Tech Sessions

Mark Allen has been involved with the medical gas industry since 1978. He started out of university with one of the earliest certification firms when “certification” of medical gas systems was a concept yet to be widely accepted. He transitioned to a major manufacturer in 1985 and has performed various technical and marketing roles. Mark has been involved in virtually all aspects of medical gas work, including regulatory, testing and verification, marketing, and product development during the last 35 years. He is an active member of the National Fire Protection Association Technical (NFPA) Committee on Medical Gas and Vacuum Systems and has been involved with that committee since the 1987 edition. He is also an active member of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Technical Committee on Medical Gas and Vacuum Systems and sits on the ISO TC121/SC6 dealing with anesthetic and respiratory devices, including medical gases. Mark has been honored by the MGPHO Verifier’s organization as a special expert, has chaired various committees with industry regulatory bodies, and is the author of numerous journal articles, design guides, and other technical aids for the engineering of medical gases.

Greg Ashe is currently working full time to provide compressed air education to various groups, bringing passion, honed communication skills, and many years of experience providing onsite compressed air assessments. Currently, he works for Kaeser Compressors as a Lead Trainer for the Kaeser Factory Certified Training Program, teaching industry best practices on energy efficiency and compressed air system design. When not teaching internal courses, Greg travels throughout the country providing design assistance and technical seminars to engineers from all industries who are involved with compressed air.

Libby Ashworth is a member of Garratt-Callahan’s Water Safety Group with a background in chemical engineering and environmental studies. Founded in 1904, Garratt-Callahan has become the largest privately owned water treatment company in the United States, providing value through expertise. Libby's work focuses on developing water safety and management plans and solving problems that arise within premise plumbing systems. Functions of her role include Legionella sampling and analysis, understanding stagnation and flow, and reducing the risk of waterborne pathogens. Other areas of expertise include supplemental disinfection, filtration, corrosion and scale control, cooling tower maintenance, and the understanding and application of regulations, standards, and guidelines.

PME Magazine’s 2014 Plumbing Engineer of the Year, Sarah Balz, PE, LEED AP, CPD, GPD, is a Piping/Plumbing Engineer at Affiliated Engineers Inc. She is responsible for the design of large-scale, technically complex building projects for federal government, higher education, and pharma/biotech clients. A member of AEI’s Water Stewardship Team, Sarah is in constant forward motion, researching and proposing new and unique solutions to energy and water conservation for her clients’ projects and has contributed to a number of LEED projects. Sarah is an active member of ASPE, holding office leadership positions, including her past Wisconsin Chapter presidency role, and contributing to ASPE’s Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook.

Brian Bollenbeck is the Marketing Manager for the Commercial Segment at Uponor. With more than 11 years in the industry, he has held several positions supporting engineers, contractors, and installers in plumbing and HVAC. He began his career as a radiant heating and cooling designer before transitioning to technical services support, portfolio management, and plumbing product management. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership Management from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota and is a member of ASPE.

Susanne Brown, CPD, GPD, is a Certified Plumbing Designer and Green Plumbing Designer whose skills include project coordination, early systems coordination, layouts, sizing and usage calculations, code compliance, and equipment selection. In addition to traditional plumbing design work, she has worked on a variety of water and energy conservation projects including rainwater harvesting, graywater recycling for irrigation, and wastewater heat recovery design. Susanne is an active member of ASPE and IAPMO and a regular conference participant. She has been practicing plumbing design since 2007 and has a wide range of plumbing design expertise, including multifamily, schools, offices, restaurants, animal care facilities, and other commercial buildings.

