Coverings, one of the largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, announced the list of the Coverings 2021 Rock Stars Winners and onsite features at the July tradeshow. Coverings 2021 also broadcast an interactive, virtual event that corresponded with the onsite show that took place July 7-9, 2021, in Orlando, Florida, at the North Hall of the Orange County Convention Center.

The Coverings Rock Stars program recognized 16 emerging leaders as the best and brightest young talent in the tile and stone industry. The program commemorates its seventh year in 2021, and it furthers Coverings’ mission to support the growth and success of the industry by distinguishing talented young leaders and fostering networking and educational opportunities.

Coverings Announces 2021 Rock Stars Winners

A committee of tile and stone industry leaders thoroughly reviewed a bevy of nominations to select the 16 remarkable inductees for the seventh assemblage of Coverings Rock Stars. The 2021 Rock Star honorees include the following:

Designer Category (2):

  • Rebecca Oehlschlaeger, Designer & Special Projects Manager, Bellew Tile & Marble, Sandwich, Mass.

  • Raquel Raney, Designer, EoA Group, Miami, Fla.


Distributor Category (3):

  • Bruna Da Silva, Purchasing Manager, StoneHardscapes LLC, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

  • Blakely Dent, RID, Commercial Sales Specialist, Florida Tile, Lexington, Ky.

  • Annie Llerena, Branch Manager, D&B Tile Distributors, Doral, Fla.


Fabricator Category (1):

  • Steven Miranda, Production & Facilities Manager, NOVUS Building Services, Sterling, Va.


Installer Category (3):

  • Ken Ballin, Owner, Skyro Floors, West Creek, N.J.

  • Mikaela Fedor, Owner, Tile Titan LLC, Bath, Pa.

  • Nick Struzik, Owner/Setter, Syndicate Tile and Stone, Burr Ridge, Ill.


Manufacturer Category (2):

  • Adam Abell, Senior Market Manager – Tile & Stone and Surface Prep Products, Bostik, Wauwatosa, Wis.

  • Sarah Williams, Marketing Director, iQ Power Tools, Perris, Calif.


Retailer Category (2):

  • Meagan Jensen, Co-Owner, Bella Pietra Design, Honolulu, Hawaii

  • Nicolas Valderrama, Sales Manager, Casa Linda Tile & Marble, Miami, Fla.


Trade Assoc. Category (2):

  • Christopher Ellis, Tile, Marble, Terrazzo Field Representative, Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 WA/AK, Lacey, Wash.

  • Amanda McMillan, Director of Member Experience, Rockheads Group USA, Beachwood, Ohio.


Other Category (1):

  • Jennifer Diliberto Riquelme, Senior Development Chemist, MAPEI Corporation, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

The 2021 Coverings Rock Stars were recognized Wednesday, July 7, in the Coverings Lounge, at Coverings 2021. Featured programming created for young professionals included an interactive session from Dahlia El Gazzar, founder of Dahlia+Agency, on social media, content creation and how to brand oneself in the marketplace. Past Rock Star winners were involved in the session, speaking about how their careers and personal growth have changed since winning the coveted award.

“These young professionals have already made impactful contributions to the tile and stone industry in their careers,” said Jennifer Hoff, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the show management company for Coverings.

“We are honored to yet again welcome an exceptional group of emerging leaders into the Rock Stars program and we look forward to seeing even more advancement from them in the years to come,”