MIA Releases 2015 Awards Program Call for Entries

Words: Dan KamysThe Marble Institute of America (MIA) has opened its 2015 Awards Program Call for Entries. The Call for Entries signifies that the MIA is now accepting entries for their various awards. These highly coveted awards honor and recognize natural stone companies, natural stone professionals, and architects from around the globe. Tiffany Aryeh of Amalfi Stone & Masonry, Inc. in Sun Valley, CA commented on the significance of winning a Pinnacle Award. “Being a recipient of the coveted Pinnacle Award is a dream come true. It is such an honor to be amongst so much talent and be part of a group of projects that represents exceptional stone work around the globe.” The 2015 MIA Awards consists of:
  • Pinnacle Awards - presented to companies whose projects’ beauty, creativity, ingenuity, and craftsmanship exemplify professional mastery in the use of natural stone in commercial and residential environments. Again this year, with the generous support of Informa Exhibitions, all Pinnacle Award of Excellence and Merit winners have the opportunity to invite an architect from the firm involved in their winning project to StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2016. The Pinnacle Awards consist of 6 separate categories:
      • Commercial Interior — sponsored by MAPEI
      • Commercial Exterior — sponsored by MAPEI
      • Residential Interior/Exterior — sponsored by GranQuartz
      • Kitchen of the Year (NEW THIS YEAR) sponsored by GranQuartz
      • Bath of the Year (NEW THIS YEAR) sponsored by GranQuartz
      • Renovation/Restoration — sponsored by Coldspring
  • Grande Pinnacle Award - sponsored by Marmomac is presented to the best project across all categories. Again this year Marmomacc will present a Grande Pinnacle Award to an architect from the firm involved in the winning project.
  • Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year Award - sponsored by Polycor, Inc. & TexaStone Quarries singles out one craftsman who has physically performed outstanding stone fabrication and/or installation over a period of many years.
  • Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement - established to recognize an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the natural stone industry and the MIA. The award is named for MIA's long-time Technical Director, the late Vincent R. Migliore, who was its first recipient.
  • Natural Stone Scholarship Award - sponsored by Coldspring provides educational opportunities for aspiring fabricators, installers, or administrative apprentices interested in furthering their careers within the natural stone industry. The scholarship covers travel and registration costs for one or more recipients to StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, and MIA's Annual Meeting.
To acquire Call for Entries, contact Helen Distelhorst at hdistelhorst@marble-institute.com or log on to www.marble-institute.com/awards/awards-overview. Deadlines begin in June. Apply today!
PPE That Workers Actually Wear: Building Buy-In Through Education and Smart Selection
August 2026

In masonry construction, personal protective equipment (PPE) is often the last line of defense between a worker and an injury. Yet despite its importance, PPE compliance remains one of the most common challenges on jobsites across the country. The realit

Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin