IAQ Radio

Chris Howells - Aprilaire Senior Product Manager Ventilation and Purification Systems - HVAC & IAQ: What Works!

This week we welcome Chris Howells, Aprilaire Senior Product Manager Ventilation and Purification Systems, to talk HVAC & IAQ: What Works!. We have very recently had some excellent building science shows with Joe Lstiburek and Nate Adams. It seems like a good time to see what a major manufacturers’ Product Manager for Ventilation and Purification can tell us what he sees out in the field. 
 
Chris grew up working in the HVAC industry with his grandfather in North Texas. That experience has led to over 25 years in the trade. He spent most of his career thus far in the field as a service technician, installer, comfort advisor and owner of a business. After his time in the field, he served as a Technical Service Manager and trainer for a distributor of a major equipment line.
 
He started his career with Aprilaire in 2015 and has filled multiple roles as a District Sales Manager and Regional Manager. Now as the Senior Product Manager of ventilation and purification, Chris continues to express his passion for the Building Science and HVAC to all in the industry. Serving others by providing the knowledge of all the attributes that create a more comfortable and healthier environment for the occupants while offering the home the protection it needs to facilitate a healthy home is what drives Chris’ unmatched passion for the Indoor Air Quality industry.
 
Chris has trained thousands of people on the importance of IAQ within the industry including HVAC contractors, distributors, engineers, new home sales teams, raters and inspectors. Aprilaire believes everyone deserves healthy air, especially in their own homes! That starts with knowledge of what makes up the quality of the air in our homes and buildings. Chris and Aprilaire are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this event today.

Michelle Blevins - Cleaning and Restoration Industry Update

This week we welcome Michelle Blevins owner and publisher of C&R Magazine. A lot is happening in the industry and Michelle has her finger on the pulse join us as we dig in and learn more about some of the big changes in the cleaning and restoration industry. LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.
 
Michelle Blevins is a content creator, marketing consultant, and entrepreneur whose career has been centered on education and fostering relationships within the industry she serves. A journalist by trade, Michelle is passionate about running a publication rooted in integrity and valuable education. She views her role as owner and publisher of C&R Magazine as a bridge between industry experts and restoration and cleaning contractors.
 
Since joining the restoration industry, Michelle has made it her business to stay on top of the latest industry trends. She has become a go-to resource for anyone looking to learn more about what’s happening within today’s restoration industry. This has earned her a spot on many industry stages facilitating panels and helpful discussion with industry experts on the biggest topics facing restorers and cleaners in the current market.

Nate Adams - HVAC 2.0, IAQ and The Art of the Possible

This week we welcome back Nate “The House Whisperer” Adams for a lesson on HVAC and IAQ. We did not get to discuss HVAC as much as we wanted with Dr. Joe Lstiburek so we asked Nate to join us and continue the discussion. We will talk about his "electrify everything" mantra, the HVAC 2.0 program and BAD ASS HVAC. Nate and his partners are trying to shake things up but also keep in mind “the art of the possible”. The focus of the discussion will primarily be on existing housing, HVAC and IAQ.
 
Nate “The House Whisperer” Adams is the author of The Home Comfort Book and has helped numerous clients make their homes healthier, more comfortable, and able to run on clean electricity. He and his partners have adapted that upgrade process into the HVAC 2.0 program which gives HVAC contractors a business model to deliver the same results for their clients while enjoying their work more and being more profitable.
 
His focus on residential electrification retrofits earned him the moniker “The Father of Electrify Everything” from Panama Bartolomy, CEO of the Building Decarbonization Coalition. He splits his time between living on the Cuyahoga River in Hiram Ohio and in a former West Virginia coal mining village with his wife and young daughter.
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Paula Schenck, MPH - Health and Safety during the COVID Pandemic

This week we welcome back Paula Schenck, MPH for a discussion about Health and Safety during the COVID Pandemic, risk communication plus a few other current events and topics that will be of great interest to our audience. Paula last joined us in 2016 when she was part of a panel we interviewed at the Maine IAQ Conference in Portland, Maine.
 
Paul Schenck, MPH is a rehired, retiree that advises physicians about environmental contributors to illness and also is an advisor to the Connecticut Small Business Development Center as what could be described as their COVID health and safety person. She works with small businesses trying to establish appropriate procedures and responses to COVID issues. Paula was part of a group that established the Center for Indoor Environments and Health at UCONN. She developed multiple initiatives directed at improving indoor environments in schools and offices. At the UCONN Occupational Medicine clinic, Paula continues to teach residents and is called upon to provide guidance on environmental and/or workplace interventions as part of patient treatment. In the past she taught environmental health at UCONN, instructed in the masters in public health program, was a seminar leader on asthma and environment and coordinated segments on occupational health in the medical school. She was instrumental in the development of the Mold and Moisture Guidance for Clinicians book in 2004.

