IAQ Radio

A Sunshine State Town Hall: The AOB is Dead…Now What?

An All Star Panel Weighs-in: Harvey Cohen, John Lapotaire, David Popper & Peter Crosa. Joining Radio Joe from South Florida, the Restoration Global Watchdog will be On site with a Live Audience!
Many in the restoration industry feel July 1st, 2019 was a dark day for Florida’s policyholders, disaster victims and those who service their emergency mitigation, drying, mold remediation, restoration and reconstruction needs after a loss or weather event! A Town Hall was held Thursday, July 11th in South Florida to address the restoration and remediation marketplace in the post AOB era. IAQradio will be covering the proceedings and key issues raised and discussed at the Town Hall on this week’s show.
An All-Star panel lead by Harvey V. Cohen, Esq. the founding partner of Orlando-based Cohen Law Group (CLG) will provide Town Hall attendees with a variety of options to service customers and protect their companies’ interests. The Tallahassee insurance lobby won the AOB battle by crushing Florida’s Fee Shifting statute which had enabled mitigation and restoration contractors to service Florida policyholders at their time of greatest need with the assurance they would be fairly compensated for the service.
Joining Cohen on the panel will be fellow Orlando-based attorney David H. Popper who specializes in contract law and on occasion will have an overlapping interest in an insurance claim that both firms are involved in. Popper will provide useful advice to Town Hall attendees on the use of legal agreements and forms Florida based restorers and contractors should consider using to be in compliance with state and local statues and to ensure they get paid for their services.
Joining Cohen and Popper on the panel will be well known and respected environmental consultant (IEP), expert witness and licensed Florida mold assessor John Lapotaire, CEIC. John and his wife Lydia Lapotaire are well- known in the their home market of Orlando and throughout  the Sunshine state for loss evaluation, project specification and oversight, post remediation verification (PRV) and expert opinion when called upon.
The panel will be rounded out with the perspective of Peter Crosa, AIC, RPA and former President of the NAIIA the trade association for independent insurance adjusters.  Crosa is a frequent speaker at property restoration industry meetings and published author in industry trade journals. Crosa is well known for his marketing seminars for the restoration industry based on his book, ”Soft Selling Hardened Claims Adjusters”.
Moderating the Town Hall will be industry Adviser and Facilitator Pete Consigli, CR, WLS. Consigli is an Honorary Member of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and the association’s historian. Well known as IAQradio’s “Restoration Global Watchdog”, Consigli is recognized for his passionate advocacy for restoration contractors world-wide. Consigli will kick-off the panel by offering “A Contractor’s Perspective” on the issues based on 2 decades of historical data. History teaches us one important lesson, if we don’t learn from mistakes of the past; they are bound to be repeated!
The Town Hall is being Co-hosted by IAQradio sponsor AEML, Inc. Microbiology Laboratories and the Cohen Law Group. The Z-man is unavailable this week, so join Join Radio Joe and the Global Watchdog making his IAQradio preview as a co-host for this week’s podcast.
Joe manning the studio and Pete on the ground reporting from the field on the happenings from one of the country’s most important states to watch as the insurance lobby pushes its agenda and restoration industry advocacy groups battle back to level the insurance claims playing field for the greater good of Florida’s policyholders/disaster victims and their chosen “Restoration Contractor of Record” (RCR)! It should be an interesting and dynamic show with a live audience on the ground joining the watchdog and the all star panel from South Florida!

Joe Medosch - Hayward Score - The Business of Healthy Homes

This week we look forward to a conversation with home performance and IAQ industry veteran Joe Medosch of Hayward Score. Joe is one of the smartest people in the industry and not just book smart, he has been there and done that with almost 30 years of experience as a contractor and 10 as a master trainer. Joe has deep experience in the home performance field, especially in the areas of health and energy-efficiency. His expertise includes building science and diagnostics, IAQ/IEQ assessments and home performance. He has a long history of involvement with the ICC, BPI, RESNET, SMACNA, and ASTM. He has served on numerous committees developing industry standards including: RESNET Standard 380, Equipment Sub-Committee, and BPI multifamily standards development.
 
Joe is an advocate for updating how home performance work is done and focuses on health of the occupants. He is adamant that we need to find ways to document that home performance improvements not only help with energy but that they treat the home holistically and help improve energy use, comfort and health.