Mathis Carlson is a Technical Sales Engineer for MediTrac, the leading manufacture of corrugated medical gas tubing. MediTrac is a revolutionary, first-of-its-kind product, approved by NFPA 99 for medical gas piping systems. As a Technical Sales Engineer, Mathis assists in medical gas system design and sizing, technical support, training, and general medical gas information. Prior to joining MediTrac, Mathis spent 12 years working as a medical gas verifier and instructor after working as a plumber specializing in medical gases for 10 years. Mathis holds multiple ASSE medical gas certifications including 6005 Specialist, 6010 Installer, 6020 Inspector, 6030 Verifier, 6035 Bulk Verifier, 6040 Maintenance, 6060 Designer, and 6050 Instructor. He also maintains his ASME IX brazing certification and Master Plumber license. In addition, he holds the Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organization (MGPHO) Certified Medical Gas Verifier (CMGV) credential. Mathis is serving as an alternate member of the NFPA 99 technical committee on medical gas piping systems and a member of the FGI Health Guidance Revision Plumbing Task Group. He is also currently serving as President of MGPHO.

Jim Cika is Director, PMG Technical Resources for the International Code Council (ICC), where he serves as a subject-matter expert to the plumbing, mechanical, and fuel gas codes and swimming pool and spa codes. He has more than 20 years of experience in the manufacturing and construction industry where he has served as a chief technical expert for regulatory, product standards, building code, and product engineering matters for manufacturers of water heating and space heating appliances. Jim has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Brian Conner has 18 years of experience in the plumbing industry as a producer, trainer, and installer. Brian is currently Director of Codes, Standards, and International Technical Support for Charlotte Pipe and is responsible for Charlotte Pipe’s Technical Services Council, which oversees the company’s activities within all industry codes and standards organizations. Brian also is a member of several committees within ASTM, ASME, ASSE, and UL. He has worked with ICC as a technical panelist and on the development of the I-Codes as well as with IAPMO on the development of the Uniform Plumbing and Mechanical Codes and WE Stand. Brian also has technical oversight within Charlotte Pipe’s International Department and has been a presenter at engineering events in Colombia, Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Eric Decker, PE, CPD, graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating, he worked for Bell & Gossett in Morton Grove, Illinois in the Commercial Pumps Marketing Department. In 2011, he joined Dawson Co.'s Business Development Group, calling on mechanical and plumbing consulting engineers in the Orange County area. In 2017, Eric became Manager of the department. He has presented at Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego ASPE Chapter meetings. He has also presented at Orange Empire, San Diego, SoCal, and Tri-County ASHRAE Chapter meetings. Eric is a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer as well as Certified in Plumbing Design. He is a Past President of the Orange Empire ASHRAE Chapter.

Vincent Favale, PE, is the Senior Fire Protection Engineer for Burns and McDonnell, based in NYC. He is an adjunct instructor at NYU SPS in NYC and has been an instructor with the School of PE for Fire Protection Review since 2022, teaching Egress & Occupant Movement—Means of Egress, Egress & Occupant Movement—Human Behavior, and Active & Passive Systems: Smoke Control Systems. He brings 10 years of professional experience that covers a broad range of commercial facilities. His professional experience includes plumbing, fire protection, fire alarm, and life-safety designs for large-scale projects and specializes in special hazards and special projects, most notably in alternate energy applications, such as offshore wind farms, energy storage systems (Li-ion batteries), and solar systems. Vincent has a M.S. in Fire Protection Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has passed several certifications in the industry including a PE in Mechanical Thermal Fluids Design and a PE in Fire Protection, along with a CPD, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS), and a level II Water-Based Fire Protection Systems layout from NICET.

In his role at Armstrong Fluid Technology, Tony Furst, CPD, LEED AP, works with the regional sales managers across all U.S. business units to drive complex technical solutions utilizing all of Armstrong’s products in controls and equipment. Additionally, he provides high-level technical applications support and training to channel partners.
Tony holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Education and has earned his Certified in Plumbing Design credential from ASPE as well as being a USGBC LEED AP. Tony is extremely active in ASPE at the local and national level and ASHRAE at the local level. Tony has extensive knowledge in large commercial chilled water systems from his years with Trane Co. as a failure analysis and applications engineer in applied systems. He was also a Senior Forensic Engineer specializing in system analysis and performance evaluation for a large Midwest consulting engineering firm, along with experience as a Design/Build Engineer with a large mechanical contractor.

