IBHS honors resilient construction trailblazers

Tenth annual FORTIFIED Awards celebrate service providers, non-profits
strengthening homes and businesses against severe weather

FAIRHOPE, Ala., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, during the 10^th Annual FORTIFIED Awards celebration, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recognized 76 FORTIFIED service providers and non-profits taking the lead to better prepare their communities for severe weather. The awards honor organizations that have helped at least 100 customers earn a FORTIFIED Home™ designation and contributed to the record number issued in 2024.

FORTIFIED, a voluntary, beyond-code construction and re-roofing standard based on decades of IBHS research, strengthens areas of a home vulnerable to high winds and heavy rain. Lab studies and real-world events show FORTIFIED significantly reduces damage from hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe weather events. More than 75,000 homeowners have chosen to seek a FORTIFIED designation, with Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana leading the way. The FORTIFIED program requires third-party verification that the standard has been met and can lead to insurance incentives or tax credits for homeowners.

"For a decade now, the FORTIFIED Awards have celebrated the individuals and companies who make resilient homes a reality," said IBHS President and CEO Roy Wright. "Every month, nearly two thousand homeowners work with dedicated service providers to make their homes stronger. As a result, communities are becoming more resilient and better prepared for the next storm."

FORTIFIED Volume Awards are earned by certified FORTIFIED roofing contractors, evaluators and professionals who have generated a minimum of 100 designations, with different award categories for progressively higher designation totals. This year's recipients include:

Diamond Volume Award (2,500+ Designations)

• Bethel Engineering Inc.

Crown Volume Award (1,000 to 2,499 Designations)

• D.R. Horton, Inc. – Baldwin County
• Fortified Inspections
• Knockout Home Inspections
• Pilot

Crystal Volume Award (500 to 999 Designations)

• Arcane Inspection Services
• Disaster Smart Consulting, Inc.
• HDMK Inspection Services – NOLA
• NC Fortified
• Projust Services

Spotlight Volume Award for evaluators (100 to 499 Designations)

• Accurate Property Inspections
• Aiku Construction
• Adams Homes
• A-D's Metal Roofing Co.
• All Weather Roofing
• AmeriSpec
• Asset Evaluation Services, LLC
• Ben Murphy Company
• Ben Murphy Roofing
• Burish Builders
• Coastal Design Group, LLC
• Coastal Roofing & Siding, Inc.
• Coastal Trim & Accessories
• Compass Inspection Services
• Complete Roofing
• D.R. Horton, Inc. – Mississippi
• D.R. Horton, Inc. – Mobile County
• Daniel Roofing Services, LLC
• DSLD – Alabama
• Dynamic Group
• Fortified Exteriors
• Fortified Professional Services
• Fortitude Roofing
• Foster Contracting
• Gallop Roofing & Remodeling
• Garcia Roofing
• H&H Adjusters, Inc.
• Habitat for Humanity of Escambia County
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham
• Habitat for Humanity Tuscaloosa
• Harzo, Inc.
• Integrity Building Companies, LLC
• JDL Homebuilders, Inc.
• Lennar Homes
• MOcean Contracting, Inc.
• Monarch Roofing
• Mueller Builders
• North Star Claims, LLC
• Painting Perfection by Garcia
• Patriot Roofing & Exteriors
• Peak Evaluations, LLC
• Premier Construction Enterprise, LLC
• Property Loss Consultants, LTD
• Right 4 U Construction
• River Road Partners, LLC
• Roof Doctors
• Southern Premier Roofing
• Stormgrade Roofing
• Sunbelt Roofing
• Sunny Day Roofing
• Superior Home Inspections, LLC
• Taylor Made Services
• Terry Moran & Associates, PLLC
• The Inspection Specialist
• Total Home Inspections
• Zach Smith Consulting & Design
• Wise Builders Roofing and Renovations
• 21^st Century Home Inspections

IBHS also presented FORTIFIED Social Media Awards, recognizing FORTIFIED service providers who connect homeowners to the science behind FORTIFIED in unique ways. This year's FORTIFIED Social Media Award recipients include: 

• Atlantic Roofing Company
• Flores & Foley Roofing + Sheet Metal
• Fortified Inspections
• Fortitude Roofing
• Mobile Bay Roofing & Construction
• Patriot Pros Roofing
• Ready Roofing Company
• Smart Roof & Home Performance
• Zuppardo's Renovations

The FORTIFIED Awards come on the heels of a new study by the Center for Risk and Insurance Research (CRIR) at the University of Alabama, which analyzed over 40,000 properties threatened by Hurricane Sally (2020). The study showed that homes with a FORTIFIED designation were 70% less likely to have an insurance claim than homes built to typical construction standards. It also found that if all homes in the area had been built to the FORTIFIED Gold standard, losses would have been reduced by 75%, preventing over $111million in insurance claims and saving homeowners more than $34 million in deductibles.

"The FORTIFIED Awards honor companies that are driving resilient construction at the ground level. These award recipients are empowering property owners to protect their homes and businesses from the growing threat of severe weather," said Fred Malik, managing director of the FORTIFIED program at IBHS. "As the CRIR report showed, this year's recipients aren't just making houses stronger, they're helping communities prepare for the next storm and giving their customers the best chance to have an intact home to return to once the weather passes."

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more about IBHS at ibhs.org.

About FORTIFIED
Based on decades of research by IBHS, FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and re-roofing program designed to strengthen structures against severe weather, including high winds, hurricanes and tornadoes. Visit fortifiedhome.org to learn more about the program, including the designation process.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety