. 2, after a battle with cancer. He was 79.

An astute observer of the kitchen and bath industry as well as the overall economy, Gutierrez spent more than 25 years at Kohler Co. in market research, and wrote the Economic Indicators column for NKBA’s newsfeed for more than a decade.

“Manuel was instrumental in helping me envision and shape the future of NKBA’s research strategy,” said Bill Darcy, Global President and CEO of NKBA, “including confirming what would become our economic focus with the Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook and KBMI. I am so proud of the industry authority NKBA has become, and it all started with Manuel.”

“As NKBA’s Consulting Economist for many years, Manuel helped me brainstorm research topics that would be of interest to all NKBA member segments,” said Tricia Zach, Head of Research. “He also introduced me to individuals and organizations who have since become trusted research partners of the NKBA. For years, Manuel authored the Association’s Economic Indicators column, making crucial economic data relevant to our industry and educating our members. He was a pleasure to work with, a joyful, charming man who always had a warm greeting for the many people he knew at KBIS or at economics conferences. He always spoke lovingly about his family — but was quick to ask about your family, too. Manuel was a friend to NKBA, to the industry, and to me.”

Gutierrez was a true Renaissance man with many interests. He was a college instructor, teaching at universities in New Jersey (Stockton State College) and in Barquisimeto, Venezuela; a serious woodworker, crafting Barbie houses with penthouses for his daughters and miniature historic shipping vessels, and a student of world languages, of which Chinese stands out as receiving the most time for writing and speaking in the later decades of his life.

He was a passionate traveler, always with his suitcase at the ready. He blogged about his travels to Morocco, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, numerous trips to China and India, and other parts of the globe.

Manuel was a bicycle racer, a hobby he maintained until just this past April. It was during his long bike rides of upwards of 10 to 20 miles that he would memorize and repeat various works of poetry, such as Dante’s Inferno from “La Divina Commedia.” He would recite an entire canto each day on the trail.

Manuel de Jesus Gutierrez Martinez was born in San Cristobal de Totonicapan, Guatemala, on June 8, 1945. He was the fourth of six children of the late Manuel and Maria Consuelo (Martinez) Gutierrez.

An avid reader, by the time he finished high school, Manuel had read every single book in the library of his youth in Quetzaltenango city, with his handwritten name on each book’s frontispiece as proof. Following high school in Guatemala, Manuel came to the U.S. for undergraduate studies at Saint Louis University and prepared a PhD (ABD) in Economics and Mathematics at Saint Louis University, reaching candidacy in April 1975.

He married E. Michele Armon in St. Louis in 1971. They were married for nearly 53 years, until her death in March. Manuel settled with his wife and children in Sheboygan, WI, and then moved to Kohler WI, for long-term work with the Kohler Co. Early on, he was Senior Mathematician for Kohler, and later directed the company’s Market Research area of the Kitchen and Bath Group’s International Division, becoming part of Kohler’s Quarter Century Club.

While at Kohler, Manuel was integral to large global change in the business. He created and actively wrote for a newsletter his department prepared for Kohler Co. worldwide on kitchen and bath trends and housing starts. He was always busy making predictions and preparing graphs of data for better visualization and understanding.

Gutiérrez was very active with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, a research center dedicated to advance policy and practice concerning housing, from which he was awarded a special recognition of achievement upon his retirement. Manuel was an active leading member of The Economic Club of Sheboygan, where he was given an emeritus award. He also had a stint in local politics, serving as village elder in the Village of Kohler for a number of years.

After retiring, he continued to consult for various firms and kept up a blog, EconLives, on economic and market trends.

Manuel is survived by his two daughters, Maya Consuelo (Claude Bauschinger) Gutierrez of Brooklyn, NY, and Andrea Lorene (Jayant Sirohi) Gutierrez of Austin, TX; grandchildren, Siri Ratna Gutierrez Sirohi and Asha Sundari Gutierrez Sirohi; siblings Maria Consuelo (Paco) de Perez de Anton, Remigio (Olga) Gutierrez, Roberto (Maggie) Gutierrez, and Carmen, la Chiqui, Gutierrez, all of Guatemala.

Along with his wife and his parents, Manuel was predeceased by his sister, Gloria (Jorge) de Prado and his sister-in-law Mary Armon. For more information, including details of a celebration of his life on Nov. 16 at Ballhorn Chapels in Sheboygan, WI, click here. Memorial donations may be made in Manuel’s name to a charitable fund for Arts Education Scholarships.

In a culmination of its 60^th anniversary celebrations, NKBA | KBIS conducted a bike/walk event to support Habitat for Humanity of Lehigh Valley.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

A sun-drenched late summer day in the bucolic Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania provided the ideal setting for an NKBA | KBIS bike ride and walk-a-thon to raise funds for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. About 14 riders and 23 walkers, including staffers and friends, participated in the event, which capped two years marking the 60^th anniversaries of the founding of NKBA in 1963 and the first KBIS trade show in 1964.

The “60 For 60” celebrations kicked off at KBIS 2023 and continued through the ride/walk on Sept. 16, 2024. Bikers had the option of a 60-mile, 30-mile, or 12-mile route, while walkers tackled a 5K (3.1 mile) path. After participants reunited at the finish line, the team enjoyed a lunch reception afterward.

NKBA | KBIS Global President and CEO Bill Darcy praised the riders, walkers and his staff for their efforts. “I thank you all for accepting the challenge, and I hope this inspires you to ride some more!” Further, he thanked Habitat for Humanity partnering on the event and introduced Gina Loicono, Community Engagement and Grants Manager for the Lehigh Valley HFH.

