Florida’s BEST Awards 2003 Spotlights  Building Excellence and Superior Talent

Miami, Monday April 7, 2003: Amidst the splendor at the new Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood Beach, Prime Homebuilders was honored among the BEST in the South Florida Building Industry. The BEST awards competition is recognized as the premiere award in the building industry statewide. Prime Homebuilders received 34 awards, 8 Platinum, 14 Gold and 12 Silver. These awards were presented for outstanding contributions in the categories of Architecture, Marketing, Interior Design, Builders Overall Products, Unique Design Features, and Land Planning.

A partnership between the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF), The Miami Herald, and El Nuevo Herald, the Florida’s BEST Awards program evaluated products and professionals in the building industry in over two dozen categories. The 18 year-old awards program, formerly known as FAME (Florida Achievement and Marketing Excellence), challenged building industry professionals to “show us what you’ve got.”

“Home shoppers have the advantage of being able to rely on our judges’ years of experience,” said Toni Pacelli-Hinkley, co-chair of the event. She says the program also serves as a guide for consumers. “Our judges know quality and good design when they see it. By visiting the winning developments or keeping in mind the names of the winning designers, South Floridians can feel comfortable in the knowledge that they are working with people who truly care about being the best.”

Professionals in all areas entered including builders, architects, land planners, landscape architects, interior designers, public relations firms and advertising agencies. In the division of personal achievement, entrants included realtors, mortgage lenders,

sales directors, sales managers, sales associates, rookie sales associates, sales teams, and marketing directors.

To evaluate the entries, twenty-two out-of-state building industry professionals from around the nation, experts in their field, traveled to South Florida for the judging, which took place over a three day period in January 2003. “These highly qualified judges visited every entry from South Dade to Jupiter on-site, safeguarding that the quality of the residential and commercial projects was not distorted by photography,” said Pacelli-Hinkley, From the panel, judges with sales and marketing expertise assessed advertising entries related to the building industry as well as Personal Achievement entries.

With great scrutiny, homes, offices and communities were judged for design, craftsmanship, creativity, features and amenities, functionality, flow and value. Advertising entries were evaluated for criteria such as concept, copy, layout, execution, creativity, design, impact and originality. Personal achievement entries were assessed for evidence of communication, interpersonal, problem-solving and leadership skills, commitment to the industry, creativity and imagination. Winners were announced on Saturday, April 5, 2003 at the Florida’s BEST Awards Banquet.

The prestigious annual Florida’s BEST Awards Program is overseen by the Florida’s BEST Board of Governors, comprised of representatives from the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF), The Miami Herald and The Nuevo Herald. BASF is a 59-year-old organization working to create, preserve and maintain a favorable environment in which the building industry can prosper in South Florida. This objective is achieved through strong member support and representation in government and the private sector. BASF is the local affiliate of the Florida Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders. The Miami Herald is the leading daily newspaper in the South Florida area, reaching over a million readers daily, with three editions distributed throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. El Nuevo Herald is the leading daily Spanish newspaper in the South Florida area