The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) recognizes and promotes excellence in the outdoor living and deck building industry. For the past ten years, they’ve celebrated and honoured outstanding successes within the industry – and this year’s event was no exception. Windeck had the privilege of becoming a finalist for two different decks we built this past summer! The senior team at Windeck flew down to Louisville, Kentucky on November 7th to represent their company at this year’s event.
What deck building awards did Windeck win?
The 10th annual National Deck Competition showcased professional deck builders of all levels and categories from across North America and beyond. Windeck was bestowed with a second-place finish for our outdoor living space project “’Elevated’ Deck Game” and a third-place finish for our deck design-build project “Deck Fit for a King”. Both of our inspirational deck projects were competing in the “Alternative Deck over $100,000” category.
NADRA’s Deck Building Competition Awards Night is a world-class event
Even though we didn’t come home with the top prize – second and third-place finishes in an international competition give us pride! We had a fantastic evening as the NADRA Deck Building Competition Awards Night is a top-notch event! The awards dinner was held at Copper & Kings, an American Craft Brandy distiller which also houses an entertainment space. While we’re sure it doesn’t need to be said, the cocktails were mind-blowing! In addition to the fine drinks, there were also delicious appetizers followed by a delectable sit-down dinner. All-in-all a great night!
After-party networking with like-minded deck builders
After the awards ceremony, our night wasn’t over – but it’s not what you think! The after-party was a local sports bar. While it was a party – it was also the perfect opportunity to network with our fellow industry. We were able to catch up with long-time distributors, friends and meet new ones. This event was perhaps some of our favourite moments of our entire trip!
What else did we get up to in Louisville, Kentucky?
Even though this was a business trip, all work and no play doesn’t do anyone any good. We took the time away from Winnipeg to relax, unwind, and further our connections as a team and family-run business. Here’s just some of what we did while in Louisville.
NADRA Deck Builders Tradeshow
As part of the overall NADRA event, there was a deck builder tradeshow that we attended and exhibited in. We saw many friendly faces, some new and some old, stop by our booth during the two-day event. Along with our booth, the tradeshow also gave us plenty of opportunities to meet other deck builders from around the globe – and see what products and techniques they use.
A night out with Wolf International
A night out with Wolf InternationalAs part of our plans during our time in Kentucky, we met up with the leaders at Wolf Home Products who took us and some other of the builders and distributors for a fabulous dinner. Over the course of the evening, there was a lot of discussion around marketing and trends for deck builders and distributors, which gave us some interesting insight as we move into 2020.
Other fun we had while in town for the NADRA events
Louisville is the home of the “Louisville Slugger” baseball bat manufacturer. It was an inspiring tour and full of baseball trivia and facts given its rich history in the sport. The Louisville Slugger’s History page is just the tip of the iceberg when compared to being there in person.
Being in Kentucky, and with bourbon whisky near synonymous, we toured the Old Forester Distillery – which is the first bottled bourbon distillery in the world. It was a fun, fact-filled tour which also had us sampling many of their products – a great way to spend an afternoon in Louisville!
Along with our team bonding events, we tried to meet up with as many other deck builders as we could. Dinners, lunches and going out in the evenings – including to local country bar to listen to some live bands!
Final impressions on this year’s NADRA events
Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and how could we not with the hospitality and friendly atmosphere throughout Louisville and all the NADRA events. If there’s an opportunity for us to enter NADRA’s International Deck Building Competition in 2020 – we’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Thanks to everyone we met on the road and down in Kentucky – and we’ll see ya’ll again someday soon!