IAQ Radio

EPISODE376.2 - Pete Consigli -The Restoration Industry Global Watchdog

This week Pete Consigli was in Pittsburgh and sat down with the Z-man and Radio Joe in Studio C for a retrospective conversation about the almost 4 decade relationship between these two restoration industry icons. This show could be characterized as �¢??Restoration Confidential�¢??, it was personal, insightful, controversial at times but most of all came from the heart with a spirit of setting the record straight on many of the industry�¢??s misnomers and folklore! Listen in as two of the industry�¢??s most well known and colorful personalities sit down to reflect on their professional life together as they come to the realization that in their twilight years there is still much to be done and their �¢??work�¢?? is still in progress! This was a tremendous show that gave us a peak into Consigli and Zlotnik�¢??s Restoration Journey with a destination yet to be realized. We will finish the story with another special show following Summer Camp on August 7th at noon eastern.
IAQ Radio listeners know Pete as a friend of the show and the Global Watchdog who helps recruit guests and support their interviews that address issues facing the restoration industry. The recent passing of industry icon Marty King who founded the original restoration industry trade group in 1971 leaves Pete and Cliff as the only remaining honorary members of RIA.
Next year Pete and Cliff will celebrate 2 milestones with RIA�¢??s 70th Anniversary Convention in March and the 20th anniversary of Summer Camp in August. As IAQ Radio listeners may know, this past March in Dallas IAQA inducted Pete into its Hall of Fame for his work with Joe Lsiburek�¢??s legendary Building Science Symposium known as Summer Camp. What most listeners don�¢??t know is that Cliff was there with Pete for the first Summer Camp in 1996 as the 2 invited representatives from the restoration industry! Pete and Cliff talk about the milestone events that helped shape the industry that you know today and give IAQ Radio listeners an insiders view on how, why and when things happened!
During Parts 1 & 2 Pete, Cliff and Radio Joe sat down at the �¢??kitchen table�¢?? and had a retrospective conversation providing the background on the most pressing issues the industry faces today. During Part 3 August 7th Radio Joe will press Pete and Cliff to finish the story and share their vision for the future of the industry with IAQ Radio listeners. LEARN MORE and listen to this show then join us live August 7th when we finish the most unique IAQ Radio interview ever!
Pete Consigli is a Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Certified Restorer (CR) and Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and has been a member of the Restoration Industry Association (formerly ASCR, International) since 1977. Over the years he has been anactive volunteer and filled various association leadership roles. In 2008, Pete received RIA�¢??s most prestigious honor for excellence in restoration, the Martin L. King award. In 2012 RIA made Pete an honorary member to its association, only the second such honor in RIA�¢??s 60+ years. The first was to Marty King, CR, ASA, a member of the industry�¢??s founding generation and longtime mentor to Pete. In 2015 IAQA President Kent Rawhouser inducted Pete into the IAQA Hall of Fame for his involvement in the legendary Westford Building Science Symposium, aka �¢??Summer Camp�¢?? (SC) Joe Lstiburek, PhD; PE is the brainchild of Summer Camp Pete represents RIA in support of Purdue University�¢??s Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction Management (DRRM) program. Pete provides guest lectures to the DRRM students on the unique challenges of restoration project management. He also networks with faculty, students, and prospective employers at the program�¢??s bi-annual career fairs.
In his current dual role of RIA Education Director and Industry Advisor, Pete reports to RIA�¢??s Executive Committee of the association�¢??s Board of Directors (BOD). He directs all aspects of RIA�¢??s education program, continuing the long standing tradition of providing RIA members industry-leading comprehensive technical and managerial training. Pete also advises the RIA BOD on matters impacting the restoration industry and the RIA mission to: �¢??Provide Industry Leadership, Support Science, and Promote Best Practices in Cleaning and Restoration�¢??. Pete supports RIA members to fulfill their motto, �¢??We Make it Better, We Promise.

