Conference Presenters
Thank you to our conference presenters!
Andrew Albaugh, Esq.
BBG Construction Law
Andrew is an experienced litigator with a practice focused on providing exceptional advocacy for general contractors, subcontractors, and project owners. Andrew’s practice has included representing construction firms through a variety of complex legal disputes arising out of industrial, commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects. His experience includes litigating and arbitrating high dollar value lawsuits arising out of construction defects, inefficiency and delay claims, change disputes, extra work claims, product defects, professional negligence, construction liens, differing site conditions, and a multitude of related contract disputes. Andrew is also passionate about staying involved in his local
community. He has previously served as a member of the board of directors for Valencia's Promise: Take Stock in Children (a high school mentoring program), the Children's Home Society, and regularly donated time teaching for Junior Achievement. Prior to law school Andrew graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School. He is licensed to practice in both Florida and Colorado.
Henry C. Bangert, Esq.
Founding Partner, BBG Construction Law
Henry Bangert grew up in the construction business, working alongside his family in heavy civil construction throughout the Midwest and Mountain West. Following law school at the University of Colorado, Henry joined the construction practice group at Sherman & Howard, L.L.C. in Denver. Then, for six years, up until opening day of Beltzer Banger & Gunnell LLP, Henry worked as Legal Counsel – U.S. Operations for PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc., supporting PCL’s operations in commercial buildings, heavy civil and heavy infrastructure across the U.S. Today, Henry counsels clients in contract planning, negotiation, administration, and dispute resolution nationally in the construction and engineering industry. He frequently advises clients in contract and legal risk management through the project life-cycle. He has represented clients in the drafting and negotiation of numerous complex construction contracts priced between $1 million and $2.3 billion. Henry has significant experience in government contracting issues and has represented clients nationwide in dispute review boards, mediations, arbitrations, trials, and state and federal court.
Jason Barnes
Chief Consultant, Green Umbrella
Mr. Jason Barnes is a product developer and consultant within the concrete flooring industry. He is the author of the GP9, Nine Elements of Green Polishing, which has become a practice adopted by the industry—published in CSI Specifier magazine in 2011. He has developed from that article theconcrete9 series, isolating key elements in designing and implementing concrete floors. An advocate of a system approach to concrete polishing, Jason is well versed in densifiers, colorants, and shrinkage compensating concrete. Mr. Barnes is a trained public speaker and a continuing education provider for design professionals. His expertise has brought over 40 products to market, most primarily focused on a "green" (sustainable, economical and versatile) approach to the concrete industry. He has enjoyed success in discerning the underlying problems and presenting solutions encountered by design professionals and owners on projects nationwide wherein they have experienced "floor failure". Mr. Barnes serves as a voting member on several committees with the American Concrete Institute. He is the co-founder and Chief Consultant for Green Umbrella.
Aaron Blom, ACE, aDBIA
Technical Training Specialist, Fenestration & Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA)
Aaron began his career as an engineer for an aluminum extrusion company and then spent 10 years as a technical and architectural representative for Oldcastle Building Envelope covering a wide range of markets and supporting multiple product types including glass, aluminum framing systems, skylights, and all glass systems. His experience also includes 3 years as Director of Preconstruction for a multi-divisional specialty subcontractor, Architectural Concepts. Currently, he is Technical Training Specialist for the Fenestration & Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA).
Shawn Bullock
Founder and CEO, Absolute Concrete Flooring
Shawn’s career has been rooted in sales and marketing of unique products and services for the last 30 years. Early in Shawn’s career he was fortunate to have worked with great professionals in other industries that have mentored and advised him in life to help me along the way. Shawn started Absolute Concrete Flooring in 2004 as a residential garage floor coating company. From the early days of delivering beautiful decorative concrete floors, Shawn has always strived to be the best at what he does. Absolute Concrete Flooring has had decorative concrete floors on national news and a national architectural design TV show featuring one of our Denver projects. In 2019 Absolute Concrete Flooring won the ACI #2 International Decorative Floor of the year! It was an award that has represented many years of hard work to create a reputation for top notch showroom quality polished concrete floors.
Mike Coan, CSI
Project Manager, Branco Enterprises
Mike is a project manager with Branco Enterprises, a commercial general contractor in Southwest Missouri. He entered the construction industry in 2005 and became a member of the Southwest Missouri Chapter of CSI in January of 2006. He has served the gamut of positions from committees to chapter president. In 2014 he was elected vice president of the North Central Region (NCR) and then President in 2015. Mike has co-chaired President Elect Training with Andrea Zawodny of the Kansas City Chapter at the annual NCR Conference since 2017. Mike lives on a farm with his wife and two boys. The farm and his boys keep him plenty busy with their involvement in baseball, football, wrestling, speech & debate, FFA, and fishing club.
