By Donna Heiderstadt
The kitchen-and-bath industry is brimming with creative young designers, executives, and craftspeople, and once again NKBA has chosen some of the brightest talents making their mark in design, remodeling, sales, and manufacturing to be part of its Thirty Under 30 Class of 2023. Now in its 11th year, the program, which was generously sponsored by Delta Faucet Co. and Signature Kitchen Suite, honors and elevates rising stars based on their career or educational achievements, leadership, and commitment to excellence, continuing professional development and the advancement of the industry.
An Elite Group of Stars
As these 30 exceptional inductees accepted their honor at KBIS 2023 in Las Vegas, they joined the 300 alumni of previous classes in representing the future of the industry by demonstrating a true passion for the products and projects they work on day after day. More than half are already active in their local NKBA chapters, which in this class stretched from the NY Metro Chapter to Canada’s Prairie Provinces Chapter, and five have already earned NKBA certification.
They were welcomed to the stage by host Arianne Bellizaire, Principal and Owner of Baton Rouge, LA-based Arianne Bellizaire Interiors, LLC, who noted the program’s importance in spotlighting and further developing the talents of these high achievers. “And they’re all still in their twenties!” she emphasized.
The incoming class is especially significant to Suzie Williford, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of NKBA. “Our Thirty Under 30 program is very near and dear to the NKBA,” she says. “To me, it recognizes the best of the best, the rising leaders from across the kitchen-and-bath industry. We launched this program over 10 years ago so young professionals could connect with industry leaders as well as their peers to share ideas, gain valuable insight, and develop their careers.”
Williford calls the 30s “a really strong community” of 330 members. “It’s really inspiring to watch this next generation soar,” she adds. “They truly are the future stars of the kitchen and bath industry.”
List of Thirty Under 30 Inductees for 2023
The inductees were chosen by this year’s selection committee comprised of Thirty Under 30 alumni Hannah Guilford (Class of 2021), Jillian Sarkis (Class of 2016), Lou Saige (Class of 2020), Michelle Timmerman (Class of 2017), and Sarah Nielsen (Class of 2020).
KBIS attendees got a chance to meet these exceptional young talents on Jan. 31 at the NeXT Stage in the Las Vegas Convention Center, as they were formally inducted into the Class of 2023.
Visit the NKBA’s Thirty Under 30 page for profiles of this year’s inductees:
Justin Caballero, Revive Kitchen & Bath, Tampa, FL—Central Florida Chapter
Rebekah Calcutt, Dave’s Cabinet, Chesapeake, VA—Virginia State Chapter
Kendal Cavalieri, AKBD, Kendal Cavalieri Design, Buffalo, NY—Central New York Chapter
Ben Cookinham, Moen Incorporated, Charlotte, NC
Sydney Cooley, Simply Spaces, Kirkland, WA—Puget Sound Chapter
Kendra Czuhajewski (now Wegner), Belwith Keeler Décor Solutions, Grandville, MI—West Michigan Chapter
Mariana De La Garza, Coton House, Houston, TX—Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
Calli Dieglio, Moen Incorporated, North Olmstead, OH—Ohio State Chapter
Shannon Embly, Slate Design & Remodel, Chantilly, VA
Kayla Garbrecht, AKBD, Broken Arrow Cabinetry & Design LLC, Watertown, WI—Wisconsin/Upper Michigan Chapter
Anna Graham, Anna Graham Interiors, Odenton, MD
Loris Halasa, Colmar Kitchen Studio, Margate, NJ
Makenna Harrington, ZLINE Kitchen & Bath, Reno, NV
Felicia Hartson, La Cornue, Irvine, CA—Southern California Chapter
Danielle Heath, Casey’s Creative Kitchens, London, ON, Canada
Melisa Jahic, Sherwin-Williams, Brooklyn, NY—Metro New York Chapter
Grace Juhala, .efficiently, Seattle, WA
Deborah Martin, Green Forest Cabinetry, Chesapeake, VA
Faith Martin, Kitchen Cabinet Distributors, Raleigh, NC—Eastern Carolinas Chapter
Jessica Medeiros, Kurrent Kitchen & Bath, Brooklyn, NY
Kelsey Powell, CKBD, KSI Kitchen & Bath, Birmingham, MI—Michigan State Chapter
Jamie Pulver, The Range Hood Store, Reno, NV
Christopher Ribeiro, Absolute Stone Design, Glen Allen, VA—Virginia State Chapter
Yana Rizhova, Canmade Hardware, North York, ON, Canada—Ontario/Canada Chapter
Diana Rojas, EL Design Studio, Hicksville, NY—Metro New York Chapter
Carly Seefeldt, CKBD, Kohler Company, Kohler, WI
Mickayla Sheets, The Home Depot, Grand Island, NE
Allyssa Warden, CKBD, Kitchen Concepts Plus, Salisbury, MD
Alyssa Weardon, Monarch Lane Interiors, Nashville, TN—Tennessee Chapter
Mandy Wozniak, Salix Studio, Bonnyville, AB, Canada—Prairie Provinces Chapter