Michael Gauthier is Division Manager, Water/Fire/ASME/Systems Design, for Highland Tank. He has more than 27 years of experience in the water/wastewater industry. Employed with Highland Tank for 20+ years, Michael has been instrumental in the development and engineering of new products for the wastewater division. Highlights include the development of Highland Tank’s HighDRO line of water reuse systems. Michael is also a contributor to ASPE’s Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook, Volume 4, Chapter 8: Grease Interceptors.

Kevin Hall, M.Eng., PE, ET, CWBSP, PMSFPE, is the Senior Manager of Engineering and Technical Services for the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA). He is a member of several National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committees responsible for developing model codes and standards, including NFPA 1: Fire Code, NFPA 13/13R/13D: Installation of Sprinkler Systems, NFPA 20: Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection, NFPA 30: Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, and NFPA 915: Remote Inspections. He also represents AFSA on numerous UL standard technical panels responsible for revising and maintaining the product standards used in the sprinkler industry. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware and Maryland, NICET III certified in water-based system layout, a certified water-based system professional through NFPA, and a professional member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). He earned his B.S. and M.Eng in Fire Protection Engineering . from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2021, he was recognized as one of SFPE’s “5 Under 35” award recipients. Prior to his association and committee work, he worked for Reliance Fire Protection in Baltimore as a Project Manager overseeing projects of various sizes and complexity for the Contracts Division.

Byron Hendrix, PE, LEED AP, has 28 years of comprehensive MEP engineering experience with Hendrix Consulting Engineers in central Texas, where expansive soil is present in many areas, and has successfully completed more than 1,200 design projects since 2004 as a Professional Engineer. His responsibilities include overall project design and management of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy engineering, and commissioning services. For plumbing, Byron is experienced in the design of domestic water, hot water, natural gas distribution, wastewater, and storm sewer collection systems, as well as the application/specification of all plumbing products for buildings. Additional responsibilities include cost analysis of systems and products. Byron received both a B.S. in Architectural Engineering and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Eric Hough is the Chief Commercial Officer at Epic Cleantec, a pioneering onsite water reuse firm recognized on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2022 list and winner of the World Economic Forum’s Global Freshwater Innovation Challenge (announced January 2023). Eric understands that successful client relationships are built on trust. With 15 years of water recycling project delivery experience that spans engineering, project management, and sales, Eric is responsible for laying the foundation for success in each of Epic’s projects. He is well versed in technology, regulations, and building integration strategies that enable buildings to become net-zero water users. By maintaining a focus on the business case for water reuse, Eric thrives on connecting development projects with the best water conservation solutions.

Vince Ismert is a Regional Product Educator with Striem, a manufacturer of oil separators, solids interceptors, and acid neutralization tanks in Kansas City, Kansas. He graduated from Saint Louis University with a degree in Finance and Economics. After a few boring years in the finance industry, he switched to the plumbing industry and hasn’t looked back. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three young boys.

Troy Johnson has been a Regional Manager for McWane Plumbing Group Technical Services for approximately 10 years. His primary focus is on educating engineers, architects, and building owners/developers on plumbing industry issues and solutions. Troy graduated from Texas State University.

Gary Klein, President of Gary Klein & Associates Inc., has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1974. One-sixth of his career was spent in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the rest in the United States. Since the early 1990s he has led the effort to incorporate “hot water as a system” into the core principles of building science. After serving 19 years with the California Energy Commission, he has provided consulting on sustainability since 2008, with an emphasis on the water-energy-carbon-health connection. The benefits of right-sizing premise plumbing and water heating systems are currently at the top of his list. Gary received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1975 with an Independent Major in Technology and Society with an emphasis on energy conservation and renewable energy. IAPMO recognized his efforts in 2014 by presenting him their Green Professional of the Year award. In 2015, the Department of Energy awarded him the Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes.

