Olson & Jones Construction

Des Plaines, Ill., March 27, 2007—The 2007 Evening of Excellence™ capped a weeklong event for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) that also included its Spring Board of Directors Meeting, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Austin, Texas, March 22—24, 2007.

The Evening of Excellence™, culminating with the Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards ceremony, is commonly regarded as the premier event of the year throughout the remodeling industry. Held Saturday, March 24, 2007, the event was attended by more than 400 of the industry's elite and was sponsored by the following NARI national member companies: Platinum Sponsors—Ferguson Enterprises Inc., Stock Building Supply, GE Money, The Home Depot, Pella Corporation; Gold Sponsor—Lowe’s; Pewter Sponsors—USG Corporation, 20-20 Technologies; Bronze Sponsors—DuPont Corian, Hanley-Wood Remodeling Magazine; Contributing Sponsor—Qualified Remodeler.

Contractors from seven regions around the country vie for the awards on an annual basis. Most projects submitted for judging were an improvement or an addition to an existing structure, with the exception of one category, "Residential Exterior Specialty." Otherwise, new construction projects were not eligible. In addition, competing projects were completed between July 1 of 2005 and November 30 of 2006 and were not submitted in prior NARI National contests. An impartial panel of judges who are experts within the industry and associated fields, selected winners based on each entrant's "before and after" photography and project description. Judging was based on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

Olson & Jones Construction won two CoTY awards in the Region 6 Northwest: Residential Addition Under $100,000 & Residential Bath Over $60,000.