Joe Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng. - The Life & Times of the Dean of Building Science

This week we welcome Joe Lstiburek, PhD, P. Eng. for a look back at his career and to get his thoughts on some current events. This will be a exclusive two part interview. Today, in Part 1, we'll discuss his early days in construction up to current events including COVID-19, the Miami building collapse, Code updates and more. We'll continue our discussion in Part 2 when we return live from our summer break on September 10th. That show will focus on his new book "Moisture Control for Residential Buildings". Don’t miss this exclusive look at the Life and Times of the Dean of Building Science.
Joseph Lstiburek, B.A.Sc., M.Eng., Ph.D., P.Eng., is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation and an ASHRAE Fellow. He is a building scientist who investigates building failures. Dr. Lstiburek received an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto, a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto and a doctorate in Building Science Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 1982.
The Wall Street Journal referred to him as "the dean of North American building science." Fast Company magazine called him "the Sherlock Holmes of construction". He is internationally recognized and his work has influenced building codes and standards in every climate zone. He is a recipient of the Carl Cash Award from ASTM, a "Becky" from the Ontario Building Envelope Committee (OBEC) and the EEBA Legacy Award all for lifetime contributions to building science. He has also been inducted into the Building Performance Industry Hall of Fame and has received the NESEA Professional Leadership Award for "changing the way we think about building science and how we perform our work".
Dr. Lstiburek is an acclaimed educator who has taught thousands of professionals over the past four decades and has written countless papers. He has a joy for telling tall tales to his protégés and audiences

Mortl, Springston, Zimmerman - ACGIH COVID White Papers Update & New Bioaerosols Instrumentation Monograph

This week we welcome Jack Springston, CIH, CSP - ACGIH Bioaerosols Committee Vice Chair Neil Zimmerman, PhD, PE, CIH, FAIHA - ACGIH Industrial Ventilation Committee Member and Frank Mortl III, CAE - ACGIH Executive Director for an update on ACGIH COVID documents and the new Bioaerosols Monograph on Air Sampling Instrumentation. ACGIH has collaborated with ASHRAE on their most recent COVID document revisions and is in the midst of revising the 1999 Bioaerosols Assessment and Control book. The industry is anxiously awaiting this revision.
 
Frank Mortl, ACGI Executive Director, is responsible for providing guidance and support to the Board of Directors while leading ACGIH®’s team of professionals who are committed to serving a membership that strives to deliver critically important industrial hygiene knowledge along a wide spectrum of topics ranging from air sampling instruments, bioaerosols, biological exposure indices, industrial ventilation, as well as threshold limit values (TLVs®) for chemical substances and physical agents.
 
Neil Zimmerman, PhD, PE, CIH, FAIHA is a Professor Emeritus of Industrial Hygiene, retired after a 32 year career (1981-2013) as a professor, researcher and educator in the Industrial Hygiene Program of the School of Health Sciences, Purdue University. Dr. Zimmerman is an active member of the AIHA’s Academic Accreditation Committee, which is responsible for ABET accreditation of university IH programs and is a past Chair. He currently is an active member of the ACGIH Industrial Ventilation Committee and was also an active participant in the development of ACGIH’s recently released “ventilation for COVID-19” white papers. Dr. Zimmerman holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University, and MS in Environmental Engineering and PhD in Air and Industrial Hygiene from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is certified in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene (CIH). He has been affectionately referred to as Dr. Z by his many past students and is also known as “the Z-man”!
 
Jack Springston has over 34 years’ experience in industrial hygiene and occupational health. He has been a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) since 1993, and is one of less than 50 active CIHs who also hold a sub-specialty certificate in Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). He has also been a Certified Safety Professional since 1999. Jack is currently the Industrial Hygiene Services Manager, Branch Safety Officer, and Training Director for Atlas Technical in New York City, Albany, and Long Island. He has a BS in Environmental Biology and an MS Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from Hunter College. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the ACGIH’s newly reformed Bioaerosols Committee and has authored and co-authored several chapters for the upcoming 2nd Edition Bioaerosols Assessment and Control book.
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Kirk Phillips, MS & Jennifer Sahmel, PhD, CIH, CSP - Exploring Total Exposure Health and Total Worker Health

This week we welcome Dr. Jennifer Sahmel and Kirk Phillips to explore the concepts of Total Exposure Health (TEH) and Total Worker Health (TWH). TWH's primary goal is to improve the well-being of the U.S. workforce by protecting their safety and enhancing their health and productivity. Total Exposure Health is a strategy to evaluate individuals’ exposures to hazards at work, from the environment, and lifestyle choices, integrating these evaluations with health promotions initiatives to better ensure the long-term health of the individual. TEH and TWH take a more holistic approach to health, safety and well being. The concepts are gaining traction and this week we have two of the leading proponents joining us.
 
