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Mr. Karow is the CEO of Code Educational Opportunities providing education based on current building codes. He also provides service as a building code specialist for design professionals and stakeholders in the industry. Mr. Karow has an extensive background in developing and presenting various types of building code and related seminars. Previous career paths included staff instructor with the International Code Council and with the State of Minnesota Codes and Standards Division. He has instructed in a Building Inspection Technology program at a local community college. Mr. Karow is a certified building official in Minnesota and holds ICC certifications as a Certified Building Official, ICC Plans Examiner, ICC Building Inspector and ICC Building Code Specialist.

Advent
Ms. Henninger is a Patent and Trademark Attorney whose practice covers various aspects of Intellectual Property, Innovation and Technology. Ms. Henninger’s practice is devoted to management, procurement and protection of intellectual property rights for companies of all sizes. Services associated with Ms. Henninger’s practice include patent and trademark drafting, US and international patent and trademark prosecution, technology/trademark searching, technology/trademark monitoring, freedom to operate analysis, due diligence, IP portfolio planning and management, IP licenses and agreements, intellectual property support for dispute resolution, domain name clearance and disputes, cybersecurity, and data privacy.

Lamson Dugan & Murray LLP
Mr. Martin is a partner at Lamson Dugan & Murray where he represents contractors, subcontractors, developers, owners, materials suppliers and design professionals in construction disputes. His experience encompasses both private construction and public improvement projects.
When disputes arise, Mr. Martin assists clients with litigation, arbitration, mediation, debt collection, and preparing and pursuing mechanics’ liens. He advises clients about alternative dispute resolution procedures that offer viable alternatives to expensive and prolonged litigation.
Mr. Martin is also the primary author the Construction Contractor Advisor blog, www.ldmlaw.com/construction-contractor-advisor/, a construction related blog that focuses on legal trends and best practices in the construction industry. He has also served on the board of construction industry trade groups, including Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

Lamson Dugan & Murray LLP
Mr. Minahan is a partner of Lamson Dugan & Murray and a member of the Litigation Department. Since joining the Firm, Mr. Minahan has represented a broad range of clients in corporate and personal litigation. He has argued cases in the state and federal courts of Nebraska and Iowa, and has participated in published decisions from the Nebraska and Iowa Supreme Courts. Mr. Minahan has a specific interest in representing agricultural and construction related clients and businesses. He is currently appointed as the Special Assistant Attorney General for the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects and is responsible for litigating the Board’s compliance cases.

Program Manager, GTI Energy
Mr. LaFleur joined GTI in 2017 as a program manager for the Emerging Technologies team, and manages emerging technology programs, working with clients such as the Department of Energy’s Building America program and the Department of Defense to improve energy efficiency and create resilient energy systems and infrastructure. Prior to joining GTI, he founded Eco Achievers, a nationally-active zero energy consulting firm. He has extensive experience working with emerging technologies in the building sector, helping project teams through design, construction and delivery of several zero energy buildings and dozens of high-performance single- and multi-family buildings. He has certified hundreds of homes to LEED, ENERGY STAR, and Passive House standards. Mr. LaFleur is a voting member of ASHRAE 227 Passive Building Standard.

Program Manager, GTI Energy
Mr. LaFleur joined GTI in 2017 as a program manager for the Emerging Technologies team, and manages emerging technology programs, working with clients such as the Department of Energy’s Building America program and the Department of Defense to improve energy efficiency and create resilient energy systems and infrastructure. Prior to joining GTI, he founded Eco Achievers, a nationally-active zero energy consulting firm. He has extensive experience working with emerging technologies in the building sector, helping project teams through design, construction and delivery of several zero energy buildings and dozens of high-performance single- and multi-family buildings. He has certified hundreds of homes to LEED, ENERGY STAR, and Passive House standards. Mr. LaFleur is a voting member of ASHRAE 227 Passive Building Standard.

Mr. Hein is a consulting civil engineer with over 40 years of experience in the design, evaluation and management of transportation infrastructure. He retired from Applied Research Associates, Inc. of Toronto, Canada, where he managed the 90-person Transportation Infrastructure Division in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Hein is the past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers Transportation and Development Institute (ASCE T&DI), and chair of several engineering standards committees. He is a member of the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), past-chair of the pavements committee and past member of the Transportation Research Board pavement management, pavement maintenance and pavement preservation committees. Mr. Hein has been a member of the World Road Association (WRA) pavements and asset management committees since 2002. He has been involved in numerous national and international research, evaluation and asset management projects for Federal, State, Provincial and Municipal agencies and for many of the public/private/partnership highway construction projects across Canada and the United States.

