Podcasts about managers association

Today we talk with Stephen Shepard, expert in BOMA (The Denver Metro Building Owners and Managers Association).He tells us what BOMA does for the industry and its members all around the metro area and the state!Stephen is the Executive Vice President of BOMA Denver Metro and BOMA Colorado. He loves seeing the Rockies every day from his office. Stephen is no stranger to BOMA as he also served in the same role for BOMA Austin 2015-2019 and BOMA Oakland/East Bay starting in January 2012. He is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and has been an active member of the association industry since 2003. Stephen has worked for other associations in training and development, conferences, and membership roles and was the Chief Operating Officer at the American Accounting Association in Sarasota, Florida. Enjoy!to reach Stephen:Stephen Shepardstephens@bomadenver.org to reach Kieding:Katie WinterKwinter@kieding.comJaime BrunnerJBrunner@kieding.comwww.Kieding.com303.399.9100Hosts: Kim Hoff and Katie WinterProduction by Fred Winter https://shadowfromthesky.com/

Kiwis seem to be on the move. Ministry of Housing and Urban Development data shows that half of New Zealand tenancies are less than two years old, and just 1% have been in place for more than 18 years. The average tenancy is now 50 months long, up from 28 in 2010, and the median has reached 25, up from 14 in 2010. Residential Property Managers Association Chairperson Tony Mitchell told Kerre Woodham that it comes down to flexibility – mostly on the part of the tenant. He says most landlords would prefer a long-term agreement, but tenants prefer the flexibility of shorter contracts as it allows them to move or upsize as needed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Future of Investing in Kenya: Insights from the Fund Managers Association Chairman - Anthony Mwithiga | Financial Forecast SN6E08 by Capital FM

Today, the Safari heads down to Fort Worth, TX, to talk to Tripp Gorman, the president of the Elephant Managers Association. This professional organization exists to help any human who takes care of elephants to increase their knowledge and skills! A lost-cost professional organization that focuses on welfare regardless of anything else going on at your facility is pretty rare, and I find it really inspiring! EPISODE LINKS: elephantmanagers.com @elephantmanagersassociation on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com @rossifari on socials@rossifaripod on TikTokpatreon.com/rossifari to support the podBirds of a Feather Talk TogetherA podcast on The Feather Thief - a true crime museum heist in search of bird feathersListen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

In this episode, Sarah Gulla and Justin Epps from the Hospitality Asset Managers Association join us to discuss into the role of hotel asset managers in the hospitality ecosystem - and the results of a recent industry outlook survey they conducted.What You'll Learn:Role of Hotel Asset Managers: Understand the pivotal role hotel asset managers play in influencing behaviors, managing managers, and setting strategic directions for hotel investments.Hospitality Asset Managers Association: Discover the Hospitality Asset Managers Association's mission and activities, including its membership criteria, educational resources, and networking opportunities.Industry Outlook: Get insights from the association's latest industry outlook report, including current trends, economic conditions, and performance metrics within the hospitality sector.Challenges and Solutions: Learn about the challenges hotel asset managers face, such as rising expenses and labor costs, and explore potential solutions including technology adoption and best practices sharing.Networking and Collaboration: Hear about the importance of networking and collaboration within the industry to share best practices and find innovative solutions to common problems.Thoughts, questions, suggestions? Send me a text messageThis episode is brought to you with support from Sojern. I teamed up with Sojern to study how hoteliers use data to drive revenue and build stronger guest relationships. You can see what we found in this research report: How Hotel Brands Are Using First-Party Data to Drive Revenue & Build Stronger Relationships. Want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day? Subscribe here for free.Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.Music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

We open Episode 28 with an update on our fundraising drive as we go into the home stretch – $2000 to go! - then have listener feedback and a Peter Warren razzberry for the slow-moving CBC Manitoba. - An email about downtown safety from a listener who is one of the 10% that thinks they are still safe at night in a dangerous downtown Winnipeg... but adds “Who wants to be in a situation where you're confronted by several youth wielding machetes, bear spray and/or brass knuckles? At that point it isn't a street fight, it's life or death combat.” He added a few comments about the weak police chief and the Children's Advocate, “who blames society for these kids' violence while at the same time depicts them as victims of society.” - Two weeks late, ⁠CBC discovers Bell MTS Is forcing exodus from Brandon⁠! We explain what little the high paid "professional journalists” added in the 18 extra days they had to cover the story ⁠since we broke the news to the public⁠, and what key details they missed. Why didn't CBC mention the extensive contracting out overseas while rural jobs are chopped? We'll have more about the Bell MTS layoffs in an upcoming episode. This work is entirely funded by YOUR support. Check out our Donate page⁠⁠ - it's easier than ever to make a contribution and help us continue to serve the public. 19:22 Part 2- After a personal note from former CBC mainstay Judy Waytiuk, we took a closer look at the emerging opposition to the proposed Portage and Main concourse closure- ⁠as we predicted⁠. "In the concourse there is an iconic, 415 foot long sculpted concrete wall by Bruce Head (her late husband.) City engineers will almost certainly find it cannot be saved and moved; it is an integral part of the load-bearing structural wall that runs all the way around the concourse interior." And that's not all. The veteran journalist examined the "fuzzy numbers" used by Mayor Scott Gillingham to justify the 'savings' an underground closure brings and asked a smart question: "If, as the mayor suggested after some outcry, mostly from this furious widow, somebody figures out how the artwork could be moved elsewhere, what would that cost? Carve out 415 feet of 12 foot tall concrete pieces, hoist them up, cart them off someplace, and ... well, I'm no engineer, but that sounds like a huge multi-million dollar feat to try to pull off. The whole close the concourse/move the art thing, would very likely match or even exceed the cost of repairs." As she explains, at no point did any of the reports City Hall is relying on even contemplate closing the concourse, or removing the 52 concrete panels which Waytiuk maintains are also part of the load-bearing intersection support. And speaking of support: "Out there in the media, I may look like w⁠hat CBC news insultingly referred⁠ to the other day as "one woman". I'm not just "one woman". 32:08 Part 3- "Building owners stunned by Portage and Main underground closure proposal", wrote the Free Press. The Building Owners and Managers Association of Manitoba warned councilors to “carefully consider the ramifications” of shuttering underground access. Tom Thiessen of BOMA noted the misinformation campaign around the projected $73M cost as only $29M is pegged to repair of the waterproofing membrane and the rest are costs the City would likely incur anyways for above-ground work. Most importantly, he skewered the administration for not setting aside money for repairs in the Brian Bowman days. Why plan ahead? Thiessen also raised ⁠the effect on property valuations⁠ for nearby stakeholders if indoor passage across the corners is removed. With the MMF claiming that their heritage centre at the Bank of Montreal building will host 1 million visitors, Marty Gold wonders how it makes sense to add that kind of volume to the corners while blocking access to a weather-protected concourse. Coming up: Globe-trotting NDP Minister Nahanni Fontaine plays her role; more on Bell MTS layoffs; your feedback

With the election coming up on March 19th. WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore welcomes 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden & Farzin Parang, the Executive Director of the Business Owners & Managers Association, to discuss the "Bring Chicago Home" referendum that has caused a stir in the city. 

Neighborhood Building Owners Association president Mike Glasser and executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago Farzin Parang join Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman to discuss their arguments against Mayor Brandon Johnson's Bring Chicago Home referendum.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Natalie Bowles, Member Services Manager at the League Managers Association, and Kristian Dobrev, Deputy CEO at the Football Business Academy join us on the show to talk about developing a career in the sports industry, leadership, how to stay on top of current trends, the value of a good education… If you are an “aspiring” sports business professional, this is a conversation for you. This episode is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand. You can order it online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠es.juanvaldez.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think. World Football Summit: The football we want, and need. This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world. You can learn more about us on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our official ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel

There is new leadership at the organization that represents managers and other non-union employees at the Internal Revenue Service. Kelly Reyes was named the Professional Managers Association's (PMA) new executive director last week. She replaces Chad Hooper, who left the organization this past summer. Reyes previously served as PMA's national vice president. For a look at the latest with the PMA, Federal News Network Deputy Editor Jared Serbu talked with Kelly Reyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is new leadership at the organization that represents managers and other non-union employees at the Internal Revenue Service. Kelly Reyes was named the Professional Managers Association's (PMA) new executive director last week. She replaces Chad Hooper, who left the organization this past summer. Reyes previously served as PMA's national vice president. For a look at the latest with the PMA, Federal News Network Deputy Editor Jared Serbu talked with Kelly Reyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March, Chicago voters will get to decide the future of the city's Bring Chicago Home ordinance. The ordinance would raise the city's tax rate on properties sold for over a million dollars and would lower tax rates on properties sold for less than that. According to Mayor Brandon Johnson's camp, this referendum is a key part of his plans to address homelessness in Chicago. Reset hears from Bring Chicago Home organizers Kennedy Bartley of United Working Families and Electa Bey of Communities United. We also hear from Farzin Parang of the Building Owners and Managers Association to understand what those opposed are concerned about. If you want to listen to more Reset, you can check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.

A coalition of business groups and small-business owners is urging the City Council to reject the Chicago paid leave proposal that would devastate businesses and nonprofits of every size and kind across the city. Businesses understand that access to paid time off is crucial for workers and their families, which is why we reached an agreement earlier this year on the current statewide law of five days and made repeated efforts to negotiate in good faith to reach a compromise on a paid leave policy that is fair and balanced for both workers and businesses. However, the proposal currently before the City Council — which would provide 15 days of paid leave — ignores the concerns of the business community. It will instead put in place the most expensive and complicated form of paid leave in the country. The proposal is opposed by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce, Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, Illinois Health and Hospitals Association, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Illinois Restaurant Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, Pilsen Chamber of Commerce, and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.Most expensive paid leave in the countryJack Lavin, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said the guaranteed payout was one stumbling block — but not the only one — standing in the way of what he called “the most expensive, most expansive, most complicated paid leave in the country.”The coalition proposed a compromise that offered the broadest paid leave policy of all major U.S. cities, doubling the amount of time off Illinois workers receive from five days to 10 days while limiting cost increases for businesses, providing businesses the ability to ensure continuity of operations, and limiting exposure against excessive liabilities for businesses. Organized labor groups rejected the compromise and instead insisted on implementing a policy that nearly triples the new, yet-to-be-implemented, state paid-time-off requirements and inflicts a tremendous financial burden on businesses across Chicago.The proposal before the City Council also requires businesses to pay employees for days not taken, which is not required by the state of Illinois or other large cities like New York or Los Angeles. In addition, it does not include a small business exemption and, combined with the rushed implementation timeline, leaves businesses, especially small businesses without large human resources departments, vulnerable to the threat of significant penalties and lawsuits for minor infractions.“No other city is at 10 days. They want to start it two months from now, and if you don't comply, you can be sued. There's no small-business exemption. And you're setting them up to be sued,” Lavin said. “New York has five days. No payout. This is 10 days, double New York. L.A. has six days. No payout. No other major city has a payout. This is 40% higher than L.A,” he told the Sun-Times.“That is why we successfully reached an agreement”For Chauncey Rice, associate vice president of government relations for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, businesses know their strongest asset is their people and support by providing employees with paid leave.“ That is why we successfully reached an agreement on the state law of five days, which is considered a model of effectiveness and simplicity for the employee and employer. However, the proposal before the City Council will have an outsized impact on the businesses that anchor our neighborhoods,” Rice said “It's because of policies like this that retailers of every type and size, including pharmacies, grocers, restaurants, and hardware stores, are increasingly unable to keep their doors open.”According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current cost of paid leave to Chicago employers is estimated at $31.7 billion, with minority-owned businesses bearing a significant share at $4.02 billion. Each additional mandated day of paid leave will cost Chicago employers an estimated $1.4 billion, with an additional $177 million burden for minority businesses. These figures do not include the additional cost to businesses to find last-minute replacements due to Chicago's Fair Work Week regulations.“My family is proud to have grown a food stand in Maxwell Street Market to a wholesale produce distribution company. But all the dedication, determination, persistence, and resourcefulness that helped us succeed is no match for bad policies that threaten the dreams of entrepreneurs in neighborhoods across Chicago,” said Yadira Enriquez, chief financial officer of Enriquez Produce. “I encourage the City Council to reject this proposal on behalf of those who know how important it is to create and grow jobs in our communities.”More challengesThe proposal comes amid an onslaught of anti-business proposals recently passed or expected to be passed by the City Council, including restrictive scheduling and Fair Work Week regulations, the elimination of tip credits, and efforts to quadruple the real estate transfer tax. This is on top of continued supply chain and labor challenges, persistent crime, and skyrocketing property taxes that leave businesses across every neighborhood struggling to make ends meet.“Margins in restaurants are notoriously small; it's already exceedingly difficult to make ends meet because of soaring goods prices, rising property taxes, and the chaos caused to the dining industry by the pandemic,” said Sam Sanchez, CEO of Third Coast Hospitality. “This proposal, on top of the recent elimination of the tip credit, has me wondering how much more we can take.”“While the business community does not support the current paid leave proposal, we do support and understand the need for balanced paid leave policies. What labor groups insist on presenting to the City Council goes too far too quickly and completely disregards the concerns of Chicago businesses, particularly small and minority businesses. Rather than striking a balance that works for workers and businesses, this proposal will hinder economic development and employment opportunities in the communities that need it most,” said Brad Tietz, vice president of government relations and strategy for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Tanner and Jeff talk with Laura Simmons, CEO of the Sports Field Managers Association. Laura came to SFMA this year and has had a steep learning curve. We talk about the present and future of the association as well as her vision for the group.  If you aren't a member of the association, you can check it out here: Sports Field Managers Association Jeff Fowler, Penn State Extension (host) Tanner Delvalle, Penn State Extension (host)Laura Simmons, CEO of Sports Field Managers AssociationEpisode sponsor: Hummer Turfgrass SystemsSend us an email! We would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and questions! freshcutgrass@psu.eduYou can find information on turf issues in the Turfgrass and Lawn Care section of the Penn State Extension website.