Scott S. Deering
Scott started his construction career after high school in 1979 working for a small caulking contractor by day and attending college at night. On August 6, 1996, Scott started Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing Inc. (ACW). Today ACW is one of the Denver market’s most trusted and sought-after waterproofing specialty contractors. ACW employs approximately 50 people. Scott has been active with American Subcontractor Association of Colorado (ASAC) for more than 25 years. He served as the ASAC chapter president for two terms and currently chairs the ASAC Legislative Advocacy Council. ACW is also a member of the Colorado chapter of the AGC. Scott spends his free time skiing, mountain biking and scuba diving.
Mark Dorsey, CAE, FASAE
CEO, Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)
Mark Dorsey, CAE, FASAE, serves as CEO of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), an Alexandria, Virginia association serving 7,000 members nationwide. Since joining CSI in 2015, the association doubled its assets, radically changed its governance structure and strategic approach, launched and managed for-profit initiatives related to the association, and revamped its approach to content, learning, and credentialing resulting in its best financial and membership performance in two decades.
Prior to CSI, Mark was CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI), a 32,000-member nonprofit education association. During this period, PSIA-AASI saw record membership growth, record revenue, and award-winning communications and outreach programs, including a 2014 Power of A Summit Award.
For both CSI and PSIA-AASI, Mark guided significant governance change to enable stronger linkages between the board’s preferred outcomes, implementing innovative non-dues revenue growth strategies, and rejuvenating the association’s 501(c) 3 supporting foundations. Earlier in his career, he served PSIA-AASI and the National Ski Patrol concurrently as Marketing Director and later as Assistant Executive Director, where he expanded credentialing programs, sponsorships, and award-winning non-dues revenue and advertising programs in service of 56,000 members.
Mark is an active contributor to the association community, particularly through the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). A Certified Association Executive (CAE) and ASAE Fellow, Mark has served ASAE in many capacities including stints as a member of the ASAE Board of Directors, the ASAE Foundation Board, and Chair of the ASAE Research Committee.
Mike Eads, ACI, PCI, PTI
Senior Concrete Project Manager, GH Phipps Construction Companies
Mike Eads graduated from Colorado State University in 2005 with a B.S. in Construction Management and a Minor in Spanish. Mike has been in the commercial concrete industry for 17 years with an array of projects under his belt. Starting in Concrete, he worked for 2 years in Ready Mix concrete operations; managing operations for large commercial construction projects. Mike then moved into a Self-Performing Concrete Contractor role where he worked on $80,000,000 of cast-in-place concrete as a Project Engineer and as a Project Manager including laboratories, schools, mid-rise structures, high-rise structures, warehouse structures and tilt-up projects over a period of 7 years. He then transitioned to precast concrete for 2 years as a production supervisor overseeing structural and high quality architectural precast concrete. Mike currently holds a position as a Senior Concrete Project Manager with Gerald H. Phipps, overseeing various cast-in-place commercial concrete projects, totaling $100,000,000. He received his National Standard General Building Contractor (A) license, which he carries under his current employer. Mike also has been a member of the American Concrete Institute (Rocky Mountain Chapter) for 10 years, in which Mike serves on the Board of Directors of RMACI, acting as Vice President this year. In his free time, Mike enjoys video games, frisbee golf, concrete and checking up on local breweries.
Mike Eckhoff, PhD
Codes & Education Specialist, Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc.
Mike Eckhoff is a public policy expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the forest products industry. He has worked for both the Colorado State Forest Service and the USDA Forest Service, where he shaped policy for the natural environment in response to the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Since 2017, he has been a Codes and Education Specialist for Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc., providing technical expertise on fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) to architects, building/fire officials, designers, engineers, foresters, students, and wildland firefighters. He has written over a dozen peer-reviewed articles and has given hundreds of invited presentations to firms, agencies, and other audiences throughout the U.S., all with a focus on sustainable wood products, including FRTW, and how they improve forest health and reduce wildfire risks simultaneously.