“To see a national organization have such local impact with Habitat for Humanity in the Lehigh Valley is so significant for us,” Loicono said. “To see your vibrancy and your energy coming to Bethlehem, PA, to help us build local, we are incredibly thankful for that.”

NKBA moved its national headquarters to Bethlehem from Hackettstown, NJ, and held a “Carry the Keys” 45-mile bike ride from the old building to the new one in November 2022.

Loicono noted that low- to moderate-income families are struggling with rent, which, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is just over $1,500 for a two-bedroom apartment in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

“With our program and the support of community partnerships like yours, we are able to provide sometimes three- or four-bedroom homes with two full baths, with a zero-percent interest mortgage,” she said. “Right now, we are building four homes in Bethlehem that will house 23 children.”

She added, “When we think of home, we think of where we gather together as families, to rest, to celebrate our joys and mourn in our sorrows. One of the places we do that in a home is a kitchen. Whether you’re donating to Habitat, partnering with our ReStore, donating to an affiliate, you are part of something that builds dreams, not just homes.”

In 2018, the association partnered with Warren County (NJ) Habitat for Humanity on a home in Harmony, NJ. NKBA donated the winning kitchen and bathroom designs from its annual Student Design Competition, along with hours of labor from its staff and volunteer time from celebrity designers and NKBA members Jennifer Bertrand, AKBD, and Chip Wade, AKBD, to help during construction.

Darcy said he intends to continue efforts to support the local community in the Lehigh Valley.

The widow of Herbert V. Kohler Jr. held several key posts for the plumbing giant and the Kohler Foundation’s philanthropic endeavors.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Natalie Black Kohler, who served as general counsel and senior vice president of corporate communications of Kohler Co., led the Kohler Foundation, and sat on the company’s board of directors, died at her home in Oostburg, WI, on Sept.10. She was 74.

She will be remembered as a passionate and purposeful individual, devoted to her family, her dogs, and her husband, Herbert V. Kohler Jr., whom she married in 1988. Herbert passed away in 2022 at the age of 83. Natalie’s 33-year career at Kohler Co. included her role as general counsel, protecting the company’s legal interests worldwide, guiding Kohler through significant global expansion and unprecedented growth through a series of mergers and acquisitions, and ensuring its privately held status through a historic stock recapitalization.

As SVP of corporate communications, she established The Beacon, Kohler Co.’s state-of-the-art global communications headquarters — a modern architectural masterpiece serving as a brick-and-mortar culmination of her career-long passion for promoting and elevating the flagship label as an aspirational brand. Among her memorable achievements were the avant-garde As I See It advertising campaigns, a string of Most Remembered Exhibit Booth honors at KBIS, and the Kohler Design Center, a showcase of artistic products, breakthrough design ideas, and unique company history. Natalie and her husband were inducted into the Wisconsin Advertising Hall of Fame in 2019.

She served on the Kohler Co. board from 1987 to 2022, and as a member, then president, of the Kohler Foundation from 1998 to 2022.

Natalie Black was born on Dec. 19, 1949, in Bakersfield, CA, to Eugene and Ann Black. She received an A.B. degree in economics and mathematics from Stanford University in 1972 and graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University Law School in 1978. She was also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development in 1982. Natalie joined Kohler Co. in 1981 as a member of the Legal Department after working since 1978 as an attorney with the Milwaukee law firm of Quarles & Brady, specializing in securities and general corporate work. 

In addition to her roles at Kohler Co., Natalie was active on numerous professional boards and organizations, including membership in the American, Wisconsin, and Sheboygan County Bar Associations; Chairman of the Committee on Corporate Law Departments for the Section on Business Law of the American Bar Association, and on the Board of Trustees for Marquette University from 1993 to 2013. She served on the board for Johnson Controls Inc. from 1998 to 2018; was a member of the policy advisory board of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University since 1991; was on the board of trustees for the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1997 to 2009 and on boards of the Sheboygan County YMCA and The Milwaukee Ballet Company.

Known for her curiosity and many interests, Natalie was a passionate reader with a deep love of fiction and a dedication to female authors. Believing fundamentally in the power and importance of reading, Natalie started the Black Spring Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on literacy, education, hunger, and animal welfare. She gave generously to these causes, focusing much of her philanthropic efforts on Sheboygan County and providing substantial funding to the Sheboygan County Food Bank, Sheboygan County Humane Society, and Sheboygan Public Education Foundation. She will be remembered for her emphasis on the importance of giving back to one’s community by her step-grandchildren, whom she involved in her philanthropy from their young age. 

In addition to her husband, Natalie was predeceased by her parents; her sister, Denise Gross; nephew Derek Rhodehouse; brother-in-law, Frederic Kohler, and sister-in-law Ruth DeYoung Kohler II. She is survived by her sister, Jennifer (Bill) Westbrook; niece Stacey Westbrook; two stepdaughters, Laura Kohler (Steve Proudman), and Rachel Kohler (Mark Hoplamazian), and stepson, David Kohler (Nina). She is further survived by 10 step-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren. 

A website celebrating Natalie’s life and accomplishments will be available soon.

A private service is being held with burial at Woodland Cemetery in Kohler. In lieu of flowers, donations in Natalie’s name can be made to Black Spring Foundation or the Sheboygan County Food Bank.