Lauren Tessier, ND - Life After Mold and International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI)

Dr. Lauren Tessier, is a Naturopathic Physician licensed by the state of Vermont. Her practice, Life After Mold, uses a patient centered approach to help those suffering from mold related illness. Her approach is informed by my Naturopathic Medical education, in combination with Functional and Integrative Medicine. These tools allow her to truly address the entire person who establishes care with her. 
 
Dr. Tessier's passion for treating those with mold related illnesses started when she moved to Waterbury, Vermont in 2013. She wanted to serve a small community in rural Vermont, however, nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to see. Waterbury, two years later, was still recovering from an unimaginable flood caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Patients sick with unexplainable rashes, allergies non-responsive to treatment, fatigue, breathing difficulties, neurological complaints, headaches, nausea, and general immune system dysfunction came to be seen, day after day. When the traditional western medicine and Naturopathic approaches didn't seem to work, that was when she decided to "dive deep" into what she suspected to be mold related illness. 
 
Over several years and as a result of much time spent in research, education, and application of various protocols, she was able to develop approaches that got results. And after seeing many successful patient outcomes, she decided to develop a practice dedicated solely to the treatment of those suffering from illnesses relating to mold, biotoxins, mycotoxins and water damaged building exposure. Dr. Tessier takes great pride in that fact that Life After Mold is New England's ONLY CIRS certified Naturopathic Medical practice; and the ONLY CIRS certified Naturopathic Medical practice east of the Mississippi!
 
Additionally, Dr. Tessier is the Vice President of The International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI), The ISEAI is a nonprofit professional medical society that aims to raise awareness of the environmental causes of inflammatory illnesses and to support the recovery of individuals affected by these illnesses through the integration of clinical practice, education, and research. 
 
Dr. Tessier received her Bachelors in Science from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Premedical Sciences and Health Psychology. She then went on to undergo training as a Naturopathic Physician at the prestigious Bastyr University in Kenmore Washington. After earning her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine, she returned to New England, finally calling Vermont home.

Ed Cross, Esq. - Charlie Cassani, CR - Dave Robbins, CR, WLS, CMP - Maturing of the Industry Part 3 of a 4 Part Series: The Rise of the AGA!

On May 17, 2019, IAQradio launched the first of a 4 part exclusive series with RIA and IICRC on the Maturing of the  Cleaning and Restoration industry. Frequent IAQradio listeners and "followers" of the Z-man's blog are aware, on May 1st, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona an historic announcement was made at RIA's 73rd annual Convention and Exposition. RIA President Lee King, CR and IICRC Chairman Pete Duncanson taking a page from Reagan and Gorbachev's historic Glasnost agreement executed a Strategic Partnership on behalf of their respective organizations. After the execution of the agreement Mark Springer, CR  who is RIA's President Elect announced the launch of RIA's AGA committee. The Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee chair is well known restoration contractor advocate and counselor Ed Cross known in the industry as "The Restoration Lawyer".
 
You have heard the RIA and IICRC leadership weigh-in on Part 1 and 2 of this 4 Part exclusive IAQradio series that will culminate this fall with signatories to the agreement King and Duncanson giving a progress update and preview of upcoming collaboration activities for the last quarter of 2019 as the industry rolls into 2020's convention season! This week for Part 3 we will feature a fast paced, interview with AGA committee chair Ed Cross and 2 of his committee members.
 
The Restoration Lawyer will oversee the "Rise of the AGA" to help level the playing field for restoration contractors who must compete in an ever increasing contentious marketplace.  Charlie Cassani, CR a fellow Californian from the Golden state's Capital City Sacramento will join Ed for the show along with RIA board member Dave Robbins, CR, WLS, CMP from the Volunteer state based in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
The Global Watchdog will be monitoring the show from down under this week as he is on Australia's Sunshine Coast in Queensland facilitating RIA's 2nd Annual Australasian Conference and Trade Show. Please join Radio Joe and the Z-man this week to hear how Ed Cross and his AGA committee plan to help restorers "Make it Better" for disaster victims and insurance policyholders who have suffered a loss!
 