Margaret Fisher
Honorary Lifetime Member of the Architectural Woodwork Institute, Margaret Fisher has been involved in the custom woodwork industry for three and a half decades. Recognized as an industry leader, she has served as President and Vice President of the Wisconsin Chapter and served on the AWI National Board of Directors twice. Wood & Wood Products Magazine featured her as a 2010 Market Leader. A past recipient of the Claude Twillenmeier award, she has also served on the Sustainable Resources Think Tank and Education Planning Committee. As AWI’s most prolific speaker, thousands of design professionals and contractors all over North America have attended her educational programs on Woodwork Quality Standards, Cores, Veneering, Moldings, Finishes, Using Wood in a LEED® project and how to overcome your fear of speaking which she has been authoring and instructing since 1997. Woodworkers have listened to her 12-part podcast series on Using Wood in a LEED project and attended her trainings. Margaret Fisher is now the Communications Outreach & Relations Strategist of the Architectural Woodwork Institute and is the go-to girl for CSI/AWI Connections.
Paul Hammond
Executive Director, Colorado Railroad Museum
A Southern California native, Paul began his rail heritage career as a volunteer museum trustee and leader. From 1994 to 1997 he edited Locomotive & Railway Preservation, the magazine of this industry. For the next 19 years, he served in several leadership roles including Museum Director for the California State Railroad Museum and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. From 2016 to 2018, Paul was executive director for the AAM-accredited March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California. A past president of the Association of Railway Museums (today’s Heritage Rail Alliance), he actively supports the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in accreditation, diversity, best practices and advocacy. Paul holds a degree in Communications from Cal Poly Pomona and a certificate in Museum Leadership from the Getty Leadership Institute.
Mark Hurshman
Senior Consultant, Green Umbrella
Mr. Mark Hurshman has an extensive background in the polishing concrete industry. His projects have spanned residential, commercial and educational. His projects have been featured on the Discovery Channel and USA Today. He was project manager on the first Pre-K through 12, Platinum-LEED Certified school in the United States (2007), Greensburg, Kansas. Mr. Hurshman understands the contractor’s side to our specifications, focusing on the implementation of theconcrte9 principles in the workplace. Years of experience, consulting for contractors, architects and owners. Mark’s strength lies in the experience in understanding the problems faced by PHP (Profile Hone and Polishing) contractors on projects today. Unlike most manufacturing representatives, he has millions of square feet of on-site experience. Marks consulting can be invaluable for the contractor who is called upon to fix what might be thought as a failed project. He is the co-founder of Green Umbrella and serves as Senior Consultant.
Nicole Lane, P.E.
Associate, Investigative Engineering, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers
Nicole has more than 20 years of experience in structural design and renovation for industrial
and aerospace buildings and manufacturing centers. She provides comprehensive
investigation and analysis of structural components including foundation movement,
structural failures, moisture intrusion, material deterioration, expansive soils, roof and
building collapse, defective construction, code compliance, drainage problems, and structural
damage due to wind and snow. She has experience in vibration analysis for new and existing
buildings. Nicole also has experience in the structural renovation design of existing buildings,
including tenant improvement work and structural retrofit of gravity and lateral force resisting
systems.
Chris Lebo
Business Development Manager, Master Builders Solutions
Chris was first introduced to the waterproofing trade in college while working as a maintenance technician for a local hotel ownership group. It was here he learned the important role that joint sealants play in controlling air and water in the building envelope. Chris joined Master Builders Solutions (BASF) in 2015 as a Technical Product Specialist. He enjoys helping contractors, owners, and engineers find technical solutions for sealants, air barriers, and waterproofing. Outside of work, you can find Chris working on house projects, fishing, or reading a good book on personal finance.
Greg Markling, FCSI, SCIP, CCS, CCCA, NCARB, LEED AP
CSI Distinguished Member, CSI Lifetime Member
Drawing upon 35 years of professional experience, Greg has developed extensive experience in a wide variety of building design and construction projects, as well as sustainable design and construction practice. All projects benefit from his outstanding skills in project delivery including construction management, specifications, and quality assurance. Believing that great execution is integral to great design, Greg ensures that constructability and technical excellence are fully addressed. He has applied his in-depth understanding of building systems, construction detailing, and project coordination to establishing a proactive building information management and quality assurance approach which creates compatible construction documentation and results in more successful facility construction. As a Fellow and Former Institute President of CSI, Greg has also participated on a task teams to create credentialing for Integrated Project Delivery managers and Building Information standards for the design and construction industry. He also leads national seminars and webinars on a wide variety of Project Delivery, Construction Documentation, Construction Administration, and Quality Assurance topics.