Mr. McConnell’s parking design and consulting experience encompasses nearly 30 years of work with airports, government, military, transit, higher education, resort, healthcare, and corporate clients. He is a member of the National Parking Association’s Parking Consultants Council and a founding member of ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute. He is well-versed in precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, and steel construction. Mr. McConnell’s experience includes numerous restorations, parking study, and programming projects. Several of his projects have received LEED certification, and he is an accredited GBCI Parksmart Advisor.

A co-founder of Bergey Windpower Co. and its president since 1987, Mr. Bergey is a mechanical engineer (Univ. of Oklahoma) and an internationally recognized expert in the fields of small wind systems, distributed generation, and green telecom. He has twice served as president of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and served on the AWEA Board of Directors from 1981 to 2007. Mr. Bergey chaired the AWEA Small Wind Turbine Committee for more than 20 years and authored AWEA’s 2002 U.S. Small Wind Turbine Industry Roadmap: A 20-year Industry Plan for Small Wind Technology. In 1994 he was recognized as the “Wind Industry Man of the Year” by AWEA. He is the recipient of the 2012 Small Wind Conference “Wind Advocate Award”. In 1981 Mr. Bergey was recognized by AWEA for development of the “AWEA Performance Rating Standard”, which was the basis for the IEC 61400-12 performance testing standard used for all wind turbines worldwide. He chaired the AWEA Small Wind Standards Committee and led the development of the 2008 AWEA certification standard (also adopted in the U.K., Japan, and Canada). Mr. Bergey is the first president of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA), which represents the U.S. small and community wind industry. He also co-chairs the DWEA Federal Policy Committee. In 2003 Mr. Bergey served on Oklahoma Governor Henry’s EDGE Committee, which prepared a strategic plan for economic development in Oklahoma. He then served two terms on the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development. Mr. Bergey was Workforce Oklahoma’s “Cleveland County Businessman of the Year” in 2005. He served on the Norman Chamber of Commerce Board from 2003 – 2010 and was the Chamber president in 2008. He has served on the boards of numerous civic and charitable organizations in Norman and Central Oklahoma.

Mr. Gilbert brings over 28 years of experience in the renewable energy industry and holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is president of Azimuth Solar where he provides solar energy consulting, training and inspection services within the solar energy and real estate industries. From 2013 to 2016 he served as director of operations and maintenance (O&M) for Vigilant Energy Management, overseeing a portfolio of over 100 commercial PV systems. In 2000 Mr. Gilbert co-founded Chesapeake Solar, a leading mid-Atlantic solar energy company. In 2008 his company was listed on Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest-growing small companies, and later that same year the company was acquired by groSolar, one of the nation’s leading solar energy companies at the time. He served on the board of directors for the local chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) and was chair of the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association (PRSEA) for four years starting in 1998. Mr. Gilbert has been certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) for both thermal and photovoltaic systems. 

Lucelene G. Almeida Civil Engineer at Bryant Associates, Inc. – Lincoln, Rhode Island

Ms. Almeida is a civil engineer at Bryant Associates, Inc., in Lincoln, Rhode Island, where she covers projects in several states. She joined Bryant in 2007 and has more than a decade of experience in roadway and site design. She specializes in drainage design, stormwater management, environmental permitting and construction implementation/inspection.
Ms. Almeida holds a B.S. degree in International Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. She is a board member of ASCE Rhode Island Chapter and a past director of Finance for WTS-Rhode Island. Ms. Almeida designs site-scale green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) to slow and filter stormwater runoff for sensitive projects like river walks. The designs also incorporate low impact development (LID) measures to the maximum extent practicable. BMPs such as stormwater planters, rain gardens, green gutters, green alleys, and tree pit/tree trenches are evaluated as part of the design. She also designs for bigger scale projects such as highways, roads and roundabouts with BMPs such as grass swales, bypass structures, and detention/infiltration basins. Ms. Almeida focuses on stormwater master planning which has the ultimate goal of applying the state’s stormwater management standards “project-wide” rather than on an individual basis. In an effort to reduce flooding, Ms. Almeida develops sustainable approaches that rely on a combination of small-scale interventions with the aim of reducing the speed of the flow of converging runoff before it reaches discharge points
and water bodies. A hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the existing systems and proposed modifications are required to ensure that modifications will not cause flooding or other undesirable conditions for adjacent infrastructure or site uses. Ms. Almeida also looks into water quality practices that serve double duty by adding trees in or around walkway planters and other green infiltration-based practices to boost cooling and shading. Ms. Almeida considers potential extreme weather events during project design and factors in climate change when
determining locations of critical stormwater BMPs and drainage systems. Flexibility in the operations of the BMPs may include smaller units in series or with space for future growth that accommodates current and future needs. She evaluates, designs and builds (or rebuilds) physical infrastructure, such as catch basins and pipes to handle increased
stormwater flows.