Ed Cross, J.D.
Mr. Cross has built a successful law practice that specially caters to the needs of insurance damage repair contractors and remediators. Mr. Cross received a Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communications with an emphasis on Public Speaking from California State University at Northridge in 1986 (Dean's Honor Roll), and his Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University in Fullerton California. Ed is also well known for his risk management advice, cleaning and restoration contracts and related forms available for free and/or for purchase on his website edcross.com . These are simple one page forms in plain English that protect payment rights and deter lawsuits. He has recently added contract forms specific to the needs of those doing work in Texas and Florida.
 
Charlie Cassani
Known to his friends and colleagues as "Charlie", Cassani's length of time in the industry and the technical knowledge gained form four-plus-decades of field experience, ownership, and participation in professional industry associations provides a historical and fundamental understanding of the components of restoration services and restoration service organizations.
 
As an owner-operator and CEO of a nationally known cleaning and restoration franchise, he practiced and understood the limits of a run-from-the-top organization. As a team member at Restoration Management Company known as RMC, he gained insight and understanding of the unlimited potential of an organization that operates from the bottom-up with talented, professional co-workers.
 
His national reputation as an ethical, recognized expert in the field of restoration sciences is one of many key components that separate RMC from other national and international restoration organizations. Cassani is the company's Analytical Specialist and recognizes and identifies with the RMC Brand of performance as a day-to-day practice of this organization
 
Cassani's experience includes being a California licensed General Contractor and California Department of Insurance provider of Continuing Education Credits (CEC's). Cassani's commitment to volunteerism is evidenced from his membership on RIA's Certified Restorer Re-development committee which became known as the "gang of 9".
 
The gang of 9 is credited with doing the heavy lifting that produced the cleaning and restoration industry's first Body of Knowledge. This document is officially called, "The Certified Restorer Body of Knowledge, the complete guide for those pursing excellence in restoration education and training".
 
Presently Cassani's volunteer work with the Restoration Industry Association is as a member of RIA's Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee.
 
Dave Robbins  
Dave Robbins is an industry veteran and licensed general contractor with more than 30 years of experience in the commercial restoration industry. He has earned the prestigious designations of Certified Restorer (CR), Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and Certified Mold Professional (CMP) from the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). Dave also holds the designation of Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) from the American Hospital Association. Dave served on the Restoration Industry Association's Board of Directors from 2016 - 2019.
 
Dave is an owner and Vice-President of SRP Contractors, a large scale restoration firm operating throughout the Southeast. SRP is a long time RIA member and three-time Phoenix Award winner. SRP currently has offices in Memphis, Nashville and Little Rock.
 
Presently Robbins' volunteer work with the Restoration Industry Association is as a member of RIA's Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee.

Don Weekes, CIH, CSP - New AIHA Mold Document & Industry Update - AIHA FAQ’s About Spore Trap Air Sampling for Mold for Direct Examination

This week on IAQ radio we welcome back one of our favorite guests to talk about a new AIHA mold document and some other industry current events. Donald Weekes was a Partner at InAIR Environmental, Ltd. an occupational and environmental health and safety consultancy based in Ottawa, ON. He is now a full-time volunteer. Mr. Weekes has been providing environmental and occupational health and safety technical assistance for more than forty-three (43) years. Mr. Weekes is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP). He is currently a Director of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH). He is a Past President of IAQA (Indoor Air Quality Association), as well as Past President of the Ottawa Valley Chapter for ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Besides these professional organizations, Mr. Weekes has also involved as a volunteer with the following professional organizations: American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), International Society of Indoor Air Quality (ISIAQ), Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

Kevin Pearson & Craig Kersemeier - IICRC Marketing Chair & Past Board Member - Maturing of the Industry Part 2: IICRC’s Unique Perspective on Historic Strategic Partnership with RIA!

On May 17, 2019, IAQradio launched the first of a 4 part exclusive series with RIA and IICRC on the Maturing of the  Cleaning and Restoration industry. Frequent IAQradio listeners and "followers" of the Z-man's blog are aware, on May 1st, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona an historic announcement was made at RIA's 73rd annual Convention and Exposition. 
 
RIA President Lee King, CR and IICRC Chairman Pete Duncanson taking a page from Reagan and Gorbachev's historic Glasnost agreement executed a Strategic Partnership on behalf of their respective organizations. After the execution of the agreement Mark Springer, CR  who is RIA's President Elect announced the launch of RIA's AGA committee. The Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee chair is well known restoration contractor advocate and counselor Ed Cross known in the industry as "The Restoration Lawyer".
 
