Attendees of IAPMO’s 84th annual Education and Business Conference at the Westin Crown Center hotel in Kansas City, Mo., enjoyed a jam-packed week of code development, education and industry networking during the conference’s first visit to the City of Fountains.
IAPMO’s conference again gathered experts in the plumbing and mechanical fields with in-the-trenches inspectors and manufacturers in a spirit of cooperation toward the advancement of the Uniform Codes. Attendees participated in the Assembly Consideration Session, representing a vital step in the development of the 2015 versions of the Uniform Plumbing Code® (UPC) and Uniform Mechanical Code® (UMC). During this session, IAPMO members had the opportunity to submit public comments to the Report on Proposals developed at technical meetings earlier this year.
The ANSI-accredited revision process works to the benefit and protection of all persons using the Uniform Codes. By having all interested parties involved, it produces codes that incorporate an entire body of knowledge from the professional plumbing contractor and manufacturers to the agencies that regulate their work. The input of all IAPMO members makes the Uniform Codes representative of the needs of the entire industry.
Gary Hile, chief plumbing and mechanical inspector for Anchorage, Alaska, was re-elected IAPMO president and Bruce Pfeiffer, senior plumbing inspector for Topeka, Kan., retained his position as vice president. Robert Riestenberg, retired mechanical contractor and consultant, was appointed secretary/treasurer, replacing Tom Gugino, who left the Board of Directors.
Allen Inlow, senior director of Business and Product Development, and Dwight Perkins, senior director of Field Services, delivered the annual “state of IAPMO” address, highlighting the association’s continued unprecedented global growth. IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney normally provides this address, but had to leave the conference early in order to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Bali, Indonesia, where IAPMO is working with government officials to develop a Uniform Plumbing Code of Indonesia.
Another staple of the annual event, IAPMO’s educational sessions and workshops were well-attended interactive discussions of diverse subjects ranging from radiant heating and cooling to net-zero water system design and disaster prevention with regard to gas piping systems.
Rick Salyer, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local No. 441 business representative serving Northeast Kansas, served as conference chairman and Fred Jonas, training coordinator for Local No. 8 Plumbers and Gas Fitters, was the conference host.
IAPMO’s 85th annual Education and Business Conference will be held Sept. 14-18, 2014, at the Hilton in Minneapolis, Minn.
Last modified: October 8, 2013