Clement speaks to General manager for the Johannesburg property owners and Managers Association, Angela Rivers, highlighting some of the issues that contribute to the consistent hijacking of Joburg buildings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Each year, Canadian homes and buildings—and the electricity generated to power them—release 111 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. To limit the impact, the Government of Canada aims to reduce GHG emissions 40–45% by 2030, compared to levels in 2005. And heat pumps are emerging as a solution, increasing energy efficiency while cutting energy costs and lowering carbon emissions. Shawn Carr, Manager of Customer Experience at Hydro Ottawa, explains on thinkenergy episode 109.   Related links   Shawn Carr, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-carr-6797b612/ Canada Greener Homes Initiative: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-initiative/24831  Air Source Heat Pump Toolkit: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-and-publications/tools/modelling-tools/toolkit-for-air-source-heat-pump-sizing-and-selection/23558 To subscribe using Apple Podcasts   To subscribe using Spotify   To subscribe on Libsyn --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: YouTube   Check out our cool pics on Instagram   More to Learn on Facebook   Keep up with the Tweets at Twitter ------------------- Transcript: Dan Seguin  00:06 This is think energy, the podcast that helps you better understand the fast changing world of energy through conversations with game changers, industry leaders, and influencers. So join me, Dan Segin, as I explore both traditional and unconventional facets of the energy industry.   Dan Seguin  00:28 Hey, everyone, welcome back. Did you know that we spend more than 80% of our time indoors, whether it's at home, work, school, shopping, or doing recreational activities. Currently, Canadian homes and buildings combined with the electricity generated to power them, releases 111 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere every year. To protect our environment and reduce the impact of climate change. The Government of Canada has committed to reducing Canada's total GHG emissions to 40 to 45, below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reaching net zero by 2050. The building sector is the third largest source of emissions in Canada.   Dan Seguin  01:27 As we look for ways to shape a more sustainable future Heat pumps are emerging as one of the climate solutions that can reduce energy costs, lower carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency. Now, I say they're emerging as a climate solution. But in fact, the concept of using heat pumps to transfer heat from one place to another has been around for centuries.   Dan Seguin  01:56 Since its early conception, heat pump technology continued to evolve throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Today, it is widely used for both heating and cooling buildings, as well as for various industrial and commercial applications. So here's today's big question. Are heat pumps the answer to reducing the carbon emissions of Canada's built environment? And are they being adopted at a pace necessary to achieve the 2030 and 2050 targets? Today my special guest is Shawn Carr. Shawn blends energy, sustainability, green building project management experience with business experience as a team leader, manager and developer. He is a strong advocate on climate action and serves on numerous committees with organizations such as Building Owners and Managers Association better known as BOMA, the Ontario Energy Association, and the electricity Distributors Association. He's also the manager of customer experience at Hydro Ottawa. Shawn, welcome to the show. Now, Shawn, this is pretty cool. I understand heat pump technology has been around since 1857. At a high level, what are heat pumps? And how do they work?   Shawn Carr  03:29 Well, you're absolutely right, Dan heat pumps have been around a long time. And they're actually a proven and reliable technology here in Canada and around the world. And they're capable of providing year round Comfort Control for your home by supplying heat in the winter, cooling in the summer, and in some cases heating hot water for your home as well. In fact, it's likely that most people have already interacted with this type of technology on a daily basis. For example, both refrigerators and air conditioners operate using the same principles and technology as heat pumps do. A heat pump is essentially just an electrical driven device that extracts heat from a low temperature place and delivers it to a high temperature place. So if you think of your home as a big refrigerator as energy is extracted from the air inside your home and transferred outside, it's going to cool the inside of your home. This is how pumps operate in essence In cooling mode. Similarly, if we were to talk about the heating mode, as heat is grabbed from outside from the air and moved inside your home the temperature is actually going to increase inside your home. And so essentially what that means is a heat pump is fully reversible. It can both heat and cool. And so in essence it has dual functionality. I think what makes heat pumps so different from other heating technologies such as gas furnaces and boilers is that those technologies provide space heating by adding heat to the air through a combustion process. So for example, combusting a fuel such as natural gas. And although their efficiencies have improved, they are still below 100%, meaning not all the available energy from combustion is used to treat the air, there are losses involved through incomplete combustion, and heat lost in the exhaust air. So, heat pumps work on a different principle, the electricity input into the heat pump is used to just transfer thermal energy between two locations, there is actually no combustion process at all. Heat pumps don't generate heat, they just redirect existing heat from one location to another. And so what that means is it allows them to operate much more efficiently. And so I thought it would be valuable just to explain kind of how efficiency is measured with a heat pump, it's actually expressed by something called the coefficient of performance, typically referred to as the COP . And what the COPis, is a ratio between the rate at which the heat pump actually transfers thermal energy, and the amount of electrical power it actually consumes. So, for example, if a heat pump used one unit of energy to transfer the heat equivalent of three units of energy, the COP would be three, and its efficiency would be 300%. So it actually delivers three times more energy than it consumes, in that example. Why does that matter? Well, knowing the COP of a heat pump allows you to judge how efficiently the unit is working. And so the higher the COP , the less electricity a heat pump consumes. So it's kind of like magic. And what I'll say is a COP of three or higher is actually pretty common with this new era of heat pumps, even in colder locations where there is less heat to transfer. And so it's also important to understand, though, as the outside air temperature drops, so does the COP. And so by point of comparison, if you were just using electric resistance heating, like baseboards, to heat your home, they actually have a COP of one. Okay, cool now, so why are heat pumps more popular than ever right now? Yeah, I mean, Heat pumps are certainly having a moment right now, in particular, this new era of heat pumps, and that's because they are a big lever for decarbonisation, and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Technology and heat pumps have advanced dramatically, making them more efficient and more affordable even in cold climates. So in Canada, heating our homes accounts for about 16% of the carbon emissions in our country. And space and water heating specifically represent about 85% of residential greenhouse gas emissions. So replacing fossil fuel heating systems with electric options will significantly decrease household emissions. We could just use more traditional forms of electric heat like baseboards and electric furnaces, but the pumps are far more efficient options of beneficial electrification. So if we want to drive deeper emissions cuts, and we want to do it cost effectively for Canadians, switching to a heat pump is one of the most impactful ways of reducing your home's emissions. Heat pumps are becoming a pillar in a home electrification strategy.   Dan Seguin  09:21 Now, Shawn, answer this for me. Why is running our home with more electricity and choosing a heat pump a climate friendly choice?   Shawn Carr  09:31 Thanks for that Dan. It's a good question. I mean, first of all, there are lots of different fuels or energy types that can power our homes we you know, we've we commonly use natural gas propane furnace oil and electricity to heat our homes and all of these energy types have different carbon footprints and some are much more environmentally friendly than others. So if we talk about Canada, we have, as a country, one of the cleanest power grids in the world, and our government has committed to having a netzero energy grid by 2035. So even in regions where there may still be a significant portion of electricity generation that relies on fossil fuels, that electricity generation will steadily get cleaner and cleaner while burning, non renewable natural gas or propane in your home for heat is always going to produce emissions. And so there have actually been reports on the different ways for Canada to get to net zero. And the modeling consistently shows that electrification of heating as a necessary part of the transition to net zero and Canada's building sector. And so heat pumps specifically are critical to Canada's energy transition. In fact, probably critical to the world's energy transition, the technology is proven, they use up to 70% less energy than conventional home heating technologies, and they will probably become the default means of heating both indoor spaces and hot water systems in the near future. The other thing I'll point out is that air conditioning demand is rising. And by providing both heating and cooling heat pumps can help people manage climate impacts in regions where people may not have air conditioning today, but are starting to face hotter, and more frequent summer heat waves. We witnessed that with what happened with the fires and in British Columbia, and those are in regions where people traditionally may have not had air conditioning.   Dan Seguin  11:47 Now, what is a cold climate heat pump? And is that what Canadians should purchase?   Shawn Carr  11:56 Yeah, I mean, it's a good question. And so advancements in air source heat pump technology now means that there are heat pump options that are, I would say, far better suited or adapted to operating in the cold Canadian climate. And those are referred to as cold climate heat pumps. What makes them different from a traditional air source heat pump is it's really just some of the equipment that's contained within the unit. So they use variable capacity compressors, inverters, improved heat exchanger designs and controls to maximize heating capacity at colder temperatures while maintaining high efficiencies during milder conditions. And so what that means is they can still redirect heat from outside to inside your home quite efficiently even in conditions down to minus 20 degrees Celsius or less. So to classify as a cold climate heat pump under the federal Canada greener homes grant, which we can talk more about later, heat pumps must have a coefficient of performance a COP of 1.8 or higher at minus 15 degrees Celsius. So that means that the heat pump must maintain an efficiency of at least 180% at minus 15 Celsius. And just again, as a reminder, the most efficient gas burning furnaces out there have an efficiency of like 96 or 97%.   Dan Seguin  13:37 Okay, I've got another follow up question here for you. Can cold climate heat pumps meet the heating demand on their own? Or are there circumstances where backup heat is required?   Shawn Carr  13:53 Yeah, so I guess the short answer is it depends. You know, whether or not you need a backup heat source for your heat pump is going to depend, you know, on a number of factors, you know, for example, the type of heat pump you purchase, the climate zone you live in, and the design and efficiency of of your home. So, in some parts of Canada that are milder, a heat pump might be all you need, but in other colder areas, you will most certainly need a backup system. And that's because, you know, as the temperature drops, heat pumps start to become less efficient at heating. And when the temperature gets to a certain point, you know, the unit will shut off altogether, or it'll work in tandem with your backup heat system. And that shut off point is going to depend on your unit, the unit that you chose, but typically, that shutoff point could be anywhere from minus 15 Celsius down to minus 25 Celsius or lower. So, you know, what I will also say is the heat pump system is not typically sized to deliver 100% of the peak heating load that your home is designed for, because that could lead to an oversize system that might cycle on and off. So it's really important, I would say that if you're considering a heat pump that you work with a mechanical contractor for selecting and specifying a heat pump, and a backup heat source that's going to be right for your home, you know, right for your budget and your needs. And there are many options for a backup heat system. Some heat pumps come with an integrated electric resistance heating system that functions as a backup system at very low temperature. So think of that as just like an electric resistance element like a hairdryer that's been installed inside your duck. However, there are also natural gas backup options such as traditional high efficiency furnaces that can be used as a backup source if your home happens to be centrally ducted. And these are often referred to as hybrid heating systems.   Dan Seguin  16:13 Now, Shawn, what are some factors to consider when deciding if a heat pump is the right choice for your home?   Shawn Carr  16:21 Yeah, I mean, I think like I mentioned a bit earlier, a heat pump is probably the biggest thing that a homeowner can do at home to help fight the climate crisis. On top of it, you know, if you were to do the math, and consider the upfront costs, the current incentives and the ongoing energy costs associated with operating that cold climate heat pump, you know, the choice to go with a heat pump, in most cases is going to be pretty clear. That said, picking the right heat pump for your home requires planning and requires a mechanical system contractor that can help you navigate the heat pump journey and kind of guide you through that process. And the reason I say that's important is because you know, there's a lot of different things that you need to consider in this decision. For example, do I want an air source heat pump or a ground source heat pump? You know, will it be ducted? Or a ductless? System? Can I get away with just getting a traditional air source heat pump? Or do I need a cold climate heat pump? What size of heat pump do I need? And should it be sized for the heating load or the cooling load in my home? What are the economics around purchasing and operating a heat pump in your area compared to another type of heating system? How long is it going to take to recover the added cost of a heat pump through energy cost savings? Is my jurisdiction planning to implement any restrictions on fossil fuel heating, you know? Will a heat pump even work in my home? You know, will there be any added disruption to actually install it kind of like buying a car? You know what, what brand of heat pump? Should I go with? You know what warranties are available? What maintenance is needed? So I think as you can see down, there's just you know, there's a lot to consider. And I think despite all of these considerations, my opinion is that a heat pump will almost always be the right technology choice for your home. But making the best overall choice requires advanced planning. And it really has more to do with finding a good contractor that can help you make an informed decision rather than a snap decision when something goes wrong with your current system. You know, this is a big purchase. And you're going to need to live with that decision for maybe 15 years or more. So it's important to get it right. And I would say that, you know, if you happen to be listening to this podcast, a podcast that already gives you a good start because you now know that a heat pump is another option.   Dan Seguin  19:12 How do you determine what size heat pump you need?   Dan Seguin  19:17 Well, Dan, I guess I guess in this case, I mean size does matter. I mean the size is one of the most important things to get right. You can't just walk into your basement, look at the size of your gas furnace, and assume you need an equivalent sized heat pump. It doesn't work that way. The general rules of thumb often used by the industry for sizing heating and cooling loads generally result in an oversized system which is more expensive to operate and harder to control for comfort. So this is why it's so important, in my opinion, just to work with an energy consultant or a mechanical systems contractor who understands heat pumps. And so natural resource Canada, for example, has actually developed a toolkit for Air Source Heat Pump sizing and selection. And it's to help the contractor community and the design community to determine optimal sizing needs for customers. And so the guide actually helps with defining the key Air Source Heat Pump requirements. So things like, you know, what configuration makes sense for my home ducted versus ductless? You know, what are the heating and cooling loads in my home? What are the target capacity requirements, and then what the tool does is it kind of matches up good heat pump candidates for your requirements. And the toolkit actually goes as far as providing guidelines that also help with, you know, defining the control strategy for your heat pump and the backup heating requirements. And so the federal and in fact, actually, the federal incentives that are available through the greeter homes initiative are also contingent on getting the heat distribution right. So the sizing is important. And Enercan is looking to verify that whoever worked on your project has looked at that through that lens.   Dan Seguin  21:19 Okay, something a little more technical here. Our air source and ground source heat pumps are the most common types for Canadians. And maybe you can talk to us about what are some of the differences?   Shawn Carr  21:34 Yeah, I would say that they're certainly the two most common types for Canadians. I mean, air source is by far the most common type for Canadians followed by ground source. Really, the main difference with a ground source heat pump is they actually use the ground as the source of heat in the winter, and as a reservoir to reject heat removed from the home in the summer. And so rather than the air being the heat transfer mechanism, it's actually the ground, the main advantage of ground source heat pumps is they are not subject to the extreme temperature fluctuations we get with air because the ground is a more constant temperature source throughout the year. And what that ends up ultimately doing is it actually can drive higher efficiencies. The downside to ground source heat pumps, typically is that they are more expensive to install, there's more labor involved, and they may also require landscape alterations, so they may not be suitable for for all property types, depending on whether you've got the space in the land to be able to accommodate the loops that need to get installed in the ground and so on. So, you know, that said they're, they're very efficient, which means greater energy savings and ground source, heat pumps tend to work well and in almost all climates because they're not impacted by big fluctuations in outdoor air temperature. Very interesting. Now, can heat pumps be combined with renewable energy sources like solar? For sure. I mean, absolutely. I, you know, combining a heat pump with a solar array that will, you know, reduce your electricity consumption and costs can further improve the business case over the lifecycle of the heat pump system compared to, you know, a fossil fuel energy system. And so, you know, if you're in a jurisdiction with clean electricity generation, combining that heat pump with a solar system, it will result in you not emitting any net operational greenhouse gasses. So yeah, I mean, pairing it up is, you know, is a great solution, if you can afford the capital to do it.   Dan Seguin  24:03 This is an important topic here. Now, what kind of incentives and rebates exist out there?   Shawn Carr  24:11 Yeah. Well, so this is becoming harder to keep up. But what I would say is, it really depends on where you live, as there are many different incentives, rebates, you know, grants and, and financing options that are offered by municipalities, provinces and utilities and and they vary across Canada as it relates to heat pumps. And so I'm just going to focus on our federal program because the federal government has created a national green energy program called the Canada greener homes initiative, and it actually provides grants from $125 to $5,000. For eligible home retrofits and up to six $100 towards the cost of a pre and post retrofit home energy audit, their program also offers up to $40,000 in interest free loans with a repayment term of 10 years to help you undertake home retrofits. And so with respect to heat pumps, specifically, rebates through this program range from $2,500 for ductless, air source heat pump system to $5,000 for a centrally ducted cold climate, air source, heat pump. So, you know, between the federal incentive and any additional provincial or regional incentives and the financing options that are available that are in this case, no no interest and spread over 10 years, it can make a lot of financial sense to invest in a heat pump, you know, depending on your circumstances. And so I'll also say for our local listeners here in Ottawa that the City of Ottawa is Better Homes program also offers low interest loans for home energy efficiency and carbon reducing retrofits including heat pumps.   Dan Seguin  26:13 Shawn, if memory serves me, right, you recently installed a cold climate heat pump in your home? Did you take advantage of any incentives? And did it make the project financially viable for you?   