Ken Martinek, CSI, CDT
Architectural and Business Development National Sales Mgr., Arcadia, Inc.
Ken Martinek has been assisting design professionals with product applications and has more than 37 years’ experience in many aspects of the glass and glazing industry, offering personal, professional and knowledgeable assistance and application support for the design community and specialty contractors. His experience includes start-up sales operations, new product and market development, planning and budgeting, technical service, customer and distributor training, architectural promotion and specifications, technical writing and publication, public speaking and presentation, key account management, negotiating and problem resolution. Martinek is adept at working with all levels of the construction team – contractor, distributor, designer and owner – through all phases of a project. Martinek has the ability to understand the complexities and capabilities of a building product and effectively apply the product’s attributes to the architect’s project requirements. Martinek has been a member of the CSI Phoenix Chapter since 1988 and has held two terms as Chapter President while overseeing educational and program responsibilities.
Elizabeth (Liz) O’Sullivan, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, CDT, LEED AP, NCARB, SCIP
Specifier, Liz O’Sullivan Architecture, LLC
Liz O'Sullivan is an independent specifications consultant in Denver, Colorado. Before she began her work as a specifier in 2008, she worked as a project architect at a small design-oriented architecture firm in Denver. She's been a licensed architect in Colorado since 2002. She graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1995 from the University of Notre Dame.
George Ramsay, CSI, CDT
National Architectural Solutions Consultant, Pella Corporation
George is a 20+ year building materials veteran specializing in working with the Architectural and Design community. George works around the country providing technical and design assistance, specification writing and guidance and is focused on making architects and specification writers fenestration challenges less painful. George is a leader in providing helpful performance spec language, custom drawings, thermal modeling and answering all window and door questions from simple to complex. George served on the Board of Directors for five years of the Minneapolis-St. Paul CSI Chapter as President 2016-2017. He has served on various committees locally and regionally over the last fifteen years for CSI-MSP and is currently Treasurer for the North Central Region. George is a graduate of the College of Saint Scholastica in Business Management with honors.
Matt Spelde
Senior Sales Developer, Dow Chemical Company
Matt Spelde is a senior sales developer for Dow Performance Silicones division of The Dow Chemical Company. Over the past 8 years in the silicones industry Matt has worked with glazing and restoration contractors to provide proper installation of weatherseal sealants, air and vapor barriers and coatings. Matt also works with structural glazing contractors across the Midwest to ensure proper installation and quality control procedures of structural glazing sealants.
Luke Waldo, P.E.
Associate, Investigative Engineering, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers
Luke has over 15 years of experience in the structural design and investigation of structures. He has been involved in the design of various commercial, industrial, residential, and historic buildings. He also has experience evaluating existing structures for remodel, renovation, or restoration work. His forensic and existing building experience includes general assessments of potential problems all the way to the investigation of collapses or larger failures. During the course of his structural investigations, Luke has developed and implemented various testing and monitoring programs including full-scale load tests on structural components.
Lee Whiteley
Lee Whiteley is a fourth-generation Coloradan now living in Centennial. He graduated from Englewood High School and the University of Denver. He spent two years in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam. He took a very early retirement from the City and County of Denver, where he was a computer programmer-analyst. He then became interested in the wagon road through his great-grandparents homestead southeast of Castle Rock, Colorado. This led to his first book, The Cherokee Trail: Bent’s Old Fort to Fort Bridger. This book was followed by The Yellowstone Highway: Denver to the Park, Past and Present, The Lincoln Highway in Colorado, Pathway to Gold: The Smoky Hill Trail, and The Playground Trail: The National Park-to-Park Highway. His interest in Western transportation history is reflected in his society memberships: Oregon-California Trails Association, Smoky Hill Trail Association, and the Lincoln Highway Association. He and wife Jane are associate producers of the PBS documentary Paving the Way: the National Park-to-Park Highway, and were contributors to American Road Magazine. He received the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution History Award for his presentation on historic trail sites in Colorado.
Jim Whitfield, FCSI, CCPR, LEED AP
Jim Whitfield FCSI, CCPR, LEED AP is the Director of Technical Services at MAPEI. He manages a strong Technical Services department that provides support for MAPEI’s many products for; Tile and Stone Installation Systems, Floor Covering Installation Systems and Products for Wood Flooring. He is actively involved in the development of tile industry standards on TCNA, ANSI, and ISO committees. Jim is on the TCNA Board, voting member of the TCNA Handbook and ANSI A108 committees. He is the current President of the MMSA (Materials, Methods and Standards Assoc.). In addition, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) honored Jim with Fellowship in 2001.
