Oberlin, Ohio—The 2021 CEU Awards were presented to participating members of the CEU Program at TISE in Las Vegas on Feb. 3, 2022.
The 2021 CEU Educator of the Year Award was presented to Stone Panels International LLC, a lightweight stone company located in Marble Falls, Texas. Stone Panels continued the marketing strategy that earned it this title in 2020: consistent outreach and the willingness to offer webinars. Most of its presentations were delivered online, allowing the company to continually reach its audience as COVID-19 restrictions changed throughout the year.
“CEUs are excellent conduits for product introduction,” said Valorie Ormand, marketing director. “The last couple of years have been exciting from a CEU perspective. We have been able to exponentially increase our reach and overall product category awareness based on our virtual presentation option.”
With a combination of more locations accepting onsite presentations and the company’s push to make connections and offer live webinars, Stone Panels said it grew its total attendees educated from 594 individuals in 2020 to 1128 in 2021.
Two individuals were honored with the CEU Speaker of the Year award:
Kayla Keenan, technical sales director – Midwest region for Stone Panels, presented 42 classes and educated 401 attendees in 2021. “In these unprecedented times, you have to be creative and continue to reach as many people as possible,” Keenan said. “CEUs have given us the opportunity to gain connections and tell our story.”
Leigh Ann McKinley, design and development lead for Temmer, presented 30 classes and educated 190 individuals. “Because natural stone is formed by the Earth without being altered by man, its characteristics are unique and diverse,” McKinley said. “Through CEUs, we are able to educate people to appreciate its geologic origin and use this information to make wise design decisions in the built environment.”