Shawn Carr  26:30 So yes, Dan, I did install a cold climate heat pump in November of last year 2022. And we did take advantage of the $5,000 federal incentive for the cold climate heat pump. In our case, there were two primary motivations for wanting a heat pump, our primary motivation was to reduce our households greenhouse gas emissions footprint, and I knew that electrifying most of our heating load using a heat pump would have the largest impact on our GHG footprint for the investment. The second motivator was the role of the federal incentive program and how that allowed us to plan the project so that I could get the system I wanted within a budget that we were comfortable with. And in our situation, what I'll say when you know, what I'll share with our listeners is like we elected to pay a bit more upfront, because we wanted a high efficiency cold climate heat pump that was backed by a good warranty, we also opted for electric backup heat rather than a high efficiency gas furnace. And I was able to do that. I had the advantage of my electrical service was able to accommodate that choice without any additional investment. And we went as far as to also investing in a more advanced control strategy, since I like data and I kind of you know, believe that they're kind of the proof is in the pudding with this stuff. And so yeah, so I'm paying close attention to you know, how much energy my heat pump compressors using the fan, the electric backup, heat, and so on. And so you know, I'll have more information to obviously share as we go through a few more heating and cooling seasons. But what I'll say is, so for our case, after applying for the federal incentive of $5,000, after we applied that to the total project cost, and actually comparing the final system costs to what it would have costed to just install another high efficiency gas furnace and a traditional air conditioning system, it only cost me about $3,000 more to get what I wanted. So I have been paying attention to my energy use over the last few months. And I would say that my energy costs are comparable to what they were before. In fact, they've actually gone down a little bit. But I've also elected to maintain my gas connection to my home, right because we have two gas fireplaces that I did not know we've elected to keep for now. And in our project case, like we, I've already noticed that my household GHG emissions have gone down by about 75%. And you know, we were able to finance the entire project over 10 years with a zero interest loan. So we're pretty happy with our decision. And what I'll say is that we've actually noticed some other intangible benefits, you know, our home is more comfortable, I would say than it was before we no longer have to worry about setting the temperature back at night and then having it ramp up before we get up. Our heat pump is designed to run at lower temperatures at lower speeds for much longer run times and they can ramp up to meet the demand in your home as it's required. So they're really kind of designed to run sort of low and slow. And for us what that meant is, you know less cold spots in different parts of our home. Warm it's kind of a constant temperature throughout. And we really noticed that difference. Also, since I completed my heat pump project, I will say that they've since announced enhanced incentives for heat pumps through our gas company. And so between the gas company and the federal program, there's actually up to $6,500 Available now. So, you know, I mean, being an early adopter cost me a bit more, but I hope others will follow.   Dan Seguin  30:29 Okay, what kind of energy savings, utility cost savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions could be expected from the installation of a cold climate Air Source Heat Pump?   Shawn Carr  30:45 Yeah, you're probably getting tired of me saying this. But I guess again, it depends on a lot of different factors, some of which I touched on earlier. So you know, things like how old your home is, how well insulated it is, how airtight it is, you know, what type of cold climate heat pump you have, what climate zone you live in. That said, though, like getting back to, do you know, your question about what kind of energy savings and cost savings and emission reductions can you expect? What I will say is, last year natural resources Canada published a really good report that specifically assessed the cost effectiveness, energy savings in greenhouse gas emission reductions in a variety of different types of homes in different locations in Canada. And so the report, you know, sort of seeked out to answer the question that you put forward. And so what I'll do is I'll just share some of the high level findings from that report. So first of all, the report found that cold climate heat pumps generate less greenhouse gas emissions and are cheaper to operate than oil furnaces, or electric resistance heating in all parts of Canada across the board period. For the majority of Canadians, cold climate Heat pumps are going to generate less GHG emissions than gas furnaces, but it does depend on how clean the source of electricity is in your province. So that's an important consideration. But the trend is moving towards our grid getting cleaner in areas where they aren't currently clean. So I think at some point, we're going to reach a point where that statement is going to hold true right across, you know, right across Canada. The report also indicated that if you're in an all electric service scenario, meaning you're disconnected from the gas utility altogether, the results show that a cold climate heat pump system is cheaper to operate than a gas furnace in most regions of Canada. If you're like me, in a split Gas Electric scenario, meaning you've maintained the gas connection in the home for whatever reason, you know, you're you're like having a gas stove, or you're like having a gas barbecue, or you have a gas fireplace, the results showed that a cold climate heat pump system is cheaper to operate in some areas in some jurisdictions, but in other areas, overall utility costs actually increased marginally like roughly 100 to $500 a year. And I think that was the situation in provinces like Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and some colder regions in BC. So that's what the report found. It also highlighted that for a gas hybrid configuration, so people who opt to go for a cold climate heat pump with a gas backup furnace, that that option may be more attractive to homeowners who opt for that split gas electrical service due to the associated savings. And so all that to be said, the report lays out the expected savings from different scenarios. So I would encourage, you know, listeners to have a look if they want to understand kind of you know what the findings are in their jurisdiction for their particular use case.   Dan Seguin  33:57 Shawn, having just gone through the process, what are some of the other things people should know? If they want to consider a cold climate heat pump?   Shawn Carr  34:09 Yeah, well, I can't emphasize enough to plan early. You know, we started planning our own project at home a year in advance. And so in our case, to start the process, we had an energy audit done, which helped validate where our biggest carbon and energy impacts were and what measures we could implement to address those impacts. And the number one recommendation in the audit report we received was to consider a cold climate heat pump we did we then did some research on the incentive program requirements to understand the process for receiving the incentive and I actually got some help from one of our internal energy consultants and you know, they they have experience with heat pumps on the commercial side and they helped me model the performance of some different units and helped me with my backup heat strategy. They validated equipment sizing, you know, looked at my utility bills and really and then modeled that energy and carbon reduction savings over time based on changing energy rates. And so once we went through that process, we engaged a local contractor that had heat pump experience. And what I'll say is applying for the incentive itself is pretty straightforward. But there's a lot of demand for the program. So the process can actually take some time. The other thing I'll mention is you will also have to pay for all the project costs upfront, even if the incentives and loans are approved, so the cash isn't going to start flowing from the program until after the work is actually completed. The other piece of advice I'll provide is, don't wait until your furnace or air conditioner breaks down to think about a heat pump. You know, we had a perfectly functioning gas furnace and air conditioner that was about three quarters through its statistical life expectancy. When we started planning this project, the majority of people make H fac investment decisions at a time in crisis, such as in February, when you need heat, or in July, when you need air conditioning. And in those scenarios, you're going to be locked in to whatever system is available for another 15 years that won't deliver the benefits that a heat pump would. So I think those are just some of the things that you know, I would advise people to take into consideration.   Dan Seguin  36:29 Thanks, Shawn. Okay, let's move on. What is Canada's rate of adoption for heat pumps compared to other countries? And what would you say are the biggest barriers to adoption right now?   Shawn Carr  36:44 Yeah, good question. I mean, I've read some different statistics on adoption rates in Canada, but just ballpark what I'd say is, you know, what I've read is that there's about 750,000 air source heat pumps installed in Canada today. And by contrast, there are over 5 million homes currently heated by natural gas. And by 2030, we need more than 10% of home heating in Canada to come from heat pumps, just more than double the current levels in order to align with Canada's climate targets. And some jurisdictions will say that the percentages need to be even higher than that. I also recently read that in the US last year, annual heat pump sales rose above 4 million units for the first time, outpacing sales of gas powered furnaces. So policy incentives have certainly bolstered heat pump adoption in the US. And I think it's safe to say that the heat pump curve will take off even further. But we do need adoption to accelerate at a much faster pace if we want to meet our climate targets. To address the second part of your question, you know, barriers to adoption, I think it's a combination of things. There are barriers both on the demand side and on the supply side. So on the demand side, more education, I think, is needed. These new generation of heat pumps are far better than the versions of the past, not just in terms of efficiency, but in terms of the comfort they provide as well. I think more customer awareness is needed around the benefits of heat pumps. But the customer experience associated with adopting a heat pump can also be pretty messy. And so I think that's something that needs to be improved. And so for example, if you go to a contractor to ask about heat pumps, some don't know about heat pumps, or some don't want to sell them. And so that can result in a poor customer experience. In addition, often this engagement, as I said earlier, is done at a time of crisis, when something is broken, you need to make a quick impulsive decision. And so if a gas furnace or an air conditioner is all that's available in the shop, because that's what the supply chain and manufacturers are focused on, that's likely the only option you're going to have in that emergency situation. And so I think the thing that's frustrating about that is heat pumps are not that different from air conditioners, they have a few extra parts that make them a bit more expensive. So manufacturers are not prioritizing key pumps just yet. So they don't tend to be readily available. So you know, again, in an emergency repair situation, that's not the best time to make a logical long term decision that might lock you into 50 more years of higher carbon emissions. And so I talked earlier about the importance of sizing and selecting equipment properly and the inputs that contribute to that. I think that changes the sales and adoption cycle especially if you have to plan for pre and post home energy audits in order to be eligible for these rebates. So the price process is different. And it's important that it's well understood and that that the planning happened well in advance so that you can make the right choices along that journey without the recent availability of grants and, you know, low interest loans and tax rebates, heat pumps, in particular cold climate heat pumps, I'd say have been cost prohibitive for for most, but I think that's, that's starting to change now, with the new incentive programs that will make it easier for consumers to make the right sustainable long term decision. I think, you know, one of the other things is I also think we need to expand the workforce and build more capacity for trained installers, you know, while expanding manufacturing, which is all going to eventually further drive down the costs of heat pumps, we need to get to a point where every air conditioner that's being replaced is just automatically being substituted by a heat pump. Instead, I think that that would be the desired future, there are still manufacturing constraints and supply chain vulnerabilities. And in my case, I had to wait six months for my heat pump. And that happened to be during the pandemic when supply chains were even more constrained. But you know, whether it's six weeks or six months, that's not feasible in terms of the customer journey, when taking into consideration this technology. So I think that these are all barriers I don't have. There isn't a magic bullet. I think they all just need to be addressed simultaneously.   Dan Seguin  41:29 Now, I'm hoping you can add a bit of color here, Shawn, what would you say are some of the solutions to help overcome market constraints and accelerate adoption rates?   Shawn Carr  41:42 Yeah, good. Good question. And I think technology is always going to be an enabler, continuing to improve heat pump efficiency, and unlocking the supply chain will drive down the cost for that increased efficiency. And I think you know, that's going to be particularly important at cold temperatures, because higher efficiency at cold temperatures might mean that there is less of a need for backup heat options, or it might make those backup heat options more cost effective. And so for example, increasing the efficiency might mean not requiring as much electrical backup heat, which could alleviate having to upgrade an electrical service. Right. So that helps homeowners on the cost side, but it also helps utilities and grid planning and so on. As we add more load to the system. I think leveraging data and analytics, I think there's some opportunities there as well. If utilities can get better at predicting who will and who will not need a service upgrade. It could help with system planning. If you knew that ahead of time, we could save customers time, cost and hassle potentially, I talked earlier about just building and adopting the workforce. So thinking about how we incent H fac professionals to get additional training and educate homeowners on the benefits of heat pumps during routine service calls and make it more desirable to sell heat pumps than conventional air conditioners, we could never have enough customers. You know education. I think education drives demand and demand helps unlock supply chains. So if demand increases, or if manufacturers make heat pumps, the first option instead of an air conditioner may go a long way to help the manufacturer contractor model. And ultimately, consumers won't have to navigate all this complexity. So we have to make this an easy decision and a good customer experience for consumers. And one of the other ways to do that is to keep up with the incentives, the grants, the tax rebates, the long term low interest, no interest financing so that heat pumps just become the obvious choice and uptake continues to accelerate.   Dan Seguin  44:09 Okay. Now, what are the implications of the mass adoption of heat pumps on the electricity system?   Shawn Carr  44:18 Okay. Interesting. Well, what I'll say is that there are certainly implications particularly for heating today, we predominantly use fossil fuels, mainly natural gas to heat our homes. And so when heat pumps are installed to replace fossil fuel heat, those Heat pumps are going to increase the electricity demand in the heating season. Exactly how much demand really depends on how efficient each home is at retaining heat and the backup heat option. people happen to choose gas versus electric for example, if everyone went with electric backup heat, and we had a long, extremely cold spell a lot more peak load would be added to the system over that extreme cold period if everyone had electric backup heat. And so you know from a utility perspective, I think the approach we are taking here at hydro Ottawa is to investigate and model the implications of all types of beneficial electrification on the electricity system. So heat pumps and electric vehicles, for example, for different degrees of adoption so that we have a better understanding of the implications on grid infrastructure planning and the overall utilization of our grid. There are many factors that are going to determine what Hydro Ottawa will need to do to ensure its distribution system continues to be able to enable heat pumps for customers, such as understanding how customers use them, you know, planning our system to incorporate them and integrating other technologies like distributed energy resources and other non wire alternatives as solutions to any grid challenges.   Dan Seguin  46:10 What's the concern about heat pumps increasing demand during peak times? Are utilities preparing for this?   Shawn Carr  46:21 Yeah, so today's grid infrastructure planning is largely determined based on peak demand, you know, which currently occurs in the hottest periods of the summer months in most locations. That said, a heat pump draws a similar load to an air conditioner when it's operating in the cooling mode. So you know, if you were to replace your air conditioner with a heat pump, that's going to have a similar impact with respect to electricity use during the cooling season, like in the hot summer. On the cooling side, though, as I mentioned earlier, we're also seeing demand for air conditioning rise with more heat emergencies and extreme heat events due to climate change. So that's going to increase demand as people start installing air conditioning, or heat pumps where mechanical cooling didn't exist before in those homes. On the heating side, however, electrifying more of our heat with heat pumps might mean we could be moving towards more winter peaks in the future, as opposed to, you know, summer being a summer peaking province here in Ontario like we are today. The big question is, how much electrification? How quick. And what's it going to cost at this scale and marginal grid expansion is predictable. But when you're talking at the macro level, it's much more difficult, which is why we are planning for these different scenarios.   Dan Seguin  47:59 Now, Shawn, is it fair to say that heat pumps can contribute significantly to the electrification movement and Canada's net zero by 2050 goals?   Shawn Carr  48:12 If so, how? Dan without question, electrifying our heating and cooling systems with heat pumps, as I said earlier, are the most impactful way to reduce emissions in our homes space and water heating represents about 85% of residential GHG emissions. A heat pump for space heating alone can reduce your emissions by about 65%. And if you add a water heater in your home, you might then be 85% of the way there. So if we want to drive deeper emissions cuts as a country, a widespread switch to heat pumps could make a big difference. If uptake accelerates fast enough, this is going to require a team effort. We need stakeholders working together, not getting in the way, you know, governments, utilities, educational institutions, the workforce supply chains, manufacturers, contractors, we all need to work together to ensure that heat pumps are readily available, accessible and affordable for all Canadian households so that this becomes the default heating and cooling technology of choice in new and existing homes. So why not be proactive? Think ahead, take advantage of available incentives and consider upgrading to a GHG friendly heating technology.   Dan Seguin  49:40 Okay, now, Shawn, we always end our interviews with some rapid fire questions. Sir. Are you ready?   Shawn Carr  49:51 I'm ready, Dan.   Dan Seguin  49:52 Shawn, what are you reading right now?   Shawn Carr  49:56 I'm actually not reading a novel right now. I'm just listening to a lot of Podcasts on the energy transition Dan.   Dan Seguin  50:03 Now, what would you name your boat? If you had one? Maybe you do. Maybe you don't.   Shawn Carr  50:08 I would name my electric boat, One Planet, because we only got one planet. But sometimes we forget about that.   Dan Seguin  50:16 What is the closest thing to real magic that you've witnessed?   Shawn Carr  50:21 Well, geez, I mean it since Heat pumps are top of mind right now, I would say that this technology is pretty magical.   Dan Seguin  50:28 Okay, let's move on here. What has been the biggest challenge to you personally, since the pandemic began?   Shawn Carr  50:36 Wow, I probably would just say the social isolation we all had to experience and you know, just seeing the impact that that had on my two teenagers who were going through high school during the pandemic, which is such an important time in their development. I think that was something that was tough on them and tough on me as a parent.   Dan Seguin  51:00 Okay, a little fun here. We've all been watching a little more Netflix and TV lately. What's your favorite movie or show?   Shawn Carr  51:10 There's been so many good TV shows lately, you know, YellowStone, House of Dragons, the Bear, White Lotus. And Your Honor, we're all great. But if I had to pick one show as the best of all time for me, it would be Seinfeld.   Dan Seguin  51:26 Lastly, Shawn, what is exciting you about our industry right now?   Shawn Carr  51:32 Well, I'd have to say it's the energy transition and everything that is happening to electrify our economy. It's complex, challenging, and a very exciting time to be at a utility. But this is really important that we get this right.   Dan Seguin  51:48 Well, Shawn, this is it. We've reached the end of another episode of The think energy podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. Now if our listeners want to learn more about you, how can they connect? Well, the best way to get me is probably by email ShawnCarr@HydroOttawa.com.   52:09 Again, thank you so much for joining me today. Hope you had a lot of fun. I did, Dan. Thanks for having me on the show. Thanks for tuning in for another episode of The Think Energy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you're listening. And to find out more about today's guests or previous episodes, visit thinkenergypodcast.com I hope you will join us again next time as we spark even more conversations about the energy of tomorrow.  