The Part 1 May 17th show set the table for this week's  Part 2 show as RIA's Springer counterpart from the IICRC, Kevin Pearson, IICRC Chairman Elect will weigh-in with his perspective of the strategic partnership and its impact on helping unify the industry leading towards the ultimate goal of "speaking" with one voice. 
 
Joining Pearson will be long time industry insider Craig Kersemeier who has roots in both RIA and IICRC. Kersemeier is IICRC's Marketing Chair and former board member who assisted with the negotiation process. His insights and past history helped both parties garner an understanding of past failures and the lessons learned that led to this historic breakthrough!
 
Pearson will share his vision as he ascends to IICRC leadership in Oct of this year on how and why the partnership can help to advance the profession, protect stakeholder interests and increase the influence of cleaners, restorers, and other practitioners to the trade as the industry matures. It is the hope of each organization's leadership that the future of the industry for the next generation in the global marketplace will be one of harmony and collaboration for the greater good. 
 
Through Kersemeier's unique perspective he will share his thoughts in his marketing chair role how IICRC's support of the RIA advocacy movement through the AGA initiative can have a powerful impact of how restorer's are regarded by the insurance industry, government entities and the general public. This will set the table for the Part 3 show in the series when Ed Cross returns to delve deeper into the AGA's future plans and how industry stakeholders can support the advocacy initiative!
 
Again this week, IAQradio's Restoration Global Watchdog will join the show.  Pete Consigli and Craig Kersemeier have a history of collaboration trying to unify the industry through their respective influence as RIA and IICRC insiders that dates back over a decade. 
 
Pete who is known to IAQradio listeners as not holding back his enthusiasm, likens the announcement of the partnership agreement to a well know scene from the A Team TV show and movie sequel. During the closing scene A Team leader Hannibal Smith would light a cigar and say, "I love it when a plan comes together".  Pete and Craig will have to flip a coin to determine who offers the other the match to light the cigar after this week's show! 
 
Please join the Z-man, Radio Joe, the Global Watchdog this week for the Part 2 show with IICRC's "A Team" members Kevin Pearson and Craig Kersemeier for IAQradio's exclusive 4 part series on industry maturation and unification.

Mark Springer, CR & Ed Cross, Esq. – Maturing of the Cleaning & Restoration Industry: RIA & IICRC Announce Strategic Partnership

On May 1st, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona an historic announcement was made at RIA’s 73rd annual Convention and Exposition. The convention opened with a Town Hall session traditionally done as the association’s closing general session with breaking news that shall shape the direction of the industry for years to come!
 
RIA President Lee King, CR and IICRC Chairman Pete Duncanson taking a page from Regan and Gorbachev’s historic Glasnost agreement executed the Strategic Partnership on behalf of their respective organizations. RIA 1st VP Mark Springer, CR and longtime IICRC board member Craig Kersemeier, WLS were instrumental in helping facilitate the negotiation on behalf of each organizations board of directors leading to the signing ceremony in Phoenix on May 1st.
 
After the execution of the agreement Mark Springer announced the launch of RIA’s AGA task force. The Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee chair was then introduced. Well known restoration contractor advocate and counselor Ed Cross known in the industry as “The Restoration Lawyer” then addressed the convention delegates  about the AGA’s inaugural initiatives.
Please join us live for this exciting  exclusive interview by “Radio” Joe Hughes and the Cliff  “Z-man” Zlotnik this week with Springer and Cross who will share their unique insights into the making of the partnership agreement and the task force’s advocacy plans for the future.
 
This show is the first in a 4 part series that will evolve over the next several months as the IICRC is invited to weigh-in with their unique perspective in part two.  Part 3 will provide an update by Cross on the AGA activities. After Labor Day a collaborative show is planned with King and Duncanson to inform the industry on the progress of the partnership’s ambitious plans to unify the industry and advance the trade for professional cleaning and restoration contractors!
This week, IAQradio’s Restoration Global Watchdog will join the show and weighs in with his thoughts on the historic announcement. Pete Consigli, CR, WLS says, “Over the past decade a succession of volunteer leadership and executive management of both RIA an IICRC have worked towards this historic day. I am thrilled to see the industry come together to collaborate for the greater good. Consigli goes on to say, I thank everyone who played a part in the agreement and hope with  broad base support from industry stakeholders the partners will accomplish their goals”.
Join Cliff, Joe and Pete this week for the “kick-off” of this exciting 4 part series on industry unification as professional cleaners and restorers come together to “Take a Stand” on the direction of the future!