Stephen Wichern PE, Esq.
Partner, BBG Construction Law
Stephen supports contractors, subcontractors, and public and private owners in the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts for infrastructure and commercial projects of all natures and sizes. Stephen also provides guidance and assistance to project management teams on a variety of issues arising during the performance of construction projects, including pursuing relief for excusable events, addressing lien claims and discharging sub-tier liens, and finalizing completion certificates and project close-out.
Stephen’s passion is to leverage his breadth of knowledge and experience to represent his clients’ needs in the construction process as effectively and efficiently as possible. Before law, Stephen was a structural engineer in Colorado, designing various commercial and public structures and gaining his Professional Engineer license. While supporting transportation and land development projects, he designed bridges, retaining walls and culverts, and oversaw preparation of design plans and construction services. His work in the private sector focused on mid-size vertical commercial, where he designed foundations, retaining walls, floor systems and connections.
Stephen joined BBG Law after seven years as Senior In-House Counsel for an international renewable energy company specializing in the development and construction of utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects. This followed his time as a business litigation associate in the construction practice group of a top-100 law firm. Stephen enjoys biking, hiking, snowboarding and otherwise spending time in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and three children.
Adam Wilbrecht, AIA
Chief Technology Officer at CONCERT (www.getconcert.com).
Adam is a registered architect and has specialized in building and design technologies over the past 30 years. His core interests are focused on Web3 blockchain based service platforms, IoT edge technologies, and enabling data and digitalization for the building lifecycle and built environment.
Adam holds degrees from Wesleyan University and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Jon Willis, CSI, CDT, CCS, CCCA
President, ASCS, Inc. (Architectural Specifications Consulting Service)
Jon Willis received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Engineering at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder. Jon received his Master of Architecture Degree at the University of Colorado at Denver. He is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute, a Certified Construction Specifier (CCS), Certified Construction Contract Administrator (CCCA), Construction Document Technologist (CDT) and a registered Engineer. Jon is a specification competition award winner and recipient of many certificates of appreciation. Jon has taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Arapahoe Community College and routinely teaches certification preparation courses, education and technical courses for CSI. Jon has over 35 years’ experience in the fields of architecture, engineering and specification writing. Jon has worked on many high profile or highly technical projects throughout the United States and on all continents around the globe. Jon is noted for his technical expertise and has worked on many “one-of-a-kind” highly unique projects.
Michael Young, FCSI, CDT, CCCA, CCS
Construction Manager, City and County of Denver
Michael Young is a Construction Manager for the City and County of Denver in Colorado. Mike earned his degree in Construction Management from Colorado State University and has over 40 years’ experience in construction with the past 20 years as a Project Manager in municipal government, managing projects through every stage of the Facility Life Cycle. Mike has been active at local, regional and national levels of CSI for 30 years with his primary focus being on education. Mike is also actively involved in representing CSI at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6 and 7 annual student competition, a member of Colorado State University’s Department of Construction Management Professional Advisory Development Board and an Adjunct Instructor at the Community College of Denver.
Andrea Zawodny, CSI, CDT, CCS, LEED AP
Senior Specification Writer, Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum, Inc.
Andrea is a Senior Associate and Senior Specification Writer for the architecture firm, Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum (HOK). She has 27 years of construction industry experience, and 22 years of experience in specification writing, procurement documents, contract document preparation, and construction contract administration activities. She is a Certified Construction Specifier and currently writes specifications for projects produced by HOK's Kansas City office.
A long-time leader in The Construction Specifications Institute, Andrea is passionate about improving communication and project delivery in the design and construction industry. She has served on many committees, as well as the boards of the Kansas City Chapter and the North Central Region. Andrea is also a Past-President of both. Currently she is serving on the national board as the Institute Director from the North Central Region.
Julie Zurakowski, AIA
Senior Associate, Anderson Mason Dale Architects
Julie joined Anderson Mason Dale Architects in 2006 and was named a Senior Associate in 2018. A talented and capable architect, she served the MSU Denver AES building as Project Architect. With a depth of experience in higher education, serving as both Project Architect and Manager, she excels in every aspect of the design process—from management and client advocacy, programming and design to documentation and construction through an ability to translate intent into a thorough set of program and design criteria. Julie’s focus is on design and technical development, building systems integration to manage the project Building Information Models that serve as the basis for the team’s drawings and ultimately, the successful execution of projects.