GUEST: Lisa Baroldi, President and CEO of the Building Owners and Managers Association

In today's Share Your Light episode, we are excited to welcome Lori and Lisa of the Inner Vision Healing and Wellness Center. Lisa is currently the Vice President of the Ontario Medical Group of Managers Association and a member of the Canadian Reiki Association. She is a Reiki master, quantum energy healer, medical intuitive and medium. […]

In this week's episode, F&C reporter Brian Johnson talks to longtime St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Association president Joe Spartz, who will soon retire from his leadership role at the organization to pursue new adventures. During his nine-year run as president, Spartz oversaw a downtown security study, and helped building owners and managers navigate the choppy waters of the pandemic.

The sheer scale on which the beautiful game makes its social impact is almost incomprehensible, and coordinating football managers to help make this impact is the impressive job of the LMA's CEO, Richard Bevan.With 11 successful years as chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, it's no surprise that monumental names like Sir Alex Ferguson played a part in encouraging Richard to take up his current, prolific tenure.In this week's fascinating episode of Extrology, we touch on coaching being the ‘Golden Thread' that applies to sport & business, the instinctive leadership behind some of the LMA's hugely influential campaigns around dementia & suicide, and Richard's impressive array of sporting experiences in football, cricket, golf and rallying.Lee and Richard discuss:Coaching being the ‘Golden Thread' in sport and business alikeSport's unique ability to mobilise quickly for charitable causesThe value of instinct inherent to a football manager which translates to any leadershipInfluential lessons from sporting giants like Sir Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Guus Hiddink and Nassar HusseinExtrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/Links & references at: https://www.extrology.com/

We're still reeling from our first in-person conference post COVID. It was great to spend time among so many great and like-minded people at the Vacation Rental Managers Association International Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Listen for a rundown of our time there, from tips on how to get what you want out of people more effectively to how to handle negative reviews. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: https://thanksforvisiting.me/ (thanksforvisiting.me) Resources: https://www.rentresponsibly.org (Rent Responsibly) https://www.breezeway.io (Breezeway) https://hostgpo.com (HostGPO) Visit https://www.thanksforvisiting.me/workshop (thanksforvisiting.me/workshop) to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop! #STRShareSunday: @mountainlakebungalow Thanks for Visiting is a production of http://crate.media (Crate Media)

In the wake of the Champlain Towers South condominium building collapse, insurance companies are looking to tighten their underwriting requirements on Florida condo association policies.  Policy renewal premiums are expected to increase up to 25% for those that can't show a good building maintenance record.  While the commercial residential market tightens, Florida's homeowners insurance market is going through an upheaval of its own.  One insurance litigation reform measure passed into law is now coming into play in court: presuit settlements.Former Florida Deputy Insurance Commissioner Lisa Miller talks with two professionals on the underwriting and legal side for their insight on market changes afoot and advice for insurance companies trying to navigate the changes.Show NotesThis Florida Insurance Roundup podcast covered two topics that have one thing in common: how to clamp down on rising premiums, rising costs, and excessive litigation expense.  Condominium Association Underwriting:Florida's commercial residential insurance companies are actively looking at how to avoid insuring another condominium building collapse or similar major catastrophe.  The Champlain Towers South collapse in June killed 98 residents in Surfside, Florida.  At least five other high-rise buildings in Miami-Dade County have since been partially or fully evacuated for being deemed unsafe.  Brian Squire, Managing Executive Senior Vice President at Hays Companies, a national insurance consulting agency, said there's a systemic issue at play with how condo buildings are maintained and how their associations are governed.  “You have a board of directors that make decisions on behalf of the association, but then the condominium association's governing documents allow its members to veto the board's decision.  These decisions made regarding the maintenance of these associations, on a lot of cases, are based on cost first, then life safety.  This mindset needs to change,” he said, noting there have been multiple associations who've had decisions levied against them recently.In the wake of the disaster, Surfside officials are moving up building recertifications for occupancy from every 40 years to every 30 years and requiring sign-off by both a structural engineer and a geotechnical engineer checking the foundation and subsurface soils.  But Squire insists the age of the building shouldn't be the sole factor.  “I've seen newly constructed buildings have issues similar to a Champlain Towers.  So we really need to wipe away the mindset that this is only needs to be applied to a 40 year building,” said Squire, who has been in the insurance business for 21 years and is based in the condominium-popular Destin, Florida.In his recent conversations with many insurance companies, Squire said there's many potential new underwriting requirements now under consideration.  They include:  More detailed on-site inspections of buildings annually; Requiring board of directors of buildings to sign affidavits, confirming there are no outstanding maintenance issues; Review of past board minutes; and  Review of condo association financial statements Among the solutions he suggested, is requiring engineering studies of all existing condominium buildings, pre-qualification of underwriting through insurance carriers, and possibly legislative changes.   Squire said associations should be proactive prior to policy renewal, too.  “What's going to make it look better is replacing or maintaining a roof and making sure that you have impact windows.  Those are really the two items that can easily be addressed,” he advised.Host Lisa Miller noted that the Building Officials Association of Florida recently held a summit to address structural safety issues and potential changes with other groups.  They included the International Code Council, the National Institute of Building Sciences, the Building Owners and Managers Association, and the Florida Bar's Condominium Law and Life Advisory Task Force.  Proposed legislation is being drafted as well for the Florida Legislature to consider in its January 2022 session.Presuit Settlements:The new presuit settlement law is part of SB 76, Florida's broader new property insurance reform law that took effect in June.  It requires that insurance companies receive a ten-day notice and demand before a lawsuit is filed by first-parties, such as homeowners or commercial building owners.  And it establishes how carriers need to respond.  Michael Monteverde, an insurance defense attorney with the Zinober Diana & Monteverde law firm, said the purpose was to allow insurance companies to resolve conflicts and reduce Florida's “out-of-control litigation.”  But he said some of the intended benefits haven't played out yet, including whether plaintiff attorney fees, a driver in expensive litigation, will ultimately be reduced.With the elimination of Florida's one-way attorney fee statute that encouraged inflated claims, the new law “creates more of a chess game, to try to get everybody to a place where there is a reasonable number,” said Monteverde, who manages the firm's Fort Lauderdale office.  “Because of the way that the fee provision kind of shifts under the new statute and SB 76, what the insurance carriers can do is they can set up the offers in response to the demands in a way that really kind of dares the plaintiff attorneys to reject the offer, because now we are setting up a situation where the fees are either limited or completely done away with and each party to bear its own fees and costs depending on what you are ultimately able to recover in the lawsuit.”He said the new law also takes away from the incentive for a plaintiff attorney to overly demand.  “So if you have a $70,000 case, there's no reason to come in and demand $600,000 to try to move the needle, because you may just be shooting yourself in the foot based on the way that the insurance carrier ultimately responds to that presuit demand,” said Monteverde, who appeared in a June podcast on how SB 76 works.Monteverde added that it seems most of the policyholder attorneys are trying to comply with the presuit notice requirement “and some of the results have been somewhat encouraging,” but there's confusion whether the law applies to actions filed after the effective date of the law (June 11, 2021) or the policy date.Monteverde also weighed-in on the condominium association underwriting issue, noting past catastrophes, such as hurricanes, have revealed that some associations are not keeping statutorily-required reserves for basic functions.  “If I were advising a carrier, I would say look at your underwriting processes, make sure that people are properly reserving, and make sure that the maintenance funds are going where they're supposed to be because they're turning the insurance policies in some instances into maintenance contracts.  And that's not what they are,” he said.“'Maintenance first' sounds like the theme of this podcast for those that are in the commercial residential space,” concluded host Miller.  “Having impact windows, making sure your roof is intact, and of course, consulting with your insurance professional.” Links and Resources Mentioned in this EpisodeBuilding Officials Association of FloridaSurfside's Ripple Effect (LMA Newsletter of July 12, 2021)Legislature to Review Condo Inspection Rules (LMA Newsletter of July 26, 2021)Insurance Impacts of the Surfside Collapse (LMA Newsletter of July 26, 2021)Who Will Insure Florida's High-Rise Condos? (LMA Newsletter of August 9, 2021)Hays CompaniesFlorida Senate bill SB 76 (the presuit settlement section is in lines 1138-1173)DFS Property Insurance Intent to Initiate Litigation portal Zinober Diana & Monteverde law firm Florida Legislature 2021 Bill Watch summary (Lisa Miller & Associates)Florida one-way attorney fee statuteProperty Insurance Reform (The Florida Insurance Roundup podcast, May 23, 2021)Assignment of Benefits & Insurance Litigation Webpage (Lisa Miller & Associates)** The Listener Call-In Line for your recorded questions and comments to air in future episodes is 850-388-8002 or you may send email to LisaMiller@LisaMillerAssociates.com **The Florida Insurance Roundup from Lisa Miller & Associates, brings you the latest developments in Property & Casualty, Healthcare, Workers' Compensation, and Surplus Lines insurance from around the Sunshine State.  Based in the state capital of Tallahassee, Lisa Miller & Associates provides its clients with focused, intelligent, and cost conscious solutions to their business development, government consulting, and public relations needs.  On the web at www.LisaMillerAssociates.com or call 850-222-1041.  Your questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome!  Date of Recording 8/25/2021. Email via info@LisaMillerAssociates.com   Composer: www.TeleDirections.com  © Copyright 2017-2021 Lisa Miller & Associates, All Rights Reserved

