Looking Back on 2022’s Successes—and Looking Forward to 2023

A Year to Celebrate

At Pathway, we’ve certainly had a year worthy of celebrating, and while we don’t want to toot our own horn too much, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved for our clients and our company. So, we thought we’d share a few highlights.

 

Individual Accolades

Our founder, Paul Kocharhook, was a finalist for the Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year—a national award that recognizes innovators in the industry. Paul was honored for Pathway’s “all-in commitment” to universal design principles and creating healthy homes, not just on some projects, but in everything we do.

Another big moment was when Pathway estimator extraordinaire Lars Blazina was named to Pro Remodeler’s “Forty Under 40” list, a collection of leaders who will help shape our industry for years to come. Lars created a way for us to cross-reference cost information between various jobs, giving us the ability to analyze data more efficiently and move projects along more quickly. Bravo!

 

Featured Homes in Remodeled Homes Tour

Two of our projects were featured in the annual Remodeled Homes Tour, which is always an honor. The first was a Craftsman-style home that had lost a bit of its farmhouse charm over the years—in this whole-home remodel, we made the kitchen and laundry rooms more functional (and attractive), while reimagining the porch to create outdoor living space. Of course, we included some future aging-in-place features, such as a flush-entry shower in the new bathroom.

Our other featured project was a home that needed modern touches and functionality after serving its owners well for over 20 years. We created a light, airy, refined kitchen with enhanced storage, designed a more welcoming entry, and built a new deck that makes it easy to enjoy the natural surroundings. Just as important, we made the home more energy efficient.

 

Showing at the Seattle Home & Garden Show

We met a lot of great folks at our booth at the show—which, actually, was way more than a booth. We had a huge space to ourselves, so we could showcase materials, photos of projects, and even show the difference between insulation types. (We had room to add some plants, too, showing our commitment to biophilic design, an approach that incorporates nature into indoor life.)

 

Even More Awards

The Remodelers Council of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties submit projects for 425 Magazine’s Remodeling Excellence Awards every year, and Pathway was honored for our “Traveler’s Getaway” remodel, which followed a travel theme to transform a dark basement into a welcoming space and created open areas for family to gather together.

We also earned several other distinctions as a company—including being recognized as one of the Best Home Addition Contractors in Seattle by Seattle Architects and earning a spot on the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list of remodeling firms across the nation. Finally, we earned yet another Guildmaster Award from GuildQuality, which highlights firms with exemplary customer service (demonstrated by a 90% or higher recommendation rate, among other criteria).

 

Sharing Our Unique Experience

Many of you know that Pathway made the decision to go fully remote after the pandemic, which transformed the company in ways that go well beyond simply saving office costs. Paul shared his experience with the entire remodeling industry in the May/June 2022 issue of Pro Remodeler—writing about how he used the savings to invest in programs that benefit the company and our employees, and also how it makes us more efficient when working with clients. It’s an interesting read (and we’re not saying that just because Paul wrote it, honest).

 

What Does 2023 Hold for You?

We’re excited at the promise of a new year—we can’t wait to see what’s ahead for both our team and our clients. If one of your resolutions is to finally make your home everything you dreamed, we’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime, here’s to a happy and healthy holiday season, along with a prosperous New Year!

The Pathway Design + Construction Team