TOPS Awards Feature - Bernice Lopes
2025 Outstanding Industry MVP TOPS Award
Bernice Lopes
Carolina Restoration Services
What did winning a TOPS Award mean to you personally?
Winning the 2025 Outstanding Industry MVP Award meant so much more to me than receiving a trophy or recognition. As vendor partners, we are typically recognized within vendor categories, so to be recognized among leaders from across the entire multifamily industry was something I was incredibly proud of.
Being nominated alongside leaders I personally admire—some who are my own clients and others who have made such an incredible impact on this industry —was an honor in itself. To ultimately be selected as the winner made the recognition that much more meaningful.
Tell us about the moment your name was announced. What was going through your mind?
Hearing my name called was a full-circle moment for me. It was also a reminder to other vendor leaders who pour so much into this industry that we, too, can make an impact on the industry as a whole.
Finish this sentence: “Being recognized as a TOPS Award winner means…”
Being recognized by TAA and its members is something I don’t take lightly. I carry that recognition with tremendous pride, but also with a sense of responsibility and purpose to continue serving, contributing, and giving back to an industry that has given so much to me.