Gabriel Eckert, CAE, director of the Building Owners and Managers Association, and author of "From Insight to Action," discusses the "six emerging competencies" that help you lead and sustain a positive and dynamic organizational culture.

Following his league triumph with Manchester City as well as his Champions League final, Pep Guardiola has been announced as the League Managers Associations Manager of the Year.

Stephen Shepard, CAE, of the Building Owners and Managers Association discusses building and maintaining a personal brand.

Ruben is a 17 year veteran of the commercial real estate industry currently working for the largest owner/developer in Orange County. He is a member of the Building Owner's & Managers Association of Orange County including its Governmental Affairs and Political Action Committee Board. 10 years ago, Ruben and his wife Wendy welcomed the birth of their beautiful daughter with Down syndrome, Kaelyn, and since then he has further dedicated his life to advocacy at both the local and national level. Ruben has been on the Board for the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County for the past 9 years and has been the Executive Board President for the past 3 years, he is an Athlete Ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society, and oversees Down Syndrome United, a personal grassroots project through LinkedIn which helps advise and coach Down syndrome associations and nonprofit leadership. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beyondthewaves/support

Today, Mei Xi talks to Marin Crowe, CEO of the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA). The two discuss how, since last March, FNHMA has hosted a national town-hall series on COVID-19 information from a First Nations perspective.

On December 15, we gathered online, for our first Beyond the Skyline Festival, a live event where listeners could connect with business leaders, commercial real estate professionals and other experts to discuss the tumultuous legislative session and ramifications of the bonding bill, and take a look at what lay ahead in the Twin Cities commercial real estate market in the midst of pandemic and economic slowdown. In this episode, part one of two, listen to our discussion about commercial real estate in 2020, and a look ahead at some of the trends that will carry into 2021. Our Panelists: Lisa Christianson, Christianson & Co Brent Erickson, Newmark Knight Frank Joe Spartz, President, St. Paul Building Owners & Managers Association

If you are familiar at all with the life insurance business you know the name Solomon Hicks. He is an internationally sought-after speaker, career coach, and consultant. With 50 years in the business, Sol is showing no signs of slowing down as he continues to add exciting and inspiring chapters to his already remarkable life. Most recently he launched Hicks Global Enterprises, Inc. and added “Author” to his resume. For more than three and a half decades, Sol Hicks was an agent with Prudential Financial. He is one of only two agents in Prudential's 130-plus-year history to have won the President's Trophy Award—that company's highest honor, given to its number one agent—a staggering seven times. (To put that deed into perspective, it should be noted that it took more than 25 years for the other seven-time trophy winner to accomplish this feat, while Sol's effort took him just 10 years.) He has received the President's Citation Award 21 times. In addition to that, Sol Hicks is a life and qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table for 32 years (MDRT), a 23-time COT qualifier, and a 20-time TOT qualifier. He was the General Agents and Managers Association's Agent of the Year in 1998, 1997, 1996, and 1995. Sol Hicks is the author of three books. “Wise Guys Finish First,” is an autobiographical portrait of overcoming incredible obstacles to get to the top. In “The Secret Life of a #1 Salesman,” Sol shares the mindset, values and daily disciplines that led him to his great success and Making Disciples where he will show you how to move up and stand out in a world where the power to move products is increasingly dependent on your ability to move people. Sol has been married to his wife Carol for 55 years. He proposed to her the day he met her. She turned him down that day and every day for 84 days after that. She finally accepted on the 86th day and they were wed just four days later. “I consider Carol my first successful sale, and the toughest one. I'm not intimidated by a ‘no.'” Believing that success is not only attainable but transferable, Sol spends much of his time mentoring more than 150 agents worldwide, including his daughter, Cynthia who joined him in the business 3time MDRT qualifiers 1 COT qualifier and 1 TOT qualifier.

Dr. Morfeld invites the Elephant Managers Association (EMA) to talk about what they do for elephants and how you can get involved. This conversation with Adam Felts, Tripp Gorman, and Mike McClure talks about the EMA journey, challenges and successes.  Learn what is on their wish list-it's pretty cool and would be really helpful for elephant conservation efforts.  Track us down on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Please rate and review the podcast on whatever platform you are listening on. It helps other people find the show and in turn helps our organization! Thank you!  A Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a digital media and commercial video production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network and learn more about our other services today on HurrdatMedia.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eviction court cases can resume in Maine on August 3. A recent U.S. Census survey found 9% of Maine residents (29,000 people) could not pay rent in June, and 14% of renters (43,000) expressed concern about being able to pay their July rent. To try to stave off a major eviction crisis, Governor Mills has announced that Maine will be supplementing Maine's rental assistance program with an additional $5 million in order to double monthly payments. We will hear from two Maine Public Housing Authorities about the scope of the problem, what kind of impact the $5 million will make and where people can turn for help. We’ll also hear from a landlord and tenants’ organizations, and learn about the challenges of providing more affordable housing. Mike Myatt, executive director, Bangor Housing Authority Cheryl Session, executive director, Portland Housing Authority Dana Totman , president & CEO, Avesta Housing Buster Leen , president, Greater Bangor Apartment Owners and Managers Association

Eviction court cases can resume in Maine on August 3. A recent U.S. Census survey found 9% of Maine residents (29,000 people) could not pay rent in June, and 14% of renters (43,000) expressed concern about being able to pay their July rent. To try to stave off a major eviction crisis, Governor Mills has announced that Maine will be supplementing Maine's rental assistance program with an additional $5 million in order to double monthly payments. We will hear from two Maine Public Housing Authorities about the scope of the problem, what kind of impact the $5 million will make and where people can turn for help. We’ll also hear from a landlord and tenants’ organizations, and learn about the challenges of providing more affordable housing. Mike Myatt, executive director, Bangor Housing Authority Cheryl Session, executive director, Portland Housing Authority Dana Totman , president & CEO, Avesta Housing Buster Leen , president, Greater Bangor Apartment Owners and Managers Association

Gavin Robinson is the Professional Development Manager at the Golf Club Managers Association in the UK. We chat about the impact of COVID-19 on clubs in the UK, the GCMA and much more.  Learn more at: https://www.gcma.org.uk/

Building Owners and Managers Association Executive Vice President Michael Cornicelli joins John Williams to give an overview of damage by protesters and looters during the weekend’s demonstrations. And he talks about the impact it’s had on travel to downtown establishments.

Building Owners and Managers Association Executive Vice President Michael Cornicelli joins John Williams to give an overview of damage by protesters and looters during the weekend’s demonstrations. And he talks about the impact it’s had on travel to downtown establishments.