Ms. Avalos is a nationally renowned leader in providing accessibility-related services and is a sought-after speaker with a knack for using an upbeat approach to help others understand the complexities of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). With over 40 years of experience, she provides expert witnessing on ADA, 504, Federal Housing Administration, and Air Carrier Access Act legal cases. In 1990 she founded Accessology Too, LLC which is a national leader in providing accessibility consulting services and is one of the largest U.S. firms dedicated solely to accessibility and access issues. Since its founding, Accessology has worked closely with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Access Board to remain knowledgeable and adept with the constant changes that occur regarding ADA guidelines. Accessology has worked on numerous multi-million dollar projects to impact accessibility compliance during all stages, from schematics to construction and final inspections. Since 2005 Accessology has specialized in the development, execution, and monitoring of the required ADA Transition Plans for Title II entities to help them avoid access-related litigation since so much litigation is tied to not having a Transition Plan on file. Ms. Avalos and her team at Accessology are committed to removing structural and attitudinal barriers that adversely impact people with disabilities.

Wojciech “Voytek” Jackowski is chair of the Commercial Litigation North practice at Offit Kurman. He focuses on commercial and corporate dispute resolution, emphasizing rational and cost-effective business solutions. His diverse practice includes international facets of litigation and dispute resolution, and criminal and civil facets of various international income reporting obligations. He has represented entities and individuals in cases involving trade and contract disputes, property loss claims, bankruptcy proceedings, construction issues, commodities and derivatives matters, white-collar crime, personal injury, and claims raising questions under federal labor law. Before joining Offit Kurman, Mr. Jackowski was a partner in the New York law firm of Menaker & Herrmann LLP. He began his career as a prosecutor and later became a Senior Assistant District Attorney with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, where he was part of the Money Laundering and Revenue Crimes Bureau and the Rackets Division, investigating and prosecuting business and securities fraud, money laundering, and corporate and individual income and sales tax evasion. Mr. Jackowski frequently lectures and publishes articles on construction law and litigation topics. He is active in numerous bar and industry associations, including the Construction Law Committee of the New York Building Congress, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Professional Development Committee, the International Section of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law, the Law Firm Sustainability Network, A/E ProNet, and the European American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Construction Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Mr. Nudelman has represented members of the construction industry across a broad spectrum of matters for over 25 years. He works with owners and developers, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals to prepare and negotiate contract documents for construction in the New Jersey and New York metropolitan area. Mr. Nudelman drafts, modifies and negotiates customized contracts, as well as contracts based on standard industry forms from groups such as the American Institute of Architects, Consensus Docs and Design Build Institute of America. His construction contracting work helps his clients manage the risk inherent in construction projects so they may adequately protect their interests now to avoid claims and disputes in the future. When claims and disputes are unavoidable, Mr. Nudelman draws upon his wide-ranging experience in construction litigation, representing clients in state and federal courts throughout the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area, as well as in local and international mediations and arbitrations.

Partner with Gfeller Laurie

Mr. Shifton focuses his practice in the areas of complex civil and commercial litigation in the state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York. He represents owners, design professionals, and contractors in cases involving instruction disputes and catastrophic property losses, and he has extensive experience representing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of a wide variety of industrial, consumer, and recreational products, including green building products, in both individual and class actions. Mr. Shifton regularly speaks to various legal, insurance, and industry organizations on various topics such as investigating and defending catastrophic property loss claims, construction defect litigation, and risk management. He also defends professional liability actions brought against attorneys, architects, and engineers, as well as the insurance industry and healthcare professionals. Mr. Shifton also maintains a practice in the area of green building and sustainable development. He has been accredited as a LEED Green Associate by the Green Building Certification Institute.

Mr. Trif has a diverse practice in the areas of construction and complex commercial litigation. His representative clients include private owners, general contractors, subcontractors, utility and heavy highway contractors, renewable energy firms and manufacturers of building products. He regularly prosecutes and defends claims in various federal and state courts, as well as providing arbitration tribunals. Mr. Trif also concentrates in the area of labor disputes, public procurement, bid protests, negotiation of change orders and equitable adjustment claims. He also advises clients in the review, negotiation and drafting of construction contracts, as well providing guidance and counsel in project dispute resolution and project crisis management. Mr. Trif frequently authors articles and lectures to lawyers and construction industry professionals on topics related to the construction industry and construction law.