Upcoming Events

8:00 – 8:30 am: Registration

8:30 – 8:35 am: Welcome and Introduction of the Building Science Forum facilitator Pete Consigli

Speaker: Owen Boak, RIA Inc. Chairperson

8:35 – 8:45 am: Opening comments and overview of the Building Science Forum agenda

Speaker: Pete Consigli

8:45 – 9:30 am: Don’t Fall Prey to Made Up Science: Using Applied Research for Better Results on Your Projects!

Speaker: Dr. Ralph Moon

Dr. Moon is a well-known and accomplished building scientist, researcher, expert witness, and published peer reviewed author and collaborator for science-based journals.

Dr. Moon will set the table for subsequent subject matter expert presentations by his Moisture Mob associates, by presenting his published research on the impact of water and moisture on various building materials. The criteria for job site inspections, formal reports and project specifications and scope is more accurate when based on applied research, rather than Made Up Science, too often prevalent in the assessment and remediation sector.

9:30 – 10:15 am: Best Practices for Testing Moisture in Concrete Substrates: It’s About the Surface!

Speaker: Robert Higgins

Overview: Robert Higgins, known in the industry as “Concrete Bob,” is a leading authority and subject matter expert on concrete with deep roots in the waterproofing industry sector. His presentation will deal with what you need to know about Inspecting and drying concrete, to better address, how wet is it, when is it dry and why citations are important to back up the facts! Bob will follow up on Dr. Moon’s applied research presentation in his unique style to explain the principles of measuring, evaluating, and testing moisture in concrete foundations, substrates, and lightweight concrete in multi-level structures.

Bob will lead the audience to a better understanding of moisture and concrete based on separating fact from fiction for moisture testing, by using accurate information backed-up by citations and seeking the truth to get the best results. His presentation will be based on scientific principles, years of experience from field inspections, causation troubleshooting and the use of citations to validate his findings and recommended solutions to building owners.

10:15 – 10:30 am: Moderated Q&A with Dr. Ralph Moon and Robert Higgins 

Facilitated by: Pete Consigli

10:30 – 11:00 am: Morning Tea

11:00 – 12:30 pm: From the Floor to the Rooftop: A Moisture Mob Tandem Presentation

Speakers: Howard “Woodie” Brickman and John T. “The Roof Guy” Hull

Overview: Howard Brickman, known as “Woodie,” is a pioneer in the hardwood and timber industry sector. Teaming with John T Hull, known as “The Roof Guy,” who has deep roots in the waterproofing, coatings/sealer, and sealant industry sector, they will collaborate to deliver complementary presentations from their unique areas of expertise on evaluating moisture and its impact on timber flooring materials and the building envelope to the roof top.

Howard Brickman’s presentation is titled “An Introduction to Wood Science Technologies and Evaluating Jobsite Conditions for Successful Wood Flooring Installations“.

John T Hull’s presentation is titled “Best Practices for Roof Inspections and Building Envelope Moisture Surveys, Use of Moisture Locating Technologies and How to Interpret and Explain the Readings”.

12:30 – 12:45 pm: Moderated Q&A with Howard Brickman and John T Hull

Facilitated by: Pete Consigli

12:45 – 1:00 pm: Morning Wrap-up with 4 Moisture Mob Experts

Facilitated by: Pete Consigli

1:00 – 2:00 pm: Lunch

2:00 – 3:00 pm: 2024 is Tramex’s 50th Golden Anniversary Year: You Learn a Lot in Half a Century!

Speaker: Andrew Rynhart

Overview: Andrew Rynhart grew up in the “family business” started by his parents in 1984 and began actively working in the restoration industry when in 1990, Tramex introduced the first Non- Penetrating/Non-Invasive Moisture Meter (The Moisture Encounter), and the rest as they say is history! As Tramex’s Chief CTO, Andrew concentrates on research to develop moisture testing technologies to meet the World-wide needs of the Restoration, Flooring, Roofing, Hardwood, Concrete and Inspection & IAQ industry sectors it serves.

Andrew will bring his experience working in the “Moisture Trenches” to this presentation, and share the lessons learned!

3:00 – 3:30 pm: Afternoon tea

3:30 – 4:30 pm: A Building Science Forum Day 1 Encore by Moon & Higgins: A Deep Dive into More Stuff on Concrete

Speakers: Dr. Ralph Moon & Robert Higgins

Overview: Building off his morning presentation, Dr. Moon will present his published research findings to determine when tile floors require replacement after a water intrusion incident, based on the type of substrate, duration of wetting and replacement determinations based on installation and adhesion failures.