When Congress (finally) returned from their COVIDcation, experts in medicine, vaccine development, law, and business testified under oath. In this episode, hear the highlights from 17 hours of that expert testimony during which you'll learn about a concerning new vaccine development policy, Mitch McConnell's dangerous demands for the next COVID-19 response law, and how Republicans and Democrats failed for the last two decades to secure the nation's medical mask supply.  Thank you to all Congressional Dish producers who make the independence of this podcast possible. Enjoy your show!  Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Articles/Documents Article: Scientists Worldwide Are Questioning A Massive Study That Raised Concerns About The Malaria Drug Hyped As A COVID-19 Treatment By Stephanie M. Lee, Buzz Feed News, May 30, 2020 Article: CORPORATE IMMUNITY, MITCH MCCONNELL’S PRIORITY FOR CORONAVIRUS RELIEF, IS A LONGTIME FOCUS OF THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT By Akela Lacy, The Intercept, May 26, 2020 Press Release: Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed Accelerates AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine to be Available Beginning in October, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 21, 2020 Article: Social Distancing Is Not Enough By Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, May 22, 2020 Article: Federal agency finds 'reasonable grounds to believe' Rick Bright's whistleblower claims: NYT By Eric Sagonowsky, Fierce Pharma, May 8, 2020 Article: McConnell’s coronavirus business liability pledge sparks lobbying frenzy By Jennifer Haberkorn, Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2020 Article: FDA cautions against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, April 24, 2020 Article: As workers face virus risks, employers seek liability limits By Emily Kopp, Roll Call, April 17, 2020 Article: Hydroxychloroquine: how an unproven drug became Trump’s coronavirus 'miracle cure' By Julia Carrie Wong, The Guardian, April 17, 2020 Article: Sunlight exposure increased Covid-19 recovery rates: A study in the central pandemic area of Indonesia By Al Asyary and Merita Veruswati, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 10 April 2020 Resources Tweet @JenBriney, Jennifer Briney, Twitter, May 27, 2020 Sound Clip Sources News Alert: Trump says he's taking hydroxychloroquine despite FDA warnings, Axios, Fox News, May 18, 2020 Interview: McConnell says next stimulus must have coronavirus liability protections, By Noah Manskar, The New York Post, Fox News, May 15, 2020 Hearing: Protecting Scientific Integrity in the COVID-19 Response, United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, May 14, 2020 Watch on Youtube Watch on CSPAN Witnesses: Dr. Richard Bright - Former Director of BARDA, current Senior Advisor at the National Institutes of Health Mike Bowen - Executive Vice President of Prestige Ameritech Transcript: 51:40 Rep. Ana Eshoo (CA): Was there a failure to respond with the needed urgency when you correctly pushed to ramp up production of masks, respirators, syringes, swabs. Dr. Rick Bright: Congresswoman, we've known for quite some time that our stockpile is insufficient and having those critical personal protective equipment. So once this virus began spreading and became known to be a threat, I did feel quite concerned that we didn't have those supplies. I began pushing urgently in January along with some industry colleagues as well. And those urges, those alarms were not responded to with action. 52:15 Rep. Ana Eshoo (CA): Was there a failure to take immediate action when you correctly push to acquire additional doses of the drug Remdesivir, which is the only drug so far that has appeared to be at least mildly effective, thank God, for treating people with COVID-19? Dr. Rick Bright: There was no action taken on the urgency to come up with a plan per acquisition of limited doses that Remdesivir nor to distribute those limited doses of Remdesivir once we had the scientific data to support their use for people infected with this virus. 1:04:00 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): My concern is, I'm very critical administration in terms of their I call it incompetence, with the supply chain, with lack of testing. I'm afraid the same thing is going to happen with vaccines and once it's in the distribution. I mean, should I be concerned based on your experience? Dr. Rick Bright: Absolutely, sir. We're already seeing those challenges with limited doses of Remdesivir with data that we're getting that Remdesivir has some benefit in people. And we have limited doses and we haven't scaled up production and we don't have a plan and how to fairly and equitably distribute that drug. If you can imagine this scenario, this fall or winter, maybe even early next spring, when vaccine becomes available. There's no one company that can produce enough for our country or for the world. It's gonna be limited supplies. We need to have a strategy and plan in place now to make sure that we can not only feel that vaccine, make it, distribute it, but administer it in a fair and equitable plan. And that's not the case at all. We don't have that yet and it is a significant concern. 1:11:50 Dr. Rick Bright: Normally it takes up to 10 years to make a vaccine. We've done it faster in emergency situations. But from when we had starting material in the freezer for Ebola, but for a novel virus is actually haven't been done yet that quickly. So a lot of optimism is swirling around a 12 to 18 month timeframe. If everything goes perfectly - we've never seen everything go perfectly. My concern is if we rush too quickly and considered cutting out critical steps, we may not have a full assessment of the safety of that vaccine. So it's still going to take some time. I still think 12 to 18 months is an aggressive schedule. And I think it's going to take longer than that to do so. Rep. Eliott Engel (NY): 12 to 18 months from now, or 12 to 18 months from when this all started at the beginning of the year? Dr. Rick Bright: It will be 12 to 18 months from when the particular manufacturers has first received the material or information that they need to start developing that vaccine. It's critical to note when we say 12 to 18 months. That doesn't mean for an FDA approved vaccine. That means to have sufficient data and information on the safety and immunogenicity if not efficacy, to be able to use on an emergency basis. And that is a consideration that we have in mind when we talk about an accelerated timeline. 1:14:20 Dr. Rick Bright: Congressmen our concern's centered around the potential use of chloriquine in people who are infected with this Coronavirus. There are data, the effective use and safe use of chloriquine in malaria patients and other patients and other indications. We also knew that there are potential safety risks with chloriquine they cause irregular heart rhythms, and even in some cases death. So our concern was with limited information and knowledge, especially of its use in COVID-19 infected patients and the potential for those risks, then we should make sure that any studies with that drug are done in a carefully controlled clinical study and a close watchful eye of a physician so they could respond to a patient if they did experience one of those adverse events. There wasn't sufficient data at that time to support use of this drug in patients with COVID-19 without close physician supervision. Rep. Eliott Engel (NY): And when you raised that issue of chloriquine use in Coronavirus patients with HHS leadership. What happened to you you removed as a director of BARDA. Is that not true? Dr. Rick Bright: I believe part of that removal process for me was initiated because of a push back that I forgave when they asked me to put in place an expanded access protocol that would make chloriquine more freely available to Americans that were not under the close supervision of a physician and may not even be confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. The sciences, FDA, BARDA, NIH and CDC worked hard to switch that to a emergency use authorization with strict guardrails that the patients would be in a hospital confirmed to be infected with this virus under close supervision of a doctor and who could not otherwise participate in a randomized controlled study. My concerns were alleviated somewhat by being able to lock that in the stockpile with those conditions. However, my concerns were escalated when I learned that leadership in the department health and human services were pushing to make that drug available outside of this emergency use authorization to flood New York, New Jersey with this drug, regardless of the EUA and when I spoke outside of our government and shared my concerns for the American public, that I believe was the straw that broke the camel's back and escalated my removal. 1:47:15 Rep. Kathy Castor (FL): Dr. Bright you understood that America would face a shortage of respirators in January? Is that right? Dr. Rick Bright: We understood America would face a shortage of N95 respirators for a pandemic response in 2007. And we have exercise and known and evaluated that number almost every year since 2007. It was exercised even as late as early as 2019, August in Crimson contagion, that we would need 3.5 billion in 95 respirators in our stockpile to protect our healthcare workers from a pandemic response. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL): And you sounded the alarm repeatedly. But were ignored by the senior leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. Please explain what steps you took and the responsibilities you received. Dr. Rick Bright: We knew going into this pandemic that critical medical equipment would be in short supply. I began getting alerts from industry colleagues in mid and late January, telling me that from an outside view, from the industry view that the supply chain was diminishing rapidly telling me that other countries that we relied on to supply many of these masks were blocking export and stopping transfer of those masks to the United States. I learned that China was trying to buy the equipment from the United States producers to have it shipped to China so they could make more. In each of these alerts, and there were dozens of these alerts, I pushed those forward to our leadership and asked for Dr. Cadillac and his senior leadership team. I pushed those warnings to our critical infrastructure protection team. I pushed those warnings to our Strategic National Stockpile team who has the responsibility of procuring those medical supplies for our stockpile. In each of those. I was met with indifference, saying they were either too busy they didn't have a plan. They didn't know who was responsible for procuring those. In some cases they had a sick child and we'll get back to it later in the week. A number of excuses, but never any action. It was weeks after my pushing that finally a survey was sent out to manufacturers or producers of those masks. A five page survey asking producers or companies if they actually made those masks. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL): In your whistleblower filing you discuss a February 7th meeting of the department leadership group, but which you urge the department to focus on securing and 95 masks. Can you describe what happened at that meeting? Dr. Rick Bright: They informed me that they did not say believe there was a critical urgency to procure mass. They conducted some surveys, talked to a few hospitals and some companies and they didn't yet see a critical shortage. And I indicated that we know there will be a critical shortage of these supplies. We need to do something to ramp up production. They indicated if we notice there is a shortage that we will simply change the CDC guidelines to better inform people who should not be wearing those masks. So that would save those masks for healthcare workers. My response was, I cannot believe you can sit and say that with a straight face. That was an absurd. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL): In fact, it took three months from your initial warnings - until mid April for the federal government to invoke its authority under the Defense Production Act, to require the production of millions of more N-95 masks. And even then, the administration required the production of only 39 million masks which is far fewer than you and other experts said that we would need. What was the consequence of this three month delay and inadequate response. Were lives in danger? Dr. Rick Bright: Lives were in danger and I believe lives were lost. And not only that, we were forced to procure the supplies from other countries without the right quality standards. So even our doctors and nurses in the hospitals today are wearing N-95 Mark masks from other countries that are not providing the sufficient protection that a US standard N-95 mask would provide them. Some of those masks are only 30% effective. Therefore, nurses are rushing in the hospitals thinking they're protected and they're not. 2:15:50 Dr. Rick Bright: I believe there's a lot of work that we still need to do. And I think we need still, I don't think I know, we need still a comprehensive plan and everyone across the government and everyone in America needs to know what that plan is and what role they play. There are critical steps that we need to do to prepare for that fall, for that winter coming. We do not still have enough personal protective equipment to manage our healthcare workers and protect them from influenza and COVID-19. We still do not have the supply chains ramped up for the drugs and vaccines and we still don't have plans in place on how we distribute those drugs and vaccines. And we still do not have a comprehensive testing strategy. So Americans know which tests do what, what to do with that information. And we know how to find this virus and trap it and kill it. There's a lot of work we still have to do. 3:40:15 Dr. Rick Bright: I think what's really interesting about the testing story that gets lost in the narrative sometimes is the confusion about the different types of tests. There's an antigen test that tells you if you have the virus in you, there's a PCR test, it says it may the fragments of the virus and there's antibody tests, it looks at your antibody titer to try to tell you you've been exposed already maybe immune to that the virus. There's a lot of confusion, I think the first thing HHS needs to do is determine which of those tests is most important to achieve which objective. If the antigen test is was needed, because it's faster and lower cost, and more readily available, in some cases, what does it tell Americans? What does it tell employers? What does it tell schools about the potential for an individual who has a positive or negative on that test and their potential to have different results the next day or later that day? There's a lot of confusion about these tests. So I think the first thing that HHS should do is determine the type of test and how that test would be used effectively. And then make sure that we have enough of those types of tests and they're in the right place and the people using them know what the data tells them and how to use it effectively. I think there's a lot of confusion there and they need leadership in HHS to distinguish those challenges and clarify that for the American public. 3:41:30 Rep. Blunt Rochester (DE): Why do you think that our nation has struggled with ramping up the testing capacity, unlike other countries, and were there contingencies in place or a backup, in light of this situation we're in now. Dr. Rick Bright: I think part of the struggle is waiting too late to think about it and to get it started. When we've had conversations with some manufacturers, they've been very creative and how they can ramp up. Another part of the challenge is, we have allowed many of these capabilities to be offshore. And so we have much more capability of expanding domestic capacity when it's in our country, and we can ramp up and bring innovation to those companies in the US. But if the supply chain is offshore, and there's a global need and competition for that supply chain, that also significantly impairs our ability to ramp up. 3:47:30 Dr. Rick Bright: We need to have a strategy that everyone follows, the same strategy, to test for the word the viruses who's infected with this virus. And then we have to appropriately isolate that person in quarantine so they don't infect others. And we rapidly need to trace their contacts to understand who they may have been exposed to, and be able to test to those individuals. And if they've been infected as well, we need to be able to isolate those. Through a concerted coordinated effort across the country, we can be able to identify where that virus is who's been exposed, give those people proper treatment and isolation and can slow the spread of this virus significantly. But that has to be in a coordinated way. We have to have the right tests and enough of those tests. It's not something we do once and we're done. It's something we have to continually do in the community. So it's not just that we need one test for every person in America. We need multiple tests and the right types of tests. We need the right types of individuals and professionals who know how to use those tests to trace the individual contacts and to isolate that virus and stop it from spreading. 4:11:00 Mike Bowen: Until 2004, 90% of all surgical masks worn and I'm including surgical respirators, were domestically made. That year, or about around that year. All of the major domestic mask sellers switched from selling domestically made masks to selling imported masks. Prestige Ameritech was founded in 2005 recognized this as a security issue in 2006. We thought that once America's hospitals learned that their mask supplies were subject to diversion by foreign governments, during pandemics, they would switch back to U.S. made masks. We were wrong. In November of 2007, we received a phone call from BARDA asking for a tour of our mask factory. BARDA was acting on George W. Bush's Presidental Directive 21, the purpose of which was to review America's disaster plans. Brenda Hayden with BARDA gave a presentation which showed that BARDA was concerned about the foreign controlled mask supply. We were thrilled that BARDA had discovered the issue until Brenda said that BARDA was only charged with studying the problem. We were disappointed but we took consolation in the fact that finally, a federal agency knew that the mask supply was in danger. We were very happy to have an ally. Two years later, I received a call from Brenda Hayden. She started the conversation by saying, we have a situation. Her serious tone caused me to ask her if she was talking about a pandemic. And she said, Yes. She asked if we could ramp up production, and I said yes. We built more machines bought an abandoned Kimberly Clark mask factory and tripled and tripled our workforce. America's hospitals needed us and we rose to the occasion. We told them about the high cost of ramping up. And they said they would stay with us. Unfortunately most returned to buying cheaper foreign made masks when they became available. The company survived by laying off 150 people who helped save the US mask supply by taking pay cuts. And by taking on more investors. The H1N1 pandemic, this is 2009 2010, wasn't severe enough to cause the foreign health officials to cut off mask shipments to America. So our predictions didn't come true...yet. In a weakened state, but undaunted, Prestige Ameritech continued saying that the US mask supply was headed for failure. We just didn't know when. In 2004 to give my security story more issue, I formed the Secure Mask Supply Association. You can find it at securemasksupply.org. Paraphrasing Ben Franklin, I told three competing domestic mask makers that if we didn't hang together, we would hang separately, as China was poised to put all of us out of business and put the country at even greater risk, Crosstex, Gerson, and Medecom all with domestic mask making factories agreed and joined the SMSA. Unfortunately, the Secure Mask Supply Associations warnings were also unheeded. During my quest to secure the US mask supply, I had the privilege of working with three BARDA directors, Dr. Robin Robinson, Dr. Richard Hatchet, and Dr. Rick Bright. They were helpful and they encouraged me to go continue warning people about the mask supply. I'll say a little bit more about that. After years of doing this, I quit many times. And the only reason I kept doing it is because of the directors of BARDA. They would encourage me and asked me not to not to quit. They said that they would express their concerns about the masks supply to anyone that I could get to call them. Anyone except reporters. They weren't allowed to talk to reporters, which was very frustrating to me. They also weren't allowed to endorse the Secure Mask Supply Association. Dr. Robinson was going to do so until HHS attorneys told him that it could cost him his job. He called me personally on vacation to tell me that I can confirm that the emails and Dr. Bright's complaint are mine. They are merely the latest of 13 years of emails I sent to BARDA in an effort to get HHS to understand that the US mask supply was destined for failure, Robinson, Hatchet and Bright all wanted to remedy the problem. In my opinion, they didn't have enough authority. Their hearts were in the right places. America was told after 911 that governmental silos had been torn down so that different federal federal agencies could work together for national securities. But I didn't see any of that. The DOD, the VA, the CDC and HHS could have worked together to secure America's mask supply. I suggested this to BARDA and to the CDC on several occasions. 