Calabasas women’s builder group earns awards

The Women’s Council of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA-SC), headquartered in Calabasas, received five awards from the National Association of Home Builders at the 2005 International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla.

Five was the most awards presented to one council nationally.

The homebuilder awards are given as scholarship funds with each award ranging from $150 to $500 in value. The funds are earmarked for people continuing their education within the building and housing industry.

The Women’s Council received $2,000 which will allow it to offer more money toward scholarship recipients in its annual Architectural Drafting Competition in May and its annual Scholarship Competition in November.

Women’s Council of BIA-SC is an organization dedicated to supporting the building industry by fostering personal and professional, networking relationships.

The chapter has more than 75 members and is growing monthly.

The awards received by the Women’s Council at the show included "Council of the Year;" "Council Award for Member Recruitment and Retention;" "Council Award for Best Legislative and Political Action;" and "Council Award for Most Congressional Contact Recruitment." Karen Dry, president of Women’s Council, received the "Spikette of the Year" for her efforts in recruiting new members into Women’s Council.

In addition to these awards, Jenna Prater, another Women’s Council member, was awarded the Merillat "Women of the Future" grant.

Prater, a model home interior designer for Garrett Interiors in Westlake Village, applied for the scholarship in November, hoping to augment her costs of enrollment in an UCLA class for computer aided design.