Concrete Bob will address the reasons for concrete failures in multi-story structures that can lead to deadly consequences such as the Surfside Condominium building collapse on June 24, 2021, in South Florida, in the middle of the night while the residents were sleeping! Analogies can be drawn from the Surfside collapse to similar building structures in Northern Queensland , which shares a similar climate as its counterpart “USA Sunshine State” in South Florida.

4:30 – 5:00 pm: Day 1 Wrap-up with a Moisture Mob Panel (Dr. Ralph Moon, Robert Higgins, Howard Brickman, John T Hull, Andrew Rynhart)

Facilitated by: Pete Consigli

8:00 – 8:30 am: Registration

8:30 – 8:45 am: Welcome, Announcements and Day 2 Agenda Overview

Speakers: Owen Boak and Pete Consigli

8:45 – 9:30 am: The Elements of Effective Project Management for Mitigation & Restoration Contractors

Speaker: Pete Consigli

Overview: The essential principles of project management are defined by The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), as Initiate the project, Plan the project, Control & Deliver (execute the project), and Close Out the project. Consigli will share his unique perspective to meet the challenges of securing, delivering, and completing profitable restoration projects, while balancing the needs of all the stakeholders to an insurance claim.

Drawing on a half century of experience from working in the trenches to developing education programs for industry stakeholders and advocating for the profession of property damage repair, he has identified some best practices universally used by successful restorers serving the global restoration community. Consigli will address concepts and principles of picking your partners, choosing your projects, getting the scope right, documenting the project, delivering on your “customer promise,” and getting paid by your client for a job well done on time and budget!

9:30 – 10:30 am: An Introduction to Cloud Based Moisture Testing Technologies & Software Integration for Remote Monitoring Systems – A Full Diagnostic Toolbox is the Standard of Care

Speaker: Finlay Rynhart

Overview: Tramex is the innovative global leader for cloud-based moisture meter technologies and remote monitoring systems. Finlay is a 3rd generation member of the Rynhart family and will give an overview of the current standard of care for moisture testing, monitoring and documentation of water loss and humidity control projects. Moisture meters are not alike, and the pros and cons of “all-in-one” meters will be addressed.

This presentation will also introduce the emerging use of remote monitoring and how it can help restorers and drying specialists better document their projects. Based on lessons learned from Tramex’s research and development team and actual field applications over the past few years, cloud-based technology documentation is fast becoming the choice of successful contractors and their insurance clients.

10:30 – 11:00 am: Morning tea

11:00 – 12:00 pm: A Building Science Forum Day 2 Encore by Howard Brickman and John T Hull: More Stuff from the Flooring to the Roof

Speakers: Howard Brickman & John T Hull

Overview: Building off their day 1 tandem presentation, Howard will address how to source and work with timber craftsman, and what kind of expectations a restoration contractor have to enter into a Win-Win subcontractor relationship. John T will draw on his coatings and sealants roots and address the challenges when doing exterior building moisture surveys to locate the source of moisture penetration and how to work with roofing contractors and the building trades as part of a multi-disciplinary team on restoration projects.

12:00 – 1:00pm: The Moisture Mob Rolls-up their Sleeves!

Overview: An interactive hands-on demonstration by the Moisture Mob on the use, application, and interpretation of moisture measurement, testing and monitoring in the restoration, flooring, concrete, and roofing sectors. What are the operating principles for the various types of moisture meters, how and when is the use of one type more appropriate than another, why is calibration important, how does wood species affect the readings, and why is moisture nomenclature like “gravimetric” and “in situ” important terms to understand in the moisture testing vernacular?

1:00 – 2:00pm: Lunch

2:00 – 2:30pm: What is Old is New Again: A Presentation on the Roots of Time & Material vs. Unit Cost Pricing Models; What Did We Do Before the Digital Age?

Speaker: Pete Consigli

Overview: Most things in life are cyclical and every generation often needs to relearn the lessons of those who came before them. Foundational principles span generational differences and often serve as a foundation for successful business practices. Consigli will build off his project management presentation and dig in to the challenge that most restorers face. How can you answer the question of what is a fair price and how can you explain your pricing to clients when questioned?

Consigli contends that starts with understanding the core principles of developing a customized price list based on actual costs, competitive mark-ups, intangibles, project funding, acceptable risk, payment terms and conditions and client trust and loyalty.

2:30 – 3:00pm: Day 2 Building Science Wrap-up – The Moisture Mob Addresses Questions in a Final Interactive Moderated Town Hall

Facilitated by: Pete Consigli