Meet the IBS 2018 Scholarship Recipients (Part 1)

NOTE: This is Part 1
of a 3-part series.
 

21 ambitious young professionals have been awarded IBS
Scholarship to the 2018 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) in Orlando
this coming January. Many have never attended before, and all are eager to
learn more about the building industry by exploring new products, networking
with other industry pros and attending the many education sessions available.
Here are their stories. 

Shannon Alcock,
Goldmark Construction Group

Raleigh, North Carolina
Shannon grew up around home building and is now the Chief
Operating Officer of her father’s company. “One of my favorite aspects of the
building process is that it is a
process. It is constantly changing; it’s never stagnant nor is the industry.
There are so many new products and technologies always coming out—so what
better way to learn about them than at IBS!” 

Kristi Allen, Wood
Castle Homes

Jordan, Utah
As a third-generation home builder, Kristi is no stranger
to IBS—having attended her first show at age 20. For IBS 2018, she wants to
focus on experiencing as much as she can from the show. Her number one “must-do”
from her IBS 2018 experience is to learn from other builders: “I love to hear
what fellow builders are trying in other markets. What things are working, the mistakes
they’ve made and what they’ve learned from them.” 

Temba Chiwanga,
McBride & Son Homes

St. Louis, Missouri
Temba is an architectural intern, and as a progressing
architectural student and designer, he wants to gain more knowledge in the
residential field. “My passion is to learn new trends and concepts and bring
them out to the world. From IBS 2018, I want to leave [with so much knowledge]
that if someone asks, ‘Can you design [fill in the blank]?’ I can answer, ‘How
much time do you have because I am about to blow your mind with possibilities!’” 

Lynch Christian,
Four Points Construction, Inc.

Berkeley County, West Virginia
Lynch has been in construction for two years, and his
obsession for building began as a kid playing with LEGOs. The primary reason
why he joined NAHB is for the education and the opportunities to learn from
other builders. “IBS is the center of the continuing education curriculum, and I
feel it is the builders’ responsibility to continue to perfect building
techniques to give consumers the best possible product.” 

Dan Darnold, Oak
Tree Homes, Inc.

Wilton, Iowa
Dan only started his career in the building industry in
January 2017, and while he admits it’s been a steep learning curve, he’s also enthusiastic
about all the possibilities, especially in green building as that’s what Oak
Tree Homes specializes in. “I think green building is hitting a huge stride
right now, so I am very excited to see what the latest techniques and products
are in the green building space [at IBS] and implement them into our building
strategies.” 

Gabriel DaSilva,
DaSilva Group, Inc.

Union County, New Jersey

Gabe attended IBS 2017 for the first time and says that
experience “took [my mindset] from being a ‘flipper’—doing just cosmetic
rehab—to realizing that I am a true custom builder.” Another big takeaway was
meeting others in the industry and seeing the value of getting involved at the
local level. He returned from Orlando, joined his HBA and has since taken a
leadership role in the Young Professionals Committee. 

Joshua Dean,
Precision Homecrafters, LLC

Birmingham, Alabama

A few years ago, Joshua became active at the local level,
and today he’s Treasurer of the Remodelers Council he started, chairs the Young
Professionals committee and also serves on the Board. One of his passions is
workforce development, so he’s looking forward to seeing what ideas are shared
on that topic at IBS 2018. “I’ve enjoyed [my involvement] at the local and
state level, and I am anticipating the same at the national level.” 

Parts 2 and 3 of this series will be coming soon to the Builders’
Show blog. 

Learn more about the 2018 IBS Scholarship
recipients
.

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