EPISODE376.1 - Pete Consigli -The Restoration Industry Global Watchdog

This week Pete Consigli was in Pittsburgh and sat down with the Z-man and Radio Joe in Studio C for a retrospective conversation about the almost 4 decade relationship between these two restoration industry icons. This show could be characterized as â??Restoration Confidentialâ??, it was personal, insightful, controversial at times but most of all came from the heart with a spirit of setting the record straight on many of the industryâ??s misnomers and folklore! Listen in as two of the industryâ??s most well known and colorful personalities sit down to reflect on their professional life together as they come to the realization that in their twilight years there is still much to be done and their â??workâ?? is still in progress! This was a tremendous show that gave us a peak into Consigli and Zlotnikâ??s Restoration Journey with a destination yet to be realized. We will finish the story with another special show following Summer Camp on August 7th at noon eastern.
IAQ Radio listeners know Pete as a friend of the show and the Global Watchdog who helps recruit guests and support their interviews that address issues facing the restoration industry. The recent passing of industry icon Marty King who founded the original restoration industry trade group in 1971 leaves Pete and Cliff as the only remaining honorary members of RIA.
Next year Pete and Cliff will celebrate 2 milestones with RIAâ??s 70th Anniversary Convention in March and the 20th anniversary of Summer Camp in August. As IAQ Radio listeners may know, this past March in Dallas IAQA inducted Pete into its Hall of Fame for his work with Joe Lsiburekâ??s legendary Building Science Symposium known as Summer Camp. What most listeners donâ??t know is that Cliff was there with Pete for the first Summer Camp in 1996 as the 2 invited representatives from the restoration industry! Pete and Cliff talk about the milestone events that helped shape the industry that you know today and give IAQ Radio listeners an insiders view on how, why and when things happened!
During Parts 1 & 2 Pete, Cliff and Radio Joe sat down at the â??kitchen tableâ?? and had a retrospective conversation providing the background on the most pressing issues the industry faces today. During Part 3 August 7th Radio Joe will press Pete and Cliff to finish the story and share their vision for the future of the industry with IAQ Radio listeners. LEARN MORE and listen to this show then join us live August 7th when we finish the most unique IAQ Radio interview ever!
Pete Consigli is a Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Certified Restorer (CR) and Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and has been a member of the Restoration Industry Association (formerly ASCR, International) since 1977. Over the years he has been anactive volunteer and filled various association leadership roles. In 2008, Pete received RIAâ??s most prestigious honor for excellence in restoration, the Martin L. King award. In 2012 RIA made Pete an honorary member to its association, only the second such honor in RIAâ??s 60+ years. The first was to Marty King, CR, ASA, a member of the industryâ??s founding generation and longtime mentor to Pete. In 2015 IAQA President Kent Rawhouser inducted Pete into the IAQA Hall of Fame for his involvement in the legendary Westford Building Science Symposium, aka â??Summer Campâ?? (SC) Joe Lstiburek, PhD; PE is the brainchild of Summer Camp Pete represents RIA in support of Purdue Universityâ??s Disaster Restoration and Reconstruction Management (DRRM) program. Pete provides guest lectures to the DRRM students on the unique challenges of restoration project management. He also networks with faculty, students, and prospective employers at the programâ??s bi-annual career fairs.
In his current dual role of RIA Education Director and Industry Advisor, Pete reports to RIAâ??s Executive Committee of the associationâ??s Board of Directors (BOD). He directs all aspects of RIAâ??s education program, continuing the long standing tradition of providing RIA members industry-leading comprehensive technical and managerial training. Pete also advises the RIA BOD on matters impacting the restoration industry and the RIA mission to: â??Provide Industry Leadership, Support Science, and Promote Best Practices in Cleaning and Restorationâ??. Pete supports RIA members to fulfill their motto, â??We Make it Better, We Promise

EPISODE375 - Joe C. Spurgeon, Ph.D.

This week IAQ Radio welcomes author, consultant, industrial hygienist and accomplished industry professional Joe Spurgeon, Ph.D. We are going to discuss Dr. Spurgeon's new book "The Collection and Interpretation of Indoor Mold Samples - A comparison of methods" and other topics related to mold inspection, sampling, and interpretation of data. In his new book Dr. Spurgeon discusses his concern that "none of the sampling methods, or data interpretation methods, we use in the mold industry have ever been validated". The book goes into detail on the importance of sampling to answer specific questions and gives you examples of what questions to ask. Dr. Spurgeon states that "the selection of the sampling method and data interpretation method affects the ability of the IEP to correctly interpret the sample results and assess condition. One objective of this manual is to improve the investigator's ability to compare the utility of sampling and data-interpretation methods based on objective criteria."
Dr. Spurgeon has a multidisciplinary doctorate degree in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Health from the University of Pittsburgh; and was a Certified Industrial Hygienist from 1993 - 2013. His career has included working as a research chemist on the NBS Lead-Paint Poisoning Program, directing the FAA's Combustion Toxicology Laboratory, performing Health Assessments for CDC/ATSDR, implementing US EPA's Laboratory Exposure Assessment Project, and working as a consultant specializing in microbial indoor air quality for US PHS. He has performed over 4,000 residential and commercial investigations involving water intrusions and microbial contaminants; has taught courses on mold investigations, sampling, and data interpretation methods; and has served as an expert witness in numerous mold cases. Additional articles from Dr. Spurgeon aree available at www.bi-air.com. LEARN MORE this week with Joe Spurgeon, PhD on IAQ Radio!