Jessica Laming is an enthusiastic Senior Manager of the Plastics and Mechanical Plumbing Technical Group at NSF International. Spending a decade with NSF has provided experience in the chemistry labs and being fully immersed into the certification process. Standards and codes are part of her everyday work, as she has experience in NSF, ASSE, ASME, IAPMO, and CSA standards, as well as plumbing codes (as they relate to residential water applications). Jessica earned her biochemistry degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. She is a member of the Eastern Michigan Chapter of ASPE.

Christoph Lohr, PE, CPD, LEED AP BD+C, ASSE 12080, is IAPMO’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. As part of his duties he provides industry leadership through participation in strategic industry initiatives. He has more than a decade of experience in designing plumbing systems for healthcare, laboratory, hospitality, sports, and university projects. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in six states and has numerous industry certifications. Christoph has provided thought leadership to the industry in the form of writing and speaking hundreds of times. He is a BSME distinguished graduate from the Virginia Military Institute.

Rick Mayo has a distinguished career in the plumbing and heating industry, which began in the spring of 1977. He spent four years as a Plumbing and Heating Installer, 21 years in the P&H wholesale industry, seven years as a Field Technical Instructor for Wirsbo (Uponor), six years as the Corporate Trainer for Triangle Tube, a major condensing boiler manufacturer, and the last seven years with Taco Comfort Solutions as the Western Product and Application Instructor. Rick is an enthusiastic teacher; his distinctive energetic style combines practical understanding and technical expertise to ensure a productive, informative learning experience for all who attend his webinar classes, face-to-face lunch and learns, and workshops.

Avishai Moscovich, P.Eng, is a B2B tech marketing expert with 15 years of experience in consulting engineering and corporate innovation roles. Avishai joins Wint to build channel partnerships. Previously, Avishai was a co-founder at reed water and VP of Marketing and Business Development at Eddy Solutions.

Jason Muhsmann, PE, LEED AP, is a Principal with The Structural Alliance and has more than 25 years of experience in structural engineering design and project management in various areas of Texas where expansive soil is common. Jason has overseen the design and documentation of commercial and civil structures. Project types have varied from public education facilities, higher education facilities, religious facilities, multistory residential, single-family residential, light industrial, multistory office, retail, and renovation work. Jason has experience using a variety of building materials and foundation types, including isolated slabs and slabs-on-ground. Jason received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Shawn Oram, PE, leads Ecotope’s design and engineering team. Since 2002, his work at Ecotope has been focused on energy efficiency and its relationship to building systems design. He has a deep knowledge of buildings, systems, and energy use gained through field studies, research, energy audits, code-compliance analysis, extensive energy modeling, commissioning, and the design of HVAC and plumbing systems. Shawn has assisted in the creation of guidelines for the Design for OffTM approach to creating low-energy buildings. He stays current in the latest emerging technologies, product, and building trends and is active in local and national ASHRAE and ASPE chapters. He specializes in resource-efficient HVAC and plumbing systems for a diverse array of commercial buildings constructed under the California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska building codes. He has developed construction documents delivering more than $1 million in utility incentives for his projects and has played key roles in the design of innovative mechanical and plumbing systems. Shawn ensures that Ecotope’s team of highly specialized engineers delivers the most cost-effective and energy-efficient buildings while meeting clients’ budget, project, and timeline goals.

