OBERLIN, OH -- The 2021 CEU Awards were presented to participating members of the CEU Program at TISE in Las Vegas on February 3, 2022.

The 2021 CEU Educator of the Year Award was presented to Stone Panels International LLC, a lightweight stone company located in Marble Falls, Texas. Stone Panels continued the marketing strategy that earned them this title in 2020: consistent outreach and the willingness to offer webinars. Most of their presentations were delivered online, allowing them to continually reach their audience as COVID restrictions changed throughout the year. Valorie Ormand, marketing director, stated “CEUs are excellent conduits for product introduction. The last couple of years have been exciting from a CEU perspective. We have been able to exponentially increase our reach and overall product category awareness based on our virtual presentation option."

With a combination of more locations accepting onsite presentations and their push to make connections and offer live webinars, Stone Panels grew their total attendees educated from 594 individuals in 2020 to 1128 in 2021.

Two individuals were honored with the CEU Speaker of the Year award. Kayla Keenan, technical sales director-midwest region for Stone Panels LLC presented 42 classes and educated 401 attendees in 2021. Kayla said: “In these unprecedented times, you have to be creative and continue to reach as many people as possible. CEUs have given us the opportunity to gain connections and tell our story.”    

Leigh Ann McKinley, design and development lead for Temmer, presented 30 classes and educated 190 individuals. Leigh Ann said: "Because natural stone is formed by the earth without being altered by man, its characteristics are unique and diverse. Through CEUs, we are able to educate people to appreciate its geologic origin and use this information to make wise design decisions in the built environment."

The Natural Stone Institute’s CEU program currently has 463 certified speakers worldwide. With a total of 410 CEU classes presented and 4,605 design professionals educated in 2021, our speakers are making an important impact on the natural stone industry. To learn how you can connect with your audience through education, visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/CEU.