And The WINNER Is…

In 2005 the ICF Builder Magazine team saw all the amazing ICF projects being completed around the world and realized they should be recognized for their accomplishments. In such a niche industry, who would’ve thought we could fill a large banquet room in the Las Vegas Convention Center with hundreds of ICF enthusiasts waiting to see who takes home the plaque? Year after year the ICF Builder Awards continues to grow and becomes the highlight of my week at World of Concrete. I’m not a car guy, but I imagine it’s sort of like going to a car show amongst fellow gearheads. Everyone is in their “happy place” just admiring the work and talking to each other about something they all love. At the ICF Builder Awards every year I know I am going to see all my fellow ICF freaks that a lot of times I haven’t seen since this show last year. We share stories of the ups and downs of our year of construction projects.

The room is full of the Who’s Who of Insulated Concrete Forms. Everyone from CEOs and presidents of companies, to architects and engineers, to installers and distributors to general contractors and homeowners. Everyone of them here to share the excitement for our industry and how it has enhanced their life. I love to see rival ICF company teams with their logos on their shirts laughing and patting each other on the back. Sharing a drink and a story, wishing them the best while secretly hoping to beat them for that award they are both nominated for. This is one of the things that makes this industry great. We all play so well in the same sandbox. Vanessa makes the announcement that we need to find our seats so we can get the party started. The tables quickly fill up with some folks lucky to get a chair. The back of the room fills with late bloomers. Standing room only again speaks to the growth and success of our industry. That alone should make all of us involved smile.

The categories start with Specialty Applications. This category includes all uses that do not fall into one of the other categories. Examples include retaining walls, water features, zoo exhibits, landscaping, and so forth. Next is Pools. I bet you guess what that includes. Then Small Residential, Large Residential, and Unlimited Residential. Unlimited is for homes 6,000 square feet and up. Vanessa moves on to Educational buildings and then Light Commercial, Heavy Commercial, MultiFamily five stories or more, and finally MultiFamily Low-Rise under five stories. For someone with over 20 years in this industry, I have a hard time believing how huge ICF has really become. OVER 5 STORIES?? Schools?? Houses over 10,000 square feet? Just a few years ago half of these categories didn’t exist. It really is amazing.

Heather Hering-Brown with her Small Residential award from the 2018 ICF Builder Awards.

One of the best parts is when you see a winner that REALLY gets excited. The cheers and whooping and hollering are awesome. Most of them bring their whole entourage and they make their way to the stage to get that plaque and the picture that will live forever. There are so many great people that had to come together to make that moment happen. It started with a customer that wanted to build with the best products. They had to find that draftsman to design and draw the dream home. Then they had to find a builder knowledgeable about ICF and willing to make the dream happen. The builder found an experienced ICF distributor to support the project with service, block, and equipment needed. But it doesn’t build itself, so you find installers, concrete companies, and pump trucks. Don’t forget the rebar guy and definitely the ICF block company. Any or all of them could be on that stage. They did it together.

In 2018 my wife and co-host of the Build With ICF Podcast, Heather Hering-Brown, took home the first-place award for Small Residential. I spun around in my chair to conduct this interview where she told me what it meant to her to win this award. “It was such an honor to be recognized nationally for this project, especially since this was my first ICF house I had designed and built.” The win was more than a plaque for her office. She was featured in several publications. “Not only was my company written about in ICF Builder Magazine, but also in Green Builder Magazine, Boise Lifestyle, and IdaHome Magazine. The home was also featured on the local news channels. All of which generated calls from potential customers.” She also said, “That particular award-winning plan has been purchased several times all over the country through my drafting company Innovative Drafting and Design.” The plaque sits in her office for all to see as they come in for design meetings. It’s something she will always be proud of. That sentiment is shared by Louis Lemoine who was a Best Residential Development winner in a previous year, who was quoted by ICF Builder Magazine as saying, “We continue to use the award in our ads. I certainly would apply again.” They also quoted Barry Oberpriller’s thoughts about his award: “We never would have received all of this coverage without the award and it has been a source of potential business as well as giving much needed press to the ICF Building industry.”

Speaking as a former territory manager for a major brand, I can tell you that they all take these awards very seriously. Marketing departments at all ICF companies start working on applications and asking sales teams for projects that would be good for the awards. A lot of work goes into the application process making sure they have the right photos and great stories that go along with the project to make it special enough to be recognized at the biggest ICF Awards ceremony. Having a project or hopefully multiple projects is a great way to showcase how your block can perform in the highest of difficulty. It is an amazing visual of the potential of your company. As you can see these awards are so much more than just a plaque or a pat on the back. They are a distinction that puts you in a category of winner forever. Something that bonds you and the project to the industry and the other respected individuals, companies and projects that share the title. Really when it comes down to who the winner is, I would say it’s the entire ICF industry.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 2025 ICF Builder Awards!!