Josh Pedraja has 17 years of experience in the medical gas industry with various roles such as Service Coordinator, Inside Sales, Customer Support, and Outside Sales. He also has a little background in industrial vacuum applications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois with an emphasis in music and education. His education background is utilized when working with engineering firms as a Medical Gas Consultant and with ASPE education. He currently represents (very proudly) Patton’s Medical, where he covers the central U.S. by working with engineering firms, contractors, medical facilities/lab facilities, distributors, and service partners. He is the National Account Manager for a major health network and works very closely with every facility nationwide. Some of his recent accomplishments include helping create medical vacuum and air system sizing standards for the same national health network he helps oversee and worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on designing and building mobile hospital trailers to treat Covid-19 hotpots and natural disaster relief efforts. Josh is very active with ASPE as the current Region 2 Affiliate Liaison, VP Membership with his home chapter of Eastern Michigan, Committee Chair for the EMC golf outings, and a member of ASPE’s Membership Committee and the Planning Committee for the 2024 Convention & Expo in Columbus, Ohio. He is active with additional ASPE affiliations with the Chicago, Cleveland, and Central Ohio Chapters.  He resides in northwest Ohio.

After graduating from the University of Utah, Max Rohr began his manufacturing career at the Caleffi headquarters in Italy. He had 20+ years of work experience in installation, distribution, manufacturers’ representative, and manufacturing roles before returning to Caleffi. Max describes himself as an “energy nerd.” He now leads Caleffi’s industry engagement with trade associations, committees, industry initiatives, and collaborative manufacturer partners.

Michael Roland, PE, is Vice President of Alliance Geotechnical Group and has more than 34 years of experience in geotechnical engineering consulting and construction materials engineering in the North Texas area where highly expansive soil is very common. The majority of the projects that Michael has worked on have consisted of public schools, universities, city, county, and roadway projects. He has performed numerous distress investigations and provided remedial recommendations for facilities where distress was caused by ground movements associated with moisture changes in expansive soil. Michael received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Warren Rosenbrook has 36 years of experience in plumbing engineering and has been Henderson Engineers’ Director of Plumbing Engineering since 2003. His responsibilities include maintaining the company’s Division 22 specifications, in-house training program, equipment schedules, and engineering methods. Other responsibilities include project quality review, assisting with construction issues, and coaching and mentoring the plumbing engineering staff.

Frank Sanchez, CPD, GPD, ASSE 6060, is an experienced Plumbing Engineer with close to 25 years of experience in the field. He is a Certified Plumbing Designer by ASPE. Frank has a background in architecture and oversees code compliance, design, and construction administration of diverse plumbing, medical gas, and fire suppression systems. He is a Senior Associate at Syska Hennessy Group in Chicago. As a member of multiple water management committees, Frank provides engineered solutions to prevent and remediate the spread of waterborne bacteria. Syska Hennessy Group is a leading global engineering firm that specializes in full-service MEP, information and communication technology, architectural lighting, vertical transportation, and commissioning. With more than 500 professionals across 20 offices, Syska provides a full range of engineering services for projects of every size and budget.

Herb Sandhu is a Commercial Account Manager for Uponor. He holds more than 12 years of experience in the industry with a focus on plumbing and HVAC design, technical support, and sales engineering, as well as an emphasis on energy efficiency and energy management solutions. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Eastern Washington University and is a member of ASPE as well as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Aaron Siegel is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a career in sales leadership and development spanning more than 20 years and currently is the Director of Commercial Sales for Bradford White Corp., an industry-leading water heater manufacturer headquartered in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Bradford White is the recent recipient of the prestigious ASPE Industry Award given for outstanding service and advancement of plumbing engineering technology. Aaron is a board member on the ASPE Affiliate Advisory Committee and has been a long-time member and supporter of the ASPE organization.

Brian Soderholm is President of WCC, also known as Water Control Corp., based in Ramsey, Minnesota. He has a B.A. in Economics from Kalamazoo College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota. He has more than 25 years of experience in the construction and installation of commercial water treatment systems all around North America. In 2021, Water Control celebrated 50 years in the water treatment and conditioning industry, specializing in engineered systems for commercial, institutional, and industrial applications. This includes pure water, water recycling, pathogen control, softening, and specialty filtration packages. Brian is the proud father of three children, is blessed to live with the love of his life, and enjoys snowmobiling, hunting, running with his dog, and drinking good beer.