EPISODE374 - Lew Harriman Indoor Air 2015

This week IAQ Radio welcomes back Lew Harriman of Mason-Grant Consulting in Portsmouth, NH. Lew will be presenting at Healthy Buildings 2015 on Investigating and Avoiding Moisture-related Problems in Existing Buildings. He was a contributor to the new EPA Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction and Maintenance and his presentation will include information from this important industry document. Lew Harriman began his career as an architecture student at Dartmouth, but after five years as an Air Force officer, he went to work for a manufacturer of dehumidification systems, and got permanently diverted into HVAC engineering, where he has spent the last 38 years.
In 1990, Lew was the lead author and project manager for the landmark second edition of Munters' Dehumidification Handbook. Lew is also an ASHRAE Fellow and International Distinguished Lecturer. For ASHRAE, he wrote, designed, illustrated and managed the projects to create the ASHRAE Humidity Control Design Guide, and also the ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot & Humid Climates. He currently serves as Vice Chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 1.12 (Moisture Management in Buildings), and also as Chair of the Document Revision Committee for the 2013 ASHRAE Position Document titled: Limiting Indoor Mold and Dampness in Buildings.
Most recently Lew co-authored Measured Home Performance -Guide to Best Practices for Home Energy Retrofits in California with Rick Chitwood. Measured Home Performance is all about what's working when you measure, a topic we have featured recently on IAQ Radio. LEARN MORE this week with Lew Harriman on IAQ Radio!

EPISODE373 - Sharon Kramer The Political History of the Toxic Mold Issue

This week IAQ Radio welcomes back Integrity in Health Marketing Advocate Sharon Kramer. Sharon has joined us several times during her lonely journey fighting what she has claimed for years is bad science marketed as truth. She has been shaking up the indoor environmental and medical community for years exposing how conflicts of interest and marketing ploys have been used to deny mold and damp buildings cause health problems. Her hard work lead to a Wall Street Journal article exposing some of these conflicts. The original paper she authored that caught The Journal's attention was "ACOEM Exposed, A Case Study in Sham Peer Review and Conflicts of Interest". The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) has been in her sites for years. It took 11 years of her life to fight against any notion that water damaged buildings are safe. Recently ACOEM quietly revised their paper on mold, dampness and health.
Sharon has organized presentations to the US Congress and anyone else that would listen; she created a mandate for the US Senate HELP committee to hear testimony; she caused several media outlets to write of conflicts of interest in science and medicine in United States public health policies and courts; she helped people in New Orleans to provide opinion separate from the CDC analysis of the effect of flooding from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf; finally she was even jailed in California for two nights for telling the truth of how false science became policy and remained that way for many years. Not many people are willing to spend all their family financial resources to fight for the Truth. Not many people would refuse to retract five words in order to avoid jail time. Join IAQ Radio today at noon eastern and LEARN MORE about the political history of the toxic mold issue.

EPISODE372 - Violand Executive Summit

This week on IAQ Radio we take the show on the road. Our spotlight is on the 11th VMA Executive Summit as we broadcast live from the Stark Campus of Kent State University. Radio Joe and The Z-man are attending for the third year and we have a great show lined up with several key presenters at this years event. The business topics discussed at the Violand Summit are focused on cleaning and restoration companies but the principles can be applied to any business.
Our focus will be on how to take the type of information being presented at this leadership conference and apply it to your business or project management. We want to express our thanks to Chuck Violand and his staff for inviting us to join them and do a live show from the summit. We know our listeners will pick up great free tips that will help them become better business people and leaders in the industry. The Violand Executive Summit is a very popular annual event with over 150 attendees. The instructors are excellent and the facilities are truly first class. We hope listeners will consider checking it out in the future. Being the best technical person in the industry does not do much good if you don't know how to manage and operate your business.
Join the Z-Man and Radio Joe as we pick the brains of some of the key presenters from the conference and get our listeners a free dose of learning from a premier conference. LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio!

EPISODE371 - Nate Adams Energy Smart Home Performance

This week on IAQ Radio one of the modern day pioneers of the Home Performance industry Mr. Nate Adams joins us for the hour. Nate started out in outside sales for a fiberglass insulation manufacturer. He then started a retrofit insulation contracting business in 2009, Energy Smart Insulation, earning the Department of Energy's Century Club award in 2012, one of only 97 contractors nationwide.
Nate grew frustrated with the fact that all too often he was not truly solving the problems he was called to solve and the unsustainable treadmill of small, unfulfilling jobs that is typically the life of an insulation contractor. Searching for a better way, Nate has spent the last two years developing and honing a sales process to sell the large, complicated Home Performance jobs typically required to solve homeowner problems at their root. These jobs typically involve air sealing, insulation, and new HVAC equipment and often result in large IAQ improvements. Average job size has risen from $2500 to over $15,000 with much higher client satisfaction and personal job fulfillment.
Nate blogged throughout this painful transition on the Energy Smart Blog and his work was picked up by the Journal of Light Construction where he frequently writes the Energy column, GreenTech Media, Green Building Advisor, Energy Vanguard, and more. He has spoken at industry conferences, most recently about using energy modeling to sell larger jobs. The focus on results has also lead Nate to focus on measurement, and he has found that energy savings are predictable in these projects. These energy savings are a good proxy for a successful job and a happy client. It could also lead to a larger market and unlocking large scale financing. This discovery has lead Nate to advocate for measured results in the Home Performance industry via the One Knob blog.
Nate would like to see the Home Performance industry finally fulfill its promise to make the nation's homes healthier, more comfortable, longer lasting, and less expensive to operate while providing fulfilling, high paying jobs and leaving a better world for our children. LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio!