John Downey - An Intimate Interview with a Cleaning Industry “Original”: The Life and Times of John Downey, A Trailblazer, Troublemaker and Buckeye!

This week Iaqradio will have another one of their signature "Fireside Chat" shows with an industry pioneer and iconic personality. John Downey is well known to our listeners from his appearances on the show over the years in his former role as the former editor of the IICRC Journal and more recently in his new role as the Executive Director of CIRI.
This week's show will be more personal and share John's "story" from his family's roots in the carpet cleaning industry that spans 5 generations over a century! John's activism is legendary from his days of helping organize his local carpet cleaning association in Ohio to the story behind Cleanfax which he founded and sold in the 1990's. His various dalliances in related segments of the cleaning, restoration and Jan San industries have given John some hard lessons learned he will share with our growing audience of loyal listeners.This week IAQradio's Restoration Global Watchdog will be joining the show to share some of his insights gleaned from knowing John for over 3 decades. Downey, Consigli and the Z-man share a common interest as industry observers, watchdogs and activists in their mission to advance the profession for the betterment of those who derive their livelihood from cleaning, restoration and remediation. Please join us this week as the "boys" have a chat with John Downey and share their heartwarming anecdotes which will make you smile, laugh and maybe along the way pick up a few tips that can be applied to your own professional and personal life journey!

Ed Light, CSP, CIH & Paul Haas, CSP, CIH - Moisture & Mold; Practical Answers to Complex Questions

Today on Iaqradio+ we welcome Ed Light and Paul Haas. They're CIH's but actually work with contractors to solve building problems! The "dynamic duo" (Ed and Paul are with the Indoor Air/Mechanical Engineering consulting firm, Building Dynamics), will address elusive questions such as, "Will mold grow here?" and "What do these moisture readings mean?" We are also going to have a special musical introduction from Ed Light.
 
Mr. Light holds degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts (B.S.) and Marshall University (M.S.), is a Senior Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, has authored over 40 scientific publications on assessment and control of the indoor environment and has chaired several national scientific committees.  In the 1980's, Ed established the West Virginia Department of Health IAQ Program, pioneering efforts to resolve exposure issues related to formaldehyde, asbestos, and termiticides.  In the 1990's, he developed widely used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints (published by EPA, NIOSH and ISIAQ) and managing air quality in occupied buildings under construction (for SMACNA, promulgated by ANSI).  As a consultant, Ed has directed more than 1000 multi-disciplinary IEQ investigations, ranging from the White House to the South Pole Station.  He has been admitted as an expert witness in numerous litigations. 
Paul Haas CSP, CIH is a consultant with Building Dynamics, LLC - industrial hygiene and mechanical engineering consultants. He has an MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Southern California and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has authored many peer-reviewed scientific publications, including widely-used protocols for addressing IEQ complaints. He is a member of ASHRAE, AIHA, and an elite group of surfers who enjoy bluegrass music. As a consultant, Paul has directed multi-disciplinary Building Science and IEQ investigations of 100's of facilities and managing air quality in buildings under construction. He is a practicing industrial hygienist, and also participates in the successful design and construction of numerous buildings and public health aspects of the indoor environment for more than 25 years.

Eugene C. Cole, DrPH - Research to Practice: Water Damage, Sewage, Mold & Public Health

This week we look forward to our interview with Eugene C. Cole DrPH. Dr. Gene Cole is Director of Research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research, Cary, NC; and formerly Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has 35 years of research experience, with a primary focus on the ecology of indoor and work environments, with special emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, human exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides.
 
Since 2000, he has continued to conduct research on the relationship between the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products in the home, and antibiotic resistance; as well as on the effectiveness of cleaning to reduce the transmission of disease agents in schools. He has also worked with national and international organizations to address environmental health and infectious disease concerns such as medical waste management in Central Europe and South East Asia, hygiene promotion in Africa, and healthy homes and buildings in the U.S. and Asia.
 
Dr. Cole is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), and a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and a Doctor of Public Health in Biohazard Science and Occupational Health, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.