The following links provide lists of all builders and associates who have received their NCBI designation:

Accredited Builder Graduates  |  Accredited Master Builder Graduates

Accredited Associate Graduates  |  Accredited Master Associate Graduates

Congratulations to the latest group of graduates of the North Carolina Builder Institute.

Accredited Builder Graduates

Milton Askew
Bluewater Home Construction
New Bern, N.C.

Skip Brewer, CGP
Walnut Cove Builders
Arden, N.C.
Skip is a 30-year resident of Western North Carolina with nearly 15 years of building experience. Skip focuses on the entire building process from concept to delivery of the finished home. He has built model homes in gated golf communities and works with the area’s top architects in design-build capacities to deliver finely-crafted homes. Typically, Skip is personally on the jobsite every day. He enjoys continuing education and plans to graduate with the Accredited Master Builder designation in 2010.  Skip is a 20-year veteran of sport skydiving, with a master skydiver license.

Chad Collins, CGP
Collins Design-Build
Durham, N.C.
A licensed general contractor since 1997, as well as a licensed home inspector, Chad Collins has been transforming clients’ dreams into elegant, fashionable, timeless homes while building a reputation for skilled craftsmanship, superior quality, and incomparable client service. Chad’s commitment to excellence has earned Collins Design-Build, Inc. numerous top industry awards, including the coveted Triangle Sales and Marketing Council’s MAME Building Company of the Year in 2007 & 2008. Collins is a member of the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties and is also involved with NCHBA and NAHB.

Chuck Dees
Riverbanks Construction
New Bern, N.C.

Ron DeSimone, CGP
Ron DeSimone Construction
Waynesville, N.C.
A native of New York, Ron DeSimone is a custom home builder in Western North Carolina. He enjoyed several other careers before making the home building business his full-time career. DeSimone is a member of the Haywood Co. HBA, serving in many capacities including two terms as president. He built the first certified Green HealthyBuilt Home in Haywood County and later the first NAHB Green certified home.  DeSimone is an ENERGY STAR® Partner, committed to building only green certified homes. He also holds his Lead-Based Paint Renovator certification and is a Clear Water Contractor.

Brien Knight
Home Design Custom Builders Inc.
Clayton, N.C.
Brien Knight graduated with an associate’s degree in architectural engineering and has worked in engineering, construction and sales for the past 35 years. He received his N.C. general contractor license in 2007 and founded Home Design Custom Builders Inc, specializing in single-family homes.

Joan Swift, CGP, CSP, CRS, ABRM, GREEN, GRI, e-PRO
Swift Creek Construction
High Point, N.C.
Joan Swift received her N.C. General Contractors License in 2005 and co-founded SwiftCreek Construction, LLC with her husband as her partner.  She loves helping people realize their dream of home ownership, whether she is helping them with the design and building of a home or just purchasing a home.  Joan is also a REALTOR® with HomeSell Select, LLC.  With 10 years of experience in the real estate and construction industry, she never stops enjoying meeting new people and learning new things. Joan is an active member of the Greensboro Builders Association and the Triad Green Building Council. She is also a member of both the Greensboro and High Point Association of Realtors.

Don Thompson
Thompson-Rhodes Builders
Arden, NC
Don Thompson has been a member of the Sierra Club longer than he has been a builder. Therefore, the rise of green building in the mainstream is welcome and long overdue as far as Don is concerned.  Thompson-Rhodes Builders, Inc. is located in the wonderful city of Asheville nestled in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. “Green” is a relative term and some of the homes we have built are greener than others, but every home we build is EnergyStar rated at a minimum. We work with our custom home clients to include as many green features as possible without blowing the budget and providing the most value for the dollar.

Joyce Vukela-Mayer
JVM Homes, Inc
Sherrills Ford, NC

Accredited Master Builder

Ken Corbo
Corbo Custom Homes
Currituck, N.C.
Ken Corbo has been in the building industry for more than 40 years, first starting out with his father’s business in New York in the late 1960s. After serving in the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard, Corbo retired and started Corbo Custom Homes in 1998. After first building custom homes, he diversified his company and is now a regional Katahdin Log Home agent as well as a Nationwide Modular representative. Corbo is active on the state and local HBA levels and has served as President of the Northeastern NC HBA for the past three years.

Kevin Lancaster, CGP
Lancaster Construction
Simpson, N.C.
Kevin Lancaster’s involvement in the building industry began in 1997 when he started his own business doing home repairs and improvements in the Rocky Mount, N.C. area. He received his license from the N.C. Licensing Board for General Contractors in 2005. Lancaster made the move to Greenville, N.C. in 2006, focusing on residential building and remodeling. He is an involved member of the Greenville-Pitt County HBA and served on the Board of Directors for three years. He also has served on the NCHBA Nominating Committee for the past two years. Lancaster is a Certified Lead-Based Paint Renovator.

Chad Vanne
Stillwater Construction
Hendersonville, N.C.
After graduating with a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995, Vanne began building homes as an AmeriCorps volunteer for a non-profit housing agency. Since that first year of volunteer service, he has built both affordable and multi-million dollar homes. He currently owns Stillwater Construction Inc., a custom construction company dedicated to the practices of energy resource efficiency when building or renovating residential and commercial projects. Stillwater is experienced in a wide variety of construction methods and techniques used to achieve the same result: a well-designed, high-quality, fair priced creation that reflects the clients’ personality.

Accredited Master Associate

Jerry Cowan
Builders Mutual Insurance Co.
Greensboro, N.C.

Jerry is a Senior Territory Manager with Builders Mutual, the endorsed insurance program of the NCHBA. He serves the Central North Carolina territory working with over 120 independent insurance agents and 18 local home builders associations to promote BMIC and the HBA. He is an active member of the Greensboro BA, HBA of Raleigh-Wake Co., Winston Salem HBA and the Durham Orange Chatham HBA.  He is also active with the Membership and Associates committees with NCHBA and NAHB.   Cowan is currently a Statesman level Spike with over 920 Spike Credits.

Are you interested in enhancing your professionalism and earning accreditation in your industry?  Plan to attend the Fall 2010 NCBI session scheduled for September 15-17 in conjunction with the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference in Charlotte.  Go to www.21buildingexpo.com for a complete list of courses.