EPISODE370 - Richard Rue, Building Science & Measured Performance

This week on IAQ Radio we welcome Richard Rue the Founder of EnergyWise Structures, a company dedicated to the study, integration and application of cutting edge technology for reducing energy consumption. The EnergyWise Analysis predicts remarkable savings (usually over 70%) of heating and cooling costs when building ultra-energy-efficient structures compared to conventional construction. The development of this program began in 1979 as the brain child of ex-NASA engineers who designed the heating and cooling systems for the original Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space capsules. Richard became involved early on with these engineers and participated in a house that was written up in the 1981 NASA periodical called "Spin-Off". Over thirty years of direct work with these engineers is the foundation of Mr. Rue's education in ultra-energy-efficient construction. With considerable research and testing, the original program for EnergyWise became a functional reality. The program evolved to keep pace with HVAC and building systems advances. The EnergyWise computer program is proprietary and was co-authored by Richard L. Rue P.E., and William B. Poucher, PhD.
Richard is a past member of ASHRAE & ASTM. He served on various ASTM committees to establish testing standards in the insulation industry. Richard has been interviewed for recent articles published in RSI, Energy Design Update, Permanent Buildings and Foundations, Automated Builder and ConcreteHomes periodicals. He is a mechanical and thermal consultant, and an active public speaker for such groups as the various Home Builders Associations, the Portland Cement Association, Insulating Concrete Form Association, S.I.P. Panel manufacturers and various GEO-Thermal/HVAC manufacturers. Join us and guest Richard Rue to LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio!

EPISODE369 - Flashback Friday Episode 69: McGregor Pearce plus Vicki Warren

What could possibly be interesting about mold and mildew, you ask? Itâ??s all in the content and the presentation style of the person discussing the subject. IAQ Radio is delighted to have internationally known and acclaimed expert on the subject McGregor Pearce of St. Paul, Minnesota, for a 3rd appearance on our program. Mac is an environmental health consultant specializing in indoor air quality problems. He has investigated mold in homes, commercial buildings, hospitals, clinics and skyscrapers. Mold and mildew are at the root of a number of health problems and contribute to building degradation. Mac makes mycology marvelously interesting.

EPISODE368 - Norton Kravetz Zarker -Green & Healthy Building Initiative

This week in IAQ Radio we welcome the The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) President/CEO Ruth Ann Norton and The GHHI Director of Maryland Program Services Mark Kravatz. In addition during the second half of our show we welcome Building Performance Institute (BPI) CEO Larry Zarker. The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is dedicated to breaking the link between unhealthy housing and unhealthy children. GHHI replaces stand-alone housing intervention programs with an integrated, whole-house approach that produces sustainable green, healthy and safe homes. As a result, they are improving health, economic and social outcomes for families across the country. BPI is an important partner in this effort, this year GHII was selected by EPA to receive the prestigious Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management.
Ruth Ann Norton serves as President & CEO of GHHI, a national nonprofit founded in 1986. A dedicated advocate for healthy housing, she broadened the mission of the organization, formerly the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, by designing a groundbreaking national program built on a framework of cross-sector collaboration to efficiently deliver green, healthy and safe homes in communities throughout the United States.
Mark Kravatz is the Director of Maryland Program Services for Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI). In this role, he collaborates with public and private sector partners to optimize and expand resources for GHHI and is responsible for program planning and supervision, contracts and grants management and partner relationship management. He also oversees production of bid proposals, grant applications and reports and integration of data capture throughout program implementation.
Larry Zarker is CEO of the Building Performance Institute (BPI) a partner organization to GHHI. With over 30 years of experience in the residential buildings sector, Larry has managed the national expansion of BPI's standards, credentialing and quality assurance programs. Mr. Zarker has been BPI's CEO since 2006 and under his leadership active certifications have increased from 1,000 to more than 25,000 nationwide. He has also led the expansion of BPI's network of independent testing organizations that deliver BPI exams from 40 organizations in 2008 to more than 200 organizations today.
LEARN MORE about the award winning program and the partnership between the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative and the Building Performance Institute this week on IAQ Radio!