Design Awards Sponsors

Organizations within the commercial flooring industry support the Starnet Design Awards and lend their expertise as honorary judges for their sponsored categories.

Sponsors for the 2016 Starnet Design Awards include:

• Healthcare Category Sponsor: American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID)
• Environmental Achievement Sponsor: Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)
• Unique Installation Challenge Sponsor: INSTALL

For information on becoming a sponsor for future awards competitions, contact Rob Starr at 888.239.8675 Ext. 7 or email rob@starnetflooring.com.

Honorary Judges

Robert Peoples, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)

 CARE is a nationwide not-for-profit organization whose mission is to divert carpet from landfills to reuse or recycle into consumer products. A founding member of CARE and its Person of the Year in 2003, Dr. Peoples served as Executive Director from 2004-2008 and resumed the directorship in 2012. He is an internationally recognized speaker in green chemistry, sustainability and carpet reclamation, among other areas. He has served as Director of the Green Chemistry Institute and Sustainability Director for the Carpet & Rug Institute, and is currently President of the Environmental Impact Group, Inc. Dr. Peoples holds a BS degree in mathematics and chemistry from Montclair University and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Purdue University, as well as several patents.

 John McGrath
Director, INSTALL

John T. McGrath, Jr. is director of INSTALL, which is the construction industry’s best industry-endorsed floor covering installation training and certification program. Mr. McGrath has helped to increase installation standards and expectations in the flooring industry by playing a leading role in facilitating communication and cooperation among mills, manufacturers, specifiers, contractors and installers.  All of these groups regularly come together to review and revise the INSTALL curriculum and certification standards. Currently, he is involved with completing the ANSI S600 Carpet Installation Standards and an associate editor of ProInstaller Magazine.

A three-decade flooring installation professional and accomplished speaker, Mr. McGrath conducts seminars regularly for architects, interior designers, building owners and facility managers to increase their knowledge of flooring installation issues. He recently was the featured presenter for the International Facility Management Association’s Academic Facilities Council to help professionals increase their knowledge and awareness of moisture dynamics in flooring. Mr. McGrath is also consistently invited to present educational seminars or participate in panel discussions for thousands of attendees at Surfaces, IFMA World Workplace and NeoCon.