He’s come a long way since he won the Young Members Award in 1989 for negotiating a “new and innovative” national agreement with the Carpenters’ union! Kenneth P. Navratil, executive vice president of J&B Acoustical in Mansfield, Ohio, has won AWCI’s highest honor. Navratil was presented with AWCI’s Pinnacle Award at the awards brunch held during AWCI’s Convention in New Orleans in April.
AWCI’s Pinnacle Award honors members who make substantial contributions to the association and the wall and ceiling industry, as well as to their local community. Navratil was AWCI’s president in 2003–2004, but he is perhaps best known among members as the convention emcee for the past 10-plus years (see photos). While he is currently AWCI’s Convention Committee chairman with a seat on the AWCI board of directors, he also currently participates on many other AWCI committees, including the Foundation board of directors, the Union Contractors Council and the craft committees for carpenters, finishers and plasterers. He is also a management trustee on national labor funds.
Navratil was instrumental in helping AWCI alert its membership and keep it informed when exterior insulation and finish systems were getting a bad rap due to improper applications. With others, Navratil’s efforts helped AWCI’s EIFS education and certification program evolve. He also assisted in the setup of the AWCI insurance company when no other insurance companies would cover contractors who applied EIFS. He took similar steps to help with industry awareness when mold was an industry hot-button issue.
Whether it’s advising AWCI on the buildout of its new offices in 2006 or helping his community build a soccer stadium for the local high school, Navratil is a reliable, contributing participant who joins others like him in AWCI’s winner’s circle.
