Built By The Best Award
The CEBA Built By The Best Award acknowledges association members around the globe for their expertise and innovation in constructing, renovating and/or modernizing controlled environment buildings across the world. The award is open to project teams in all regions / continents comprised of Contractor / Design-Build companies End-User/ companies that are association members. Any of these parties can submit an application.
Buildings recognized with the Built By The Best Award seal represent some of the most innovative and complex facilities built around the globe according to the intricate, unique standards set forth by the controlled environment industry. The award was created by the Controlled Environment Building Association. CEBA is now accepting applications for this year’s award program which offers a more streamlined application process and includes two awards recognizing the varied sizes of controlled environment buildings constructed throughout the cold chain worldwide.
2025 AWARD CATEGORIES UPDATE
After three years of an "Above $35MM" and "Below $35MM" categories for the Built by the Best Award, the award will evolve into three new categories, as listed below:
- Controlled Environment, Cold Storage & Distribution Warehouses are specialized facilities designed to store and distribute perishable products that require temperature control to maintain quality and safety. These warehouses play a crucial role in supply chain logistics, particularly for industries like food, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Submissions for this may be conventional, semi-automated, or fully automated warehouses.
- Processing/Manufacturing Facilities are industrial operations where raw materials are transformed into finished goods or intermediate products. These facilities are key to various supply chains and include a broad range of industries. Submissions for this category should emphasize use of Controlled Environment Building features.
- Special Works Projects (Small Expansions, Tenant Improvements, Maintenance, Retrofits, and Renovations) are targeted and strategic improvements intended to deliver specific goals/outcomes/enhancements. Submissions for this category might include things like: adding in blast freezing cells to an operating cold storage, retrofitting in some automated features into an existing facility. Building a box-in-box facility. Generally, these projects should be in the USD <$20MM range.
2025 Award Eligibility
- This award is open to project teams in any country comprised of Contractor/Design-Build companies and Processor/End-User/Warehouse/Third-Party Logistics companies that meet the following criteria:
- Contractor or design-build company must be a CEBA member in any region. Processor/End User/Warehouse/Third-Party Logistics company does not need to be a member.
- Representative from customer company (processor, end-user, warehouse, etc.) is preferred during presentation alongside contractor or design/build company at annual CEBA Conference & Expo.
- Building must maintain a controlled environment.
- Teams must have completed a new build or expansion within the timeframe of January 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025.
- Submission must be received by the submission deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.
- Project must have been completed on or ahead of schedule.
2025 Submission Deadline
- Project teams must complete the application process within the submission period. No late applications will be accepted
- Submission Deadline: Friday, July 30, 2025 COB
- Please send application materials to Holly Coughlan – hcoughlan@gcca.org
Application Process & Requirements
- 2025 CEBA Built by the Best Award Application - Click Here
- CEBA Built by the Best Award PowerPoint Deck - Click Here
- There is no application fee.
- Sample Submission Videos from 2024:
o Fisher Construction Group | NewCold, Lebanon, IN, United States: View Submission Video below
o Ti Cold | CORE X COMPLETE, Sturbridge, MA, United States: View Submission Video
Judging Process
- Applications will be assessed during a formal scorecard review process conducted by the Selection Panel (made up of members of the CEBA Board of Directors, Business Development & Marketing Committee, and select end-users).
2024 Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 2024 CEBA Built By The Best Award recipients:
Over $35MM Category
Stellar | Americold, Russellville, Arkansas, United States
Onstage left to right: Brian Lynch, Executive Director CEBA & EVP Business Development GCCA; James Rogers, VP Business Development, GCCA; Sam Tippmann, Chairman CEBA & Founder/CEO TI Cold; Wyatt Payne Senior Vice President, Food Logistics Division, Stellar; Daryl Wolfenbarger, Project Manager, Americold; Kimberly Stanton, Project Manager, Stellar; Nathan Kendall, Project Manager, Stellar; Justin Eason, Operations Manager, Stellar; and Sara Stickler, President and CEO, GCCA
To learn more about the project, click HERE
Under $35MM Category
Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. | Dot Foods Canada, Inc., Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada
Onstage left to right: Brian Lynch, Executive Director CEBA & EVP Business Development GCCA; James Rogers, VP Business Development, GCCA; Sam Tippmann, Chairman CEBA & Founder/CEO TI Cold; Joseph Sabourin, Project Director, Food and Beverage, Maple Reinders; Sara Stickler, President and CEO, GCCA
To learn more about the project, click HERE
2024 Finalists
- Fisher Construction Group | Agile Cold Storage, Gainesville, Georgia, United States
- Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. | Dot Foods Canada, Inc., Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada
- Primus | RL Cold, Ridgeville, South Carolina, United States
- Stellar | Americold, Russellville, Arkansas, United States
2024 Honorable Mention
Featured Honorable Mention Projects:
- Cubic33 Colombia S.A.S.| Emergent Cold, Talcahuano, Chile
- Evans General Contractors | RL Cold, Wilmington, NC, United States
- SINA | Congebec Inc., Mascouche, QC, Canada
2024 Judges
- Burnie Taylor, Chief Development & Solutions Officer – Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics
- Jim Romine, VP, Engineering Design & Development – Lineage Logistics
- Rob Adams, Executive Vice President - Ti Cold
- Tim Nguyen, President - SubZero Constructors Inc.
Questions?
If you have questions about the award, submission process, or anything else related to the CEBA Built by the Best Award, please contact Holly Coughlan, Manager of Business Development and Membership at hcoughlan@gcca.org.