Dr. Jennifer Sahmel is a Managing Principal Scientist with Insight Exposure and Risk Sciences in Boulder, Colorado. She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional with 25 years of experience in exposure assessment science and workplace health and safety. She has worked in a variety of public and private sector positions including the U.S. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics the National Park Service and Comprehensive Health Services at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She earned her MPH degree in Environmental Health and Industrial Hygiene from the University of California at Berkeley and her PhD in Environmental Health at the University of Minnesota. She is a Research Fellow with the University of Minnesota’s Exposure Science and Sustainability Institute. She is also active in the American Industrial Hygiene Association and is a past member of their national board of directors.
 
Colonel (ret) Kirk A. Phillips currently holds the position of Director, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA), Washington DC. Prior to his current position Kirk was the Health Safety and Environmental Practice Leader and Vice President at LJB Inc. In 2018, he retired as the BSC Associate Chief for Bioenvironmental Engineering (BE) in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. In 2014 he developed Total Exposure Health as a strategic initiative to institutionalize primary prevention in work, environmental and lifestyle exposures. Prior to his current assignment, Col Phillips was the Director of Policy and Programs for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, Pentagon, Washington DC. Mr. Phillips entered the Air Force from a four-year AF ROTC scholarship in 1985. He obtained his BS in Aerospace Engineering and his MS in Engineering and Environmental Management. Colonel Phillips has held a broad range of leadership positions throughout the Air Force.

Jon Isaacson - The Intentional Restorer and DYOJO Show Host - Bridging the Gap between Old School Restorers and The Next Generation

This week we welcome the Intentional Restorer and DYOJO podcast host Jon Isaacson. We're going to continue our deep dive into the restoration world but with a little different focus. Last week we had an excellent show following the RIA 75th Diamond Anniversary Convention. One of last week's guests joins us solo this week to discuss how the Old Guard Restorers (and for that matter contractors) can better relate with younger generations.
 
Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is an author and host of The DYOJO Podcast. Jon speaks, writes, and coaches through his organization The DYOJO helping the start-up phase owners and growth-minded restoration professionals to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. For over two decades Jon has been working in leadership roles with organizations in the construction, hazards abatement, and property restoration industries. Jon recently published two books, Be Intentional: Estimating addressing mindset and habits for insurance claims estimating and Be Intentional: Culture which is a collaborative work discussing how small things enhance or undermine your efforts to build a strong workplace culture. 
 
LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.

Kristy Cohen, Mark Springer, Katie Smith, Ed Cross & Jon Isaacson - The RIA 75th Diamond Anniversary Convention Highlights Show

This week we welcome a cast of restoration all-stars for an update on the state of the industry following the RIA’s 75th Diamond Anniversary Convention last week in Orlando, FL. RIA is the Big Daddy of the restoration industry and their convention is the highlight of the year.
Hot topics at this year’s event included what RIA has identified as the top three issues facing contractors today: Pricing, Third Party Adjusters (TPA’s) and Consultants. There was also a lot of talk about the RIA’s Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) Committee which has now formed three task forces to create position statements that articulate a shared stance for the industry.
The AGA work product contains 10 total position statements including a groundbreaking TPA scorecard, hours of videos on pricing and a nationwide resource document on assignment of benefits. In the past year, RIA also released eight Third Party Consultant (TPC) position statements. These position statements educate restorers on best practices for working with consultants. There was also a town hall discussion on how RIA responded to the global pandemic, past president’s panel with lessons learned and much more. LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.
Guest Bios

McGregor “Mac” Pearce, MPH - Tribute Show with: Joe Lstiburek, Mike McGuinness and Pete Consigli

This week we are doing a special tribute show for one of our all time favorite guests McGregor “Mac” Pearce, MPH. We will be joined by some IEQ legends that worked with Mac over the years, Joe Lstiburek, Mike McGuinness and the Restoration Global Watchdog Pete Consigli to discuss Mac’s contributions to the industry and then we will replay our favorite Mac Pearce show.
 
What could possibly be interesting about mold and mildew, you ask? It’s all in the content and the presentation style of the person discussing the subject. IAQ Radio is delighted to memorialize internationally known and acclaimed expert on the subject McGregor Pearce of St. Paul, Minnesota. Mac was an environmental health consultant specializing in indoor air quality problems. He held a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota and was a nationally recognized speaker on mold issues. Mr. Pearce was one of the instructors at The Mid Atlantic Environmental Hygiene Resource Center (MEHRC) which was founded in 1992 as a program of the University Science Center, a Pennsylvania science and technology corporation owned by 28 colleges, universities and academic centers from three states. Mac investigated mold in homes, commercial buildings, hospitals, clinics and skyscrapers and he made mycology marvelously interesting. Mac loved learning; never ceasing to peruse books, engaging with friends, swimming at Big Watab Lake, and hiking at river cabin near Brainerd. LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio+.