Alexander Sol, PE, with BR+A Consulting Engineers Inc., is a Professional Engineer with a detailed understanding of the design, installation, and maintenance of MEP systems for diverse buildings. His experience includes the design of plumbing systems and fire protection systems for airports, hospitals, laboratories, educational, office, commercial, and residential facilities. He is highly familiarized with adopted codes, specifications, and design guidelines, highly proficient in 3D-BIM/CAD, and has a solid understanding of other engineering trades, such as HVAC, civil, and electrical, and experience with overall interdisciplinary MEPFP coordination. Alexander’s
experience also includes the preparation of specifications and submittal reviews, coaching, training, and managing others in efficient and encouraging ways.

Greg Swafford, CPD, GPD, was a former Plumbing Designer, Project Manager, and Plumbing Department Leader at MEP consulting firms for nearly 20 years. As Technical Sales Manager for GF Piping Systems, Greg leads the U.S. technical sales team of piping systems specialists. He is responsible for the growth and oversight of the U.S. commercial water market segment through business development, product development, and the creation of technical resources as it relates to GF Piping Systems’ commercial water products. In addition to his work with GF Piping Systems, he serves as Affiliate Liaison for Region 5 of ASPE and is a committee member of ASHRAE SPC 514: Risk Management for Building Water Systems: Physical, Chemical, and Microbial Hazards.

Brock has been involved in the mechanical industry for more than a decade, holding his Canadian Red-Seal Ticket in Plumbing and Class “B” Gasfitter license. He was involved as a contractor with SHARC Energy Systems since the earliest development and installation of the first SHARC systems. With extensive first-hand knowledge of the products, he officially joined the SHARC Energy team in 2016 to become the Production and Maintenance Supervisor for the Vancouver headquarters for several years before moving into his current role as the Technical Sales Manager.

Trip Walters is a Plumbing Engineer who graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering. With his extensive knowledge and expertise in the field, Trip has become a trusted professional in the plumbing industry. Throughout his 15-year career, he has been involved in the design and implementation of various plumbing systems for industrial, military, hospital, laboratory, residential, high-rise, correctional institutions, and commercial buildings. Trip's passion for plumbing engineering stems from his desire to create efficient and sustainable solutions that meet the unique needs of his clients. His attention to detail, innovative approach, and commitment to quality have earned him a reputation for excellence in the field. Aside from his work as a plumbing engineer, Trip likes to tinker in his shop, enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing, and most of all enjoys time with his wife and three children.

Jonathan Willard has worked in the healthcare and institutional construction and service industries for more than 20 years. He is the President and CEO of AMG Services, which is a comprehensive healthcare, environmental, and laboratory gas systems service company. Jonathan is also a principal member of the NFPA 99 Technical Committee for Medical Gas and Vacuum Systems and a principal member of the NFPA 55 Technical Committee for Industrial and Medical Gases. His credentials include being a certified Project Management Professional (PMP©️), a Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC), and a LEED Accredited Professional (AP), with an M.S. in Business Education (MBE), and he currently serves as the VP of Credentials on the Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organization (MGPHO) Board of Directors.

Kevin Wong, MBA, BSc, CAE is the Canadian Codes Manager with UPONOR. Prior to joining Uponor, Kevin Wong spent a 12-year tenure as the Technical Manager for CIPH and the Executive Director of CWQA. He has worked with MIFAB, Cimatec, and Jacques Whitford Environmental Engineers & Consultants as a Project Manager. He is actively involved with various U.S., Canadian, and international standards/codes committees including NSF, CSA, WQA, and National Master Spec of Canada. Kevin served as a member of the Standing Committee on Plumbing & HVAC at Codes Canada. Kevin is an environmental sciences graduate from York University and holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, with various certificates from University of Toronto and the Canadian Society of Association Executives