The Restoration Industry Association (RIA) has opened nominations for the 2015 Phoenix Awards for Innovation in Restoration and Innovation in Reconstruction, according to a press release. The Phoenix Awards are presented each year at the RIA International Restoration Convention & Industry Expo to recognize achievement in the industry and the winning projects exemplify the skills and talents required to return a structure to pre-loss condition.

The Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration is awarded to a contractor/firm for a residential or commercial restoration project-personal property or building-which does not include building reconstruction, but may include the restoration and/or remediation of a structure and its contents (e.g., drying out a structure and reframing, drying and/or cleaning contents). 

The Phoenix Award for Innovation in Reconstruction is given to an individual contractor/firm for work on a project that may encompass some restoration, but generally requires significant rebuilding of the structure (e.g., new roof over most or all of an entire structure, expansion or redesign of an existing structure to make it better fit a customer's current needs). Projects may be residential or commercial.

Projects submitted should:

• Demonstrate value through a conspicuous reduction in the amount of the loss to the insurance carrier and/or the property owner.
• Focus on effective problem-solving in a catastrophic situation.
• Identify innovative procedures that provide a good example for the industry.

 The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 27, 2015. For more information, visit www.restorationindustry.org.