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Western Timber Frame Wins Three 2016 Best of State Awards

Western Timber Frame™ won three Best of State awards in 2016: Small Business, Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries, and Wood Products. Best of State is Utah’s awards program recognizing outstanding individuals, organizations, and businesses in the state.

The company had won Best of State before, but this time it was honored in three categories instead of one. The news arrived by text: “We did it again, guys!”

Gold Best of State medallion showing a sculpted figure lifting a disc, with the words Best of State on a gray field

Quick Facts

  • Award: Utah’s Best of State, 2016
  • Categories won: Small Business; Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries; Wood Products
  • Company: Western Timber Frame™, Payson, Utah, founded in 2008
  • What it builds: heavy timber pergolas, pavilions, gazebos, arbors, and trellises
  • Best of State awards to date: 28

What Is the Best of State Award?

Best of State is a Utah awards program created to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations, and businesses in the state.

According to the program, entries are judged on three criteria:

  • Achievement (50%): excellence in the field, including quality of products, growth, and recognition.
  • Innovation (30%): creativity in approaches, methods, or processes.
  • Contribution (20%): service, charitable giving, employment, and other ways winners improve their communities.

Which Categories Did Western Timber Frame Win in 2016?

Western Timber Frame won Best of State in three categories in 2016:

  • Best of State 2016: Small Business
  • Best of State 2016: Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries
  • Best of State 2016: Wood Products

The Work Behind the Awards

Western Timber Frame designs and builds timber structures for outdoor living. Each structure is designed for the client and the site rather than pulled from a shelf, so no two are quite the same.

The company’s aim has stayed the same from the start: to give families a comfortable place to gather outside, a kind of reinvented front porch. The photos below, from client projects, show what that looks like in use.

Guests gathered under a dark timber pavilion decorated with silver 16 balloons and streamers for a birthday party
A sixteenth birthday under a timber pavilion.
Gray stained timber pavilion over a patio dining and lounge area behind a two story home, with a curved green lawn
A pavilion over a backyard patio.
Family and friends greeting each other with a hug under a timber gazebo with arched knee braces at an evening gathering
An evening gathering under a timber gazebo.
Four people posing with arms around each other under a timber gazebo beside a stone outdoor kitchen counter
Friends at an outdoor kitchen under the same style of gazebo.
Timber arbor on four stone columns holding a striped cushioned swing on a paver pad beside a pond and boulders
A timber arbor swing beside the water.
Warm brown timber arbor with arched braces standing over a stone grill island in front of a rock retaining wall
A small arbor over a grill.

Thank You

These awards belong to the people who do the work and to the families who trusted Western Timber Frame with their yards. Thank you to everyone at the company, and to every client, who had a hand in it.

Since 2016

Western Timber Frame has now received 28 Best of State awards. The company has built more than 7,000 structures in all 50 states, and in 2026 it was named the SBA Utah District Manufacturing Small Business of the Year.

See what the company builds: timber pergolas, pavilions, and arbors and trellises.

Questions About Best of State

What is Utah’s Best of State award?

Best of State is an awards program that recognizes outstanding individuals, organizations, and businesses in Utah. Entries are judged on achievement, innovation, and contribution to the community.

What did Western Timber Frame win in 2016?

Western Timber Frame won three Best of State awards in 2016: Small Business, Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries, and Wood Products.

How many Best of State awards has Western Timber Frame won?

Western Timber Frame has received 28 Best of State awards to date.

Request a free design consultation or call 877-870-8755.

Western Timber Frame™ — Payson, Utah | Since 2008 | 7,000+ structures in all 50 states
2026 SBA Manufacturing Award | HGTV Design Excellence Award | 28 Best of State Awards

Content Writer, Architectural Photographer & Outdoor Living Author, Western Timber Frame

Marilynn Thompson is a content writer, architectural photographer, and outdoor living author at Western Timber Frame™, where she specializes in custom timber pergolas, pavilions, gazebos, and heavy timber construction. Since joining the company, she has helped document thousands of custom projects through technical research, homeowner interviews, jobsite photography, and educational articles that explain complex building concepts in clear, practical language.

Her work combines engineering research with real-world project experience, covering topics such as structural design, building permits, installation, timber species, joinery, maintenance, and outdoor living design. She regularly collaborates with Western Timber Frame's designers, engineers, and project specialists to ensure every article reflects current building practices and accurate technical information.

As the company's architectural photographer, Marilynn has photographed custom timber structures across the United States, documenting how they perform in different climates, landscapes, and architectural styles. Her writing is informed not only by research, but by conversations with homeowners and business owners who have lived with these structures for years.

Her goal is simple: to help homeowners understand the decisions behind a custom timber structure so they can build with confidence, not guesswork.

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