Keynote Speaker: Laverne Dalgleish
Laverne has spent his career building and growing industries that impact the performance of buildings. These industries have used building science and risk management principals to design, develop and implements programs which grows the industry while improving the performance of the building envelope. His current work includes standards development, site quality assurance program development, research project management and education all revolving around the improvement of the performance of a building.
Laverne is the current Executive Director of the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) and the Chief Operating Officer of the Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA). He is the Principal in his own company, Building Professionals.
Dr. William Miller is a specialist in vapor compression refrigeration systems, absorption heat and mass transfer and building science technologies. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. He serves as Joint Faculty for the College of Engineering and Lecturer for Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee. He is employed by the Energy and Transportation Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He completed a PIER funded cool roof color study in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He investigated sub-tile venting for the Tile Roof Institute, PolyFoam Corporation and the Metal Construction Association. He also investigated the impacts of low-emittnace roofs for the Cool Metal Roof Coalition. He conducted studies for SPRI Inc. and for a consortium of metal industries to quantify the energy savings for highly reflective roof products as compared to dark absorptive roof systems in different geographic regions of the U.S. He has expertise in numerical heat conduction for application to forced convection, natural convection and mixed convection finite-difference sim
Dr. Jan Kosny, winner of a 2009 R&D 100 Award for the development of phase-change materials, is one the world’s leading building envelope researchers with 30 years experiences in the building sciences. Prior to joining Fraunhofer CSE, Dr. Kosny spent 18 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he developed a number of high-performance roofing and BIPV concepts. Holding a number of faculty positions, he has published over 120 technical articles and numerous patents related to advanced building concepts. He has represented the United States at many international organizations and standards bodies including the International Energy Agency. He has extensive experience collaborating with industry to commercialize advanced building technologies.
Professor Young Cheol Kwon is an Insulation Specialist in Korea. He is Professor, Ph.D. at the School of Architecture in Halla University, Korea; President of Korea Green Building Council, Vice President of Korean Institute of Architectural Sustainable Environment and Building Systems and a Certified Passive House Consultant. He has a BA, MS and Dr. degrees from Chung-Ang Univ. in Korea. He was a visiting scholar at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in US in 2002 for a year. He has conducted research on cellulose, reflective, aerogel and phenolic foam insulations and their applications for over 30 years; and he had presented papers on eco-materials, insulation and building energy savings throughout his career.
Dr. Ahmed Zaid Alhussain
Dr. AHMED ZAID ALHUSSAIN is currently the CEO of the Royal Commission in Jubail within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Before joining the Royal Commission Dr. Hussain had a long career with Aramco.
Dr. Ahmed holds a PhD in Knowledge Management and a Masters of Engineering from George Washington University, USA. He also holds a Bachelors of Science in Systems Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, KSA.
Dr. Hamed H. Saber is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Jubail Industrial College, and the Chair of Research and Consultations Department at the Deanship of Research and Industrial Development, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Also, he has work experience at the Institute for Space and Nuclear Studies and the Chemical and Nuclear Department at University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States), and the National Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Over the course of his career, he has received several awards and published over 250 publications. Most recently, he was listed in the top 2% of the scholars based on the study by Stanford University. His areas of interest include building science, building envelope and structure, Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) transport in building envelopes, CFD, static energy conversion using thermoelectrics, electronic cooling, and numerical modeling using finite element methods, fire safety and fire performance in houses.
Dr. David Yarbrough is currently Vice President of R&D Services, Inc., a testing and consulting company in the U.S. He is a Professor of Chemical Engineering Emeritus-Tennessee Technological University and a retired Research Staff Member-Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Giovanni Roscini held the position of Sales Director for Torninova Srl from 2001 to 2016. Torninova Srl was specialized in the design and manufacturing of machines for the production of air bubble films. Today he is an independent consultant for the production of plastic films for the packaging and insulation industry. He has a degree in economics and business from Perugia University.
Dr Maxime Duran, Head of Innovation strategy of ACTIS since 16 years, manage the R&D department of one of the European leader manufacturer of reflective insulation, which is focused on new products development, European certification, summer comfort and recyclability of thermoplastic polymer. He is also French (AFNOR), European (CEN) and International (ISO) expert in different standardization organization. R&D team has also played an important role in the publication of standards linked to reflective insulation, especially the European product specification EN 16863.
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Andreas Zegowitz, Group manager “Thermal properties and climate simulation” and Deputy head of the department Hygrothermics, Stuttgart at the Fraunhofer IBP, Stuttgart, Germany. Head of the notified body test center (1004) for windows, facades and insulations. In many projects on the national and international level for the industry and for the ministries his working group has performed tests and climate simulations on thermal insulations, windows, facades and all kind of building envelope components.
Michel Bostrom has an Honours Degree in Economics, with a minor in Sanskrit, from the University of Toronto. He is the founding President of the Aluminum Foil Insulation Association; and he is also the founder, with wife Riti, of Ametalin, Australia’s largest manufacturer of building membranes and reflective insulation, with manufacturing plants in Malaysia as well as Adelaide, Australia, and sales from India to Japan. With a solid foundation in natural sciences, and years spent on the tools in the building industry, Michel is deeply involved with developing new building systems and products, as well as being a part of the general management team. Michel, Riti and the whole Ametalin team are deeply committed to the principle that good will, morality and good business are one and the same. This reflects an attitude of respect and responsibility- shared by the entire company – for colleagues, distributors, clients, suppliers, and the public at large.
Dr. Saleh Alshehri is a Professor of Computer Engineering. Currently, he is the Director of the Deanship of Research and Industrial Development at the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has received several international recognitions. Most recently, his paper in the 2022 International Buildings XV Conference (held in Clearwater, FL, USA, December 5-8, 2022) entitled “Innovative Evaluation, Optimization and Design Tool for Assessing Enclosed Reflective Airspace Performance” was the recipient for the “First Place Award for Best Paper”. His research interests include Artificial Intelligence (AI), electronic cooling, building energy efficiency, image processing, Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) imaging and pattern recognition.
Sergio Luconi has been Business Director and co-founder of Prodex in Costa Rica since 1996. He holds a Master´s Degree in Marketing and International Trade . He also has pursued studies in business strategies, management of board of directors, family companies, and corporate governance. Has vast experience in re ective insulation and radiant barriers. He has been responsible for opening and developing markets of re ective insulation and radiant barriers in more than 26 countries in Latin America, North America, and Europe. Currently, Mr Luconi is a member of RIMA International board of directors.
Mike Boulding founded and became President of TVM Building Products in 1997, a fully integrated group specializing in reflective insulation products. He has been involved with all aspects of the reflective insulation market including serving as President of RIMA from Jan 2004 – December 2007. Michael has extensive experience in selling reflective insulation products to specific markets.
Steve Baden has worked in the residential energy efficiency field for over twenty five years, including eighteen years with home energy ratings and energy mortgages on both the state and national levels, and ten years administering a state energy office. Mr. Baden initiated the “Warm Homes for Alaskans Initiative” which received the “”1993 National Award for the Most Outstanding State Housing Program”” from the National Council of State Housing Agencies. Steve was also awarded “Lifetime Achievement Awards” from the U.S. Department of Energy and RESNET.
Laurel Elam has been with RESNET since 2010. She started as RESNET’s Conference Coordinator and it 2013 began also serving as Quality Assurance Manager. She is now RESNET’s Director of Quality Assurance Administration and Standards. Ms. Elam graduated from Appalachian State University, with a degree in Appropriate Technology and a minor in Sustainable Development and began her career in the industry in 2004 working in at the Appalachian State University Energy Center.
Michael Joyce is currently the Quality Manager at R&D Services, Inc. in Cookeville, TN and has been with R&D for almost six years. As the Quality Manager, he is responsible for making sure all aspects of the R&D Services Quality System meet and exceed the ISO standards for testing agencies (ISO 17025). In addition to the role of Quality manager, he is heavily involved with test method and business development for R&D Services. Prior to joining R&D Services, Michael spent almost four years with MP&E Engineering in Brentwood, TN designing mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems for commercial buildings. While at MP&E, he performed full building simulations for energy consumption and building load purposes. Michael is a licensed engineer in the State of Tennessee and a LEED AP.
Bill Lippy is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Fi-Foil Company, Inc. and has over 20 years experience in energy efficiency and solar energy industries. Fi-Foil manufactures and distributes a complete line of reflective insulation and radiant barriers for residential, commercial, and agricultural applications. Bill has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of South Florida. He is a member or Rotary International, a Board Member and Past President for the Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association and has a master’s certification in Building Science. Bill also consults for the solar energy industry and was a chapter president for the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association. He is married to Laurel Renfroe and lives in Lakeland, Florida.
Bobby Byrd is Vice President of Sales for ROMEX World Trade, a global manufacture and distributor of radiant barriers, reflective and forest products. He was educated at Nichols State University, Perdue University, and certified by the State of Louisiana in building science and has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing and distribution of forest products. Mr. Byrd serves on the Board of Directors of the Building Association of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi; he is an active member of American Society of Testing and Materials and on the advisory council to APA the engineered wood Association. He is also the current President of RIMA International.
Chris Trummel is currently in Sales for Now Plastics-Americas is the culmination of a 37-year career in plastic films and various substates sold to industrial accounts. Chris has also worked, internationally, with large multinational BOPP film manufacturers. During his nine years with NOW Plastics he has served the reflective insulation sector, amongst others. Chris’ experience served his clients well through the COVID and anti-dumping related supply chain challenges. Supply matrix diversification has served his clients well. Living in Massachusetts with his wife, Chris, is active with his church and likes to travel to see family and friends.
Ken Mitchell is Managing Director of Now Plastics UK Inc., which demonstrates his passion for building strong and effective teams that offer innovative and unique supply chain solutions during, what has been, a very difficult time. Having not only ran his own manufacturing business, Ken has also worked internationally for some large multinational corporations directly serving the reflective insulation sector, amongst others. Ken understands that every business needs adaptable supply chains that = satisfied customers. His 35+ years of experience working with complex global organizations has led to him having a rare, wide-ranging expertise and perspective, whilst maintaining an ethical stance to doing business. Living in the UK with his family, Ken, who played and coached Rugby Union for many years, now likes to put his energies outside work on community work, especially in education.