The FCAI Larry Nedrow Scholarship was created by Former Chairman Larry Nedrow to further educational development within the market served by NIPDI contributing contractors. FCAI scholarships are offered on behalf of the finishing industry. It is not required that the nominee/applicant contribute to the NIPDI fund, be related to a NIPDI contributing contractor, or have any connection with FCAI. A scholarship recipient’s event is planned to receive your award and celebrate all scholarship winners.
Since being founded in 1992 by the Board of Trustees, the FCAI Larry Nedrow Scholarship Fund, supported by NIPDI/FCAI members, has helped hundreds of students achieve their educational goals. Each year, FCAI awards qualified recipients a scholarship with money raised from our golf outing and other fundraisers. The FCAI Larry Nedrow Scholarship Program recognizes promising students, advances higher education, and honors its first Chairman and a Founder of NIPDI.
To date, the FCAI Larry Nedrow Scholarship Fund has helped 591 students totaling $688,250.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND AWARDING OF SCHOLARSHIPS – opens october 1, 2025 for 2026
- Complete the FCAI Scholarship Application Form, including signatures of the sponsor and the applicant
- Write a 300-word essay concerning the applicant’s educational objectives and how the following shaped his/her current thinking. Please write about the following (if applicable):
- Involvement in high school activities · Needs-based information · Employment experience
- Community and/or church involvement · Positions of leadership · Plans for the future
- Family background · Honors received
- The NIPDI/FCAI Board of Directors will screen all applications, select FCAI scholarship recipients, announce winners by April 1 and report all results to the FCAI scholarship applicants and recipients, the media, and the membership of FCAI contractors as determined by the Board.
Download FCAI Larry Nedrow Scholarship Application Forms
DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 1, 2026
FCAI Scholarship
1991 W Downer Place
Aurora, IL 60586
630.264.7880
Email your applications to pat@fcaofillinois.org
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Is there someone within your company who goes beyond his or her duties on a regular basis? Does the nominee have a superior work ethic, is dedicated to high-quality workmanship, and who deserves to be recognized? Take this opportunity to recognize an employee who stands out and has made a positive contribution within your company. A nominee for this award may be an employee who works either in the office or on the jobsite (part of Painters District Council 30).
The award evaluations will be based on the following:
- Quality Workmanship/Quality of Work Produced
- Superior Teamwork
- Outstanding Customer Service
- Strong Leadership Skills
- Accomplishments (written examples of exceptional work done by the employee)
- Involvement in Industry Trade Associations
- Volunteerism within the Community
Please complete the nomination form and remit (by email, fax, or mail) to the FCAI Office by December 31, 2025.
Download the Employee of the Year Documents
EXCELLENCE IN SAFETY AWARD
In an ongoing commitment to promoting safety within the construction industry, FCAI seeks to recognize individuals who exemplify outstanding safety performance. FCAI Contractors may nominate one individual per company for this award. This individual (staff, safety director, PDC #30 union member, or other employees) should demonstrate consistent safe working habits and should warrant recognition by you, the employer, and co-workers who benefit from their conscientious safety efforts. Please include the company’s current EMR and other safety statistics, the company’s safety program, history, and stories of the nominee, and/or relevant safety certifications in conjunction with completion of the application form below.
The award evaluations will be based on:
- Conscious implementation and devotion to safety on the jobsite/workplace
- Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of safety (procedures, rules, PPE, etc.)
- Demonstrated personal belief in safety to business operations and job performance
- Safety training history
- Active employee participation in company safety culture
- Knowledge of company safety program
Please complete the nomination form and remit (by email, fax, or mail) to the FCAI Office by December 31, 2025.
Download the Excellence in Safety Award Documents
DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 31, 2025
The NORM HANKES Award for OUtstanding Apprenticeship
Presented annually at the NCIFTI graduation ceremony, this award honors one outstanding apprentice who exemplifies craftsmanship, passion for the trade, and commitment to education.
The Norm Hankes Award was created to honor the legacy of Norman Hankes, a lifelong advocate for apprenticeship education and quality craftsmanship in the finishing trades.
Norm owned Hankes Decorating in Aurora, Illinois and devoted more than 47 years to the industry, beginning after his return from military service in World War II. Raised on a 400-acre farm in Sugar Grove, IL, Norm developed his strong work ethic the old-fashioned way—through long days of hard work from sunup to sundown.
After graduating from the Fox Valley Apprentice School in 1949, Norm returned to the program as an instructor in the 1950s. As a trustee of the Apprenticeship Program, one of his proudest accomplishments was helping secure the former Blaine School building in Batavia for use as a permanent training center.
In 1960, after years of working as a journeyman, Norm founded Hankes Decorating. Over the course of his career, he held numerous leadership positions, including service on the PDC #30 Pension and Welfare Funds, the NIPDI Board of Directors, and as President and Board Member of the Northeast Illinois PDCA Chapter. He also chaired the JATF Committee, where he championed apprenticeship education and promoted the benefits of training newcomers to the industry.
Because of his tireless dedication to the trade and his unwavering commitment to education, the Norm Hankes Award was established. Each year, the award is presented to an outstanding graduating apprentice who demonstrates:
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Exceptional craftsmanship
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Passion for their trade
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Commitment to education and training
The award is given annually during the North Central Illinois Finishing Trades Institute (NCIFTI) graduation ceremony, which recognizes painters/decorators, industrial painters, drywall finishers, and glaziers who have successfully completed the apprenticeship program in the past 12 months.