4:23:00 Rep. Greg Walden (OR): This is your email to Dr. Bright and to Laura wolf. It says and I quote, "my government strategy is to help the US government if and only if the VA and DOD become my customers after this thing is over. Mike Bowen: Yes, sir. Rep. Greg Walden (OR): So Madam Chair, I'd like to submit the mail for the record. We'll send you an electronic copy as per our agreements here. Now, Mr. Cohen, I'm sorry. You said you want to help the U.S. government, you want to help Americans get the masks. Yet it appears that there seems to be a condition here. I assume that's because in the past, you ramped up, things went away, people bought from other manufacturers. And so here you're saying, and I have it here in the email, 'My strategy is to help my existing customers and bring on new customers who are willing to sign a long term contract. My government strategy is to help the US government if and only if the VA and DOD become my customers after this thing is over.' And here we were in a crisis is masks are going overseas now. The US government's not your only purchaser, right? Mike Bowen: The U.S. government has never bought from me except during a pandemic, sir. Rep. Greg Walden (OR): Okay. And so... Mike Bowen: In that email, and that statement, was basically saying that I don't want the government to only call me in a pandemic. Give me business during peacetime so that I can survive to help you during a pandemic. Rep. Greg Walden (OR): Did you ever ask for a sole source contract? Mike Bowen: I have. I have been on the DOD and the VA business. And I continually lose to masks that are made in Mexico, because the DOD does not obey the Berry Amendment. They buy foreign masks made in Mexico, because Mexico is a friend of ours and is called a TAA compliant country. Made the decision based on price... Rep. Greg Walden (OR): How long...Sir, if I may, can I reclaim my time? How long, you said you couldn't turn on these lines of manufacturing very quickly. How long? If you got a big order from the government today, would it take you to produce masks? Mike Bowen: Three or four months and the government wants to do that right now. HHS is asking me to do that. Rep. Greg Walden (OR): And it will take three to four months? Mike Bowen: Yes, I'm told. I told him it's going to take three or four months. They only want masks to the end of the year. So I would have to hire 100 people to train 100 people and then fire them at the end of the program. I'm not going to do that. Again. I don't want the government to only deal with me when... Rep. Greg Walden (OR): My time is expired. Madam Chair, I yield back. 4:29:45: *Mike Bowen:** Let me say this: China sells a box of masks for $1. I don't think anybody's making any profit doing that, because I sell them for about $5. So if their prices are so cheap that they've captured most of the world's mass market. Rep. Elliot Engel (NY): Does the government subsidize the Chinese government, the Beijing government? Mike Bowen: I don't know that. I don't know. All I know is their masks cost less than than materials. If I take my labor costs totally out, I'm still nowhere near the cost of their products. 4:30:30 Rep. Elliot Engel (NY): What steps can the federal government take to incentivize more medical manufacturing of critical equipment like surgical face masks in the United States? Mike Bowen: Well as in a letter that I sent to President Obama, I don't think it requires money. I think it requires the government saying and it's a national security problem. It requires the CDC telling America's hospitals, they are too dependent on foreign aid masks, and put them in legal liability. They have to protect their patients and staff. If in a public forum like this, you say, this is a national security issue, then those hospitals' attorneys are probably going to get on the ball and tell their hospitals to buy American made products. And they don't cost that much. The whole market is only a couple of hundred million dollars. This whole problem, this is a $30 million problem, folks, just for people trying to save pennies across the whole United States. It's not some multibillion dollar problem. 4:36:20 Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY): Mike Bowen: You thought it was necessary to go through Dr. Bright. You couldn't get anybody else to listen to them and Dr. Bright under No, no, no, you got it all wrong. First of all I wasn't looking for I'm just trying to find the information. Oh yeah. I wasn't looking for business. I opened my email. I don't need your business. My phones are ringing off the wall. I'm just I thought of BARDA - Dr. Robinson, Dr. hatchet and Dr. Bright. I thought of them as brothers in arms, and who they couldn't buy my products. I knew that. But they were the only people who believed it. I would like everybody to go to YouTube, put in Michael Burgess and Prestige Ameritech you'll see Mr. Burgess talking at our factory 10 years ago. You'll see him say that only 10% of the mask supplies are made in the United States. I talked to Michael Burgess. Ron Wright. Joe Barton. Patrick Leahy. My associate Matt Conlin talked to Chuck Schumer. I wrote Barack Obama letters, wrote President Trump and everybody in his early administration, Defense Secretary Mattis, General Jeffrey Clark, Nicole Lurie and Anita Patel with CDC, National Academies of Science. Greg Burrell, hundreds of hospitals, hospital purchasing groups, the hospital risk Managers Association. The hospital risk managers Association. Told them the mask supply is going to collapse, this is a risk. Nobody listened. Association of Operating Nurses, the Defense Department, the Veterans Department, Texas Governor Rick Perry. State Texas Rep. Bill Zedler, by the way, Bill Zedler got in dozens of reporters. I've been in every news show. I've done this for 13 years. Nobody listened. And my conscience is clean, Mr. Guthrie. I've been working on this damn issue for 13 years trying to save lives. Nobody listened. And now, I'm not going to take any of this. 4:46:20 Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): We can't guarantee you a contract. I think everybody agrees we've got to have more made in America. Why not ramp up with the understanding that the policy is likely to change? I think it will change because I think we don't, whether it be masks or other PPE or drug supply, we're going to have to have a significant portion of these items made in the United States going forward. Knowing that, and your phone's ringing off the hook, why not ramp up those four lines? Mike Bowen: Because one day, the pandemics gonna end and the the usage will go down to the basement again, where it was there'll be 10 times less usage. And I'll have all these machines and people and these materials and have nothing to do with them. That's what happened to us before. It was a very difficult thing to ramp up. And let me say this again, let me remind you that we have ramped up. We've gone from making 75,000 respirators I'm going to about four... In 40 days, we'll be ramped up to making 4 million respirator per month. So don't concentrate on these four Chinese machines that we really don't know much about and would be a total pain to get going on top of... I'm trying not to kill my business partner who is in charge of getting all this stuff done. He's working 20 hours a day now with all the projects we've already got now, to dump this on top for some business that may or may not come? Absolutely not. 4:48:40 Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): Okay, after H1N1 did you continue to produce masks for purposes of restocking the Strategic National Stockpile? Mike Bowen: I can't do that without the Strategic National Stockpile wanting to buy them. Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA):Did you have conversations with BARDA, SNS and HHS at that time about supplying the masks for the National Stockpile? Mike Bowen: I have talked to Greg Burrell on many occasions, sir. I've also offered those machines to him. And I've offered those machines to the Department of Defense. Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): You're just gonna give the machines or you're gonna give them the production? Mike Bowen: No, listen to this. Here's what I wanted to do. I wanted CDC and VA and DOD to get together I had four machines, that very little money and that could make a whole bunch of masks and for years, and I got 13 years worth of emails, I can document all this stuff. I said to the CDC Hey, we can fix, we can make sure that the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration always has masks. I got these four machines sitting here doing nothing. Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): You were willing to give them the production, but not the machines. Mike Bowen: Let me finish. Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): I'm just trying to sort it out. Mike Bowen: Well here's what I was gonna say. We must use one machine, you'll make your whole annual usage for one machine, and we'll let three of them sit there in our factory just ready to go. When you need them, we can turn those things on and I couldn't get anybody interested in Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): Were you going to give them to them or lease them? Mike Bowen: Didn't matter. I didn't have any money in them. I said give me your peacetime military hospital business and we'll give you these machines. I'll just sit there. Now we would have if we would have had had some kind of a plan, you know, to get materials and things like that. But I was basically saying we've got a warm base operation is not going to cost you guys anything. I made that offer to several agencies. Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA): I see my time is up. I yield back, Madam Chair. Mike Bowen: And by the way, let me Forgive me for being angry. I'm angry because I've done this for so, so long. And I've been ignored for so long. And I apologize. Rep. Ana Eshoo (CA): Well, Mr. Bowen, I don't think you need to apologize. At least that's my view. I think shame on us. I think shame on all of us that we've allowed this to happen. 4:58:30 Mike Bowen: America has a weakness for low prices. And I think Chinese prices are so low. A few years ago, I decided to go buy a 12 things from Lowe's Lowe's Home Improvement center, and I decided I was going to pay whatever it took to buy American. I couldn't make that decision. That decision was taken away from me. I bought one item, it was a plunger. A toilet plunger was the only thing I could find it was made in America. And it is what it is. It's the people like the Lowe's and Home Depot and the Walmarts and the medical companies that the way they want to make money is to lower their costs to where they lower their cost to go to China. The line is long and wide for people going to China, and that's why we're dependent on them for everything. I mean, go out and look in your closet. Look at your tools, look at everything. It's all from China. And the stuff that's in Mexico... When I say this, half of the US mask supply's in Mexico, it's got reservations to go to China. Mexico is not cheap enough. And hospitals are cash strapped and they're they're bidding out things. If this hadn't happened, Mexico would have lost their business and everything... China would have been five years China would have made all masks and respirators like they do the gowns. 5:35:40 Mike Bowen: I've dealt with this thing for so long and it's been so illogical. And I've tried to figure it out and who's at fault who's at fault. And so people ask me that, who's to blame? And I got to the point where it's human nature. It's all of us. I couldn't convince doctors. I couldn't. Listen to this. I had three directors of BARDA said that, Mike, if you get somebody to call me, I will verify that what you're saying is true. I'll tell them it was true. Mr. Schrader, I couldn't get him to call. I couldn't get hospitals to make that call. I don't think they wanted to hear it. They're programmed to save money. They're not programmed to say, I want to make sure my masks are gonna be here. It didn't compute. I was speaking Greek everyone. So to look at this story, and look back and blame everybody, I'm not even going to do that. I'm looking at this pandemic. There's a silver lining, the silver lining is - told everybody there's a big problem. And we can fix this problem and never go through this again. 5:50:00 Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): I'm still confused about your current capabilities. You said you've got four lines that are just sitting dormant sitting in the right now, is that correct? Mike Bowen: We have four idle respirator manufacturing lines. Yes, sir. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): And they're just, I mean, they're not being used right now. Mike Bowen: Yes. But...go ahead, finish your question. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): Yes, they are not being used, right. Correct? So you said you've already gotten machines for those lines. You don't have to procure them. The only thing you're going to have to do is to get staff in order to use those lines. Mike Bowen: No, now there's three things we need to hire 100 people, we need to train 100 people. We need to get all the materials for that and we need to get NIOSH approval. We bought those systems from a defunct Vermont mask company seven years ago, we really don't even know how to use those machines. They're kind of a last resort. And if you'll go back and look at my email to Dr. Bright, I said this would be a basically a pain to do but they're here. And if we need this for infrastructure, let's talk about it. But what we've done in the meantime, is we've gone from making 75,000 respirators a month. Think of that number 75,000 to 2 million, and then in another 40 days, we'll be at 4 million from 75,000. So that's thousands and thousands of percent. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): You said you bought those you bought them for a purpose. You bought them to use them, right? Mike Bowen: No. Thank you for asking that question. No, they came as part of an acquisition we bought. We bought a defunct a medical company and those machines came as part of the acquisition. And made in China. But go ahead. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): Did you say earlier that you phones ringing off the hook you got orders coming out of the yazoo? Mike Bowen: Yeah, okay, but I can't go on a suicide mission. I can't ramp up, hire all these people for something that I don't know how it's going to end or how long it's going to last. And we did this. You gotta remember, we almost went out of business doing this before. We ramped up and we spent money and got a bigger factory, hired 150 people, built more machines. And then one day, the business not only went away, it went smaller than it was. And we had to raise a million dollars. We had to take pay cuts, and we had to fire 150 people. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): So what you're saying, and I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but I'm saying I'm not gonna use them, you're not gonna fire them up unless you get a long term contract from the government. Mike Bowen: I'm not going on a suicide mission. Absolutely. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): So that's yes, you're not going to use them unless you get a long term contract... Mike Bowen: Unless I get a customer who is going to commit to use those machines so I don't have to fire 100 people. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): So that means that you'd have to have a long term contract from the government in order to do it. Mike Bowen: Yeah. Listen, we've gone from one shift to 3. 80 people to 200. We're making four times the products we made. We're making over a million masks a day, don't you look at me, and act like I'm sitting on my ass and not firing up four machines. It's not like just turning on a switch. It's putting people's lives... It's gonna, I'm not sure...Listen...let me tell you this. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): I understand. I'm a businessman. And I understand what it takes Mike Bowen: I watched my business partner cry when he had to lay those people off. We're not doing that again. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): So in order so it's gonna have to be a long term contract from the government, though, that that's my point. Mike Bowen: From somebody. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): And I get it from somebody Mike Bowen: I can't hire 100 people based on a maybe based on a when's it gonna end who knows? Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): None of us can whether we're in the private sector or the public sector, we can't do that. We all understand that. Mike Bowen: You don't. You're not risking your livelihood and your... Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): I risked my livelihood for 30 years. As an independent retail pharmacist, I never had long... Mike Bowen: You want to buy machines or hire 100 people, I'll tell you what, I'll give you my machines if you want to hire 100 people, Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): But but the point is, is that you're here saying that I'm not gonna do it unless I get a long term contract from the government. Mike Bowen: I'm just gonna wait, no, no, no, go back to the context. The context of that was in those emails in hey, here's four machines. Let's... they're here, but I can't turn them on unless it's a long term deal. I'm not just going to flip them on and have you flip them off and leave me hanging like everybody did last time. And let me tell you what happened last time, the government sits around doesn't buy American made products, comes to me in a pandemic buys millions of masks. In 2010, you know what they do for those masks, they stored them for 10 years, then they auction them to some knucklehead who put them on eBay and sold them for 10 times what they were worth. So not only did I... have I not seen the government in 10 years, I got to compete with my own masks. And I gotta have thousands of phone calls to me from people who bought that 10 year old masks of mine on eBay for 10 times the price yelling at me, and I had nothing to do with it because the government waited and sold this stuff. I've been hit from every side on this thing. We have bled for this country. We have created jobs, we put our factory in Texas when everybody else had already left the country. So don't don't sit here and judge me for four machines that aren't running that I'd have to hire and fire 100 people for. I'm not going to do it. Rep. Buddy Carter (GA): Not unless you have a long term government contract. Rep. Anna Eshoo, Chairwoman: The gentleman's time has expired. Hearing: Corporate Liability During the Coronavirus Pandemic, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, May 12, 2020 Watch on CSPAN Witnesses Kevin Smartt - CEO of Kwik Chek Convenience Stores Anthony “Marc” Perrone - International President of United Food and Commercial Workers International Rebecca Dixon - Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project Leroy Tyner - General Counsel for Texas Christian University Professor David Vladeck - A.B. Chettle Chair in Civil Prodecure at * Georgetown University Law Center Helen Hill - CEO of Explore Charleston Transcript: 13:15 Professor David Vladeck: My name is David Vladek. I teach at Georgetown Law School mostly litigation related courses. And I spent more than 40 years as a litigator, mostly in state and federal court. Like all Americans, I am anxious to get the nation back on its feet. I applaud the committee for exploring ways to facilitate that process. And I can only imagine the heavy burden that weighs on your shoulders. As my testimony makes clear, businesses like Mr. Smarts that act reasonably to safeguard employees, and the public are already protected from liability. But as all of the panelists have said, We urgently need science-based COVID-19 enforceable guidelines from our public health agencies. Those guidelines not only safeguard the public, but at the same time, they provide the standards of liability that Mr. Tyner was just talking about compliance with those guidelines will eliminate any liability risk. On the other hand, it would be counterproductive for Congress to take the unprecedented act of bestowing immunity on companies that act irresponsibly. Workers and consumers are going to open this economy, not government sponsored immunity. We all know that large segments of the public are still justifiably fearful about reopening. Granting immunity would only feed those fears. Immunity sends the message that precautions to control the spread of virus is not a priority. Even worse, immunity signals to workers and consumers that they go back to work or they go to the grocery store at their peril. Why? Because the Congress has given employers and businesses a free pass the short change safety. 16:30 Professor David Vladeck: The line between unreasonable or negligent misconduct, and gross misconduct is murky, context based, and fact dependent. Any tort claim can constitute gross negligence, depending on the wrongdoer state of mind. Second, differentiating between the two tiers of liability turn on intent, questions of intent, questions of intent are factual questions for a jury, not a judge to resolve and conduct is labeled negligent or grossly negligent only at the end of a case, not at the outset. In other words, we don't know for sure whether conduct is grossly negligent until the jury says so. And third, and most importantly, the difference is utterly meaningless if we care about containing the spread of the virus. Irresponsible acts spread the virus just as easily, just as effectively as reckless acts. 17:45 Professor David Vladeck: Legislation that simply displaces state liability laws is not only unprecedented, it is likely unconstitutional. 30:40 Sen. Diane Feinstein (CA): ...how the corona virus spreads? How could a customer of... Well, given how it spreads, nobody really knows how, could a customer of a particular business prove they were infected at a particular business? If professor Vladeck could respond, I believe he's our legal counsel here. Professor David Vladeck: Yes. So the answer is they can't. See are the viruses so transmissible, that it's very difficult unless you have a situation like you've had in the meatpacking plant to know where the virus comes from. In New York, one of the findings was that even people who had been housebound for a long time contracted the virus, even though they hadn't gone out. And so part of the reason why there have been almost no tort cases, about COVID-19 people have bandied about figures, but the truth is, they're been almost none of these cases and they're likely to be very few, because in order to plead a case in court, you have to be able to establish causation. And if someone who's been out and about walking on the streets, visiting the grocery store, visiting another shop, contracts virus, there's no way in the world they're going to be able to say, it's Mr. Smith's fault. 43:45 Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT): Some people are talking about this wave of COVID-19 litigation as the justification for corporate immunity. Actually about 6% of the COVID-19 related lawsuits are tort related, constantly seeking immunity for 6%. And moreover, the corporation's claiming they need this immunity are often the ones that subjected the employees to mandatory arbitration clause, we know those almost always favor the employer. So, can you tell us how the prevalence of mandatory arbitration clauses actually within or across key industries impacts the likelihood of a so called wave litigation? Rebecca Dixon: Yes, Senator, I would say that the wave of litigation is actually mostly businesses suing other businesses and businesses trying to enforce insurance contracts related to the pandemic. So that's one important thing to put out there. And when you have forced arbitration, you must go through a secret process with an arbitrator. So you are barred from going to court. And we know that employees are being coerced into signing these if they don't sign those, they don't get the job. Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT): So the additional shield against losses would pretty much be done with, is that correct? Rebecca Dixon: Correct. Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT): Thank you. 1:25:15 Rebecca Dixon: For workers in particular, right now, they don't really have any enforceable recourse if their employer is not following the guidelines because they're not enforceable. And if they are injured because of it, they have the workers compensation system or they can file an OSHA complaint, but they're pretty much locked out other than that, so that's going to make it really risky for workers to when they're making a choice between wages and their health to choose to come back to the workplace. 1:36:00 Sen. Chris Coons (DE): Let's just clear the deck on this one. Mr. Smart, Professor, excuse me, President if I could Perrone, do you believe the federal government has set clear, consistent science based enforceable standards for what's expected of employers to protect the safety of their workers during a pandemic? Kevin Smartt: I do not believe so. No. Sen. Chris Coons (DE): Mr. President? Anthony “Marc” Perrone: Senator, I don't think that they've done that for the employees or the customers. 2:08:04 Sen. Kamala Harris (CA): In 49 states employers are required to carry workers compensation insurance. Is that correct? Rebecca Dixon: Yes, that's correct. Sen. Kamala Harris (CA): And is it correct that by and large businesses that carry workers compensation cannot be sued by their workers for negligence? Rebecca Dixon: That's also correct. Sen. Kamala Harris (CA): And is it also correct that forced arbitration agreements also prohibit workers from seeking justice in courtrooms? Rebecca Dixon: That's also correct. Hearing: COVID-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School, United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, May 12, 2020 Watch on CSPAN Witnesses Anthony Fauci - Director National of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Robert Redfield - Director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Admiral Brett Giroir - Assistant Secretary For Health at the United States Department of Health and Human Services Stephen Hahn - Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the United States Food and Drug Administration Transcript: 46:45 Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN): Let's look down the road three months, there'll be about 5,000 campuses across the country trying to welcome 20 million college students. 100,000 Public Schools welcoming 50 million students. What would you say to the Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, or the principal of a public school about how to persuade parents and students to return to school in August? Let's start with treatments and vaccines first, Dr. Fauci, and if you can save about half of my five minutes for Admiral Giroir's testing I would appreciate it. Anthony Fauci: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Well, I would be very realistic with the chancellor and tell him that when we're thinking in terms. Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN): It's a her in this case. Anthony Fauci: I would tell her, I'm sorry, sir, that in this case, that the idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate the re-entry of students into the fall term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far. 48:30 Anthony Fauci: But we're really not talking about necessarily treating a student who gets ill, but how the student will feel safe in going back to school. If this were a situation where we had a vaccine, that would really be the end of that issue in a positive way, but as I mentioned in my opening remarks, even at the top speed we're going, we don't see a vaccine playing in the ability of individuals to get back to school this term. 52:50 Anthony Fauci: What we have worked out is a guideline framework of how to safely open America again. And there are several checkpoints in that with a gateway first of showing, depending on the dynamics of an outbreak in a particular region, state, city or area that would really determine the speed and the pace with which one does re enter or reopen. So my word has been, and I've been very consistent in this, that I get concerned, if you have a situation with a dynamics of an outbreak in an area such that you are not seeing that gradual over 14 days decrease that would allow you to go to phase one. And then if you pass the checkpoints of phase one, go to phase two and phase three. What I've expressed then and again, is my concern that if some areas city states or what have you jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely opened up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently. My concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks. 54:30 Anthony Fauci: But this is something that I think we also should pay attention to, that states, even if they're doing it at an appropriate pace, which many of them are and will, namely a pace that's commensurate with the dynamics of the outbreak, that they have in place already The capability that when there will be cases, there is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances. When you pull back on mitigation, you will see some cases appear. It's the ability and the capability of responding to those cases, with good identification, isolation and contact tracing will determine whether you can continue to go forward as you try to reopen America. 1:05:40 Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT): The official statistic, Dr. Fauci is that 80,000 Americans have died from the pandemic. There are some epidemiologists who suggests the number may be 50% higher than that. What do you think? Anthony Fauci: I'm not sure, Senator Sanders if it's gonna be 50% higher, but most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than that number, because given the situation, particularly in New York City, when they were really strapped with a very serious challenge to their healthcare system, that there may have been people who died at home, who did have COVID, who are not counted as COVID because they never really got to the hospital. So the direct answer to your question, I think you are correct, that the number is likely higher. I don't know exactly what percent higher, but almost certainly, it's higher. 1:26:30 Sen. Rand Paul (KY): You've stated publicly that you'd bet at all that survivors of Coronavirus have some form of immunity. Can you help set the record straight that the scientific record as is as being accumulated is supportive? That infection with Coronavirus likely leads to some form of immunity. Dr. Fauci? Anthony Fauci: Yeah, thank you for the question, Senator Paul. Yes, you're correct. That I have said that, given what we know about the recovery from viruses, such as Corona viruses in general, or even any infectious disease, with very few exceptions, that when you have antibody present is very likely indicates a degree of protection. I think it's in the semantics of how this is expressed. When you say has it been formally proven by long term Natural History studies, which is the only way that you can prove one is it protective, which I said and would repeat is likely that it is, but also what is the degree or titer of antibody that gives you that critical level of protection. And what is the durability, as I've often said, and again, repeat, you can make a reasonable assumption that it would be protective. But Natural History studies over a period of months to years will then tell you definitively if that's the case. 1:31:30 Anthony Fauci: You don't know everything about this virus. And we really better be very careful, particularly when it comes to children. Because the more and more we learn, we're seeing things about what this virus can do that we didn't see from the studies in China or in Europe. For example, right now, children presenting with COVID-19, who actually have a very strange inflammatory syndrome, very similar to Kawasaki syndrome. I think we've got to be careful if we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects. So again, you're right in the numbers that children in general do much, much better than adults and the elderly, and particularly those with underlying conditions. But I am very careful, and hopefully humble in knowing that I don't know everything about this disease, and that's why I'm very reserved in making broad predictions. 2:30:15 Anthony Fauci: We do the testing on these vaccines, we are going to make production risk, which means we will start putting hundreds of millions of dollars of federal government money into the development and production of vaccine doses before we even know it works. So that when we do and I hope we will and have cautious optimism that we will ultimately get an effective and safe vaccine that we will have doses available to everyone who needs it in the United States, and even contribute to the needs globally because we are partnering with a number of other countries. 2:49:00 Sen. Mitt Romney (UT): Given our history with vaccine creation for other coronaviruses, how likely is it? I mean, is it extremely likely we're going to get a vaccine within a year or two? Is it just more likely than not? Or is it kind of a long shot? Anthony Fauci: It's definitely not a long shot, Senator Romney, the I would think that it is more likely than not that we will, because this is a virus that induces an immune response and people recover. The overwhelming majority of people recover from this virus, although there is good morbidity and mortality at a level in certain populations. The very fact that the body is capable of spontaneously clearing the virus tells me that at least from a conceptual standpoint, we can stimulate the body with a vaccine that would induce a similar response. So although there's no guarantee, I think it's clearly much more likely than not that somewhere within that timeframe, we will get a vaccine for this virus. 3:06:50 Sen. Jacky Rosen (NV): Can you talk about PPE for the general public? Anthony Fauci: Well, you know, the best PPE for the general public, if possible right now is to maintain the physical and social distancing. But as we've said, and I think all of us would agree, there are certain circumstances in which it is beyond your control, when you need to do necessary things. Like go to the drugstore and get the occasion, go to the grocery store and get your food that in fact, you need some supplementation to just physical distancing. That's the reason why some time ago, recommendation was made, I believe it was Dr. Redfield at the CDC, who first said that about getting some sort of a covering we don't want to call it a mask because back then we were concerned, we would be taking masks away from the health care providers with some sort of mask like facial covering, I think for the time being, should be a very regular part of how we prevent the spread of infection. And in fact, the more as you go outside right here and where I'm sitting in Washington DC, you can see many people out there with masks on, which gives me some degree of comfort that people are taking this very seriously. 3:20:00 Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN): You didn't say you shouldn't go back to school because we won't have a vaccine? Anthony Fauci: No, absolutely not. Mr. Chairman, what I was referring to, is that going back to school would be more in the realm of knowing the landscape of infection with regard to testing. And as Admiral Giroir said, it would depend on the dynamics of the outbreak in the region where the school is, but I did not mean to imply at all any relationship between the availability of a vaccine and treatment and our ability to go back to school. Addressing the Senate: McConnell: Americans on the Front Lines Need Action, Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, May 12, 2020 Hearing: Shark Tank: New Tests for COVID-19, United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, May 7, 2020 Watch on Youtube Watch on CSPAN Witnesses: Francis Collins, MD, PhD - Director of the National Institutes of Health Gary Disbrow, PhD.- Acting Director, Biomedical Advanced Research And Development Authority, Office Of The Assistant Secretary For Preparedness And Response at the Department of Health and Human Services Transcript: 1:36:20 Gary Disbrow: We do know that Coronavirus, the COVID-19, is one the immune system recognizes and eradicate the virus, we do know that people recover from it. And after a while you can't recover the virus anymore. That's good. That tells you the immune system knows what to do with this. It's not like HIV. At the same time, we do know that this virus can mutate. We've already been able to observe that it's an RNA virus. Fortunately, it doesn't mutate the way influenza does. So we don't think it will have this sort of very rapid seasonal change that we have to deal with with influenza, which means last year's vaccine is maybe not the one you want this year. We really don't know the answer, though to a lot of your questions, and they're fundamentally important. Can you get reinfected with this? There have been a few cases of that they're not incredibly convincing. If you do develop immunity, how long does it last? We do not have a good reason... Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA): Can I ask you though there is evidence both from rhesus monkeys that this antibody is protective it and there's also from SARS1 if you will, somebody writes about immunity being for 18 years. So it does seem If the scientific evidence is pointing in that direction, Gary Disbrow: It's pointing in that direction. You're absolutely right. And we're counting on that to be the answer here. But until we know, we will need to know. Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA): Now, let me ask you though what is defined as knowing because knowing may not be for one or two years, and yet we have to make policy decisions, hopefully before then, Gary Disbrow: Indeed, and I think at the present time to be able to evaluate the meaning of a positive antibody test, one should be quite cautious, I think it's going to help a lot to see if there anybody who has such an antibody test, it turns out to get infected again, in the next six months or so because a virus is going to be around, we'll start to get an early warning sign there. But we won't know whether it's three years or five years or 10 years. Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA): So you suggested to me that not only should we test but we should be tracking who is positive so that we can follow them longitudinally to see whether or not they develop once more. Gary Disbrow: With their appropriate consent of course, and this is where the All of Us program that you and I have talked about which is enrolled now 300,000 Americans who are pre consented for exactly this kind of follow up is going to be very useful to track and see what happens. 2:16:00 Sen. Mitt Romney (UT): I was in a hearing yesterday with the Homeland Security Committee. And the suggestion was between 50 and 90% of the people that get COVID-19 have no symptoms. If that's the case, should we let this run its course to the population and not try and test every person. I'm saying that a bit as a straw man, but I'm interested in your perspective. Gary Disbrow: I appreciate you're putting it forward as a straw man, because while it is true, that lots of people seem to get this virus without any symptoms at all. And the estimates are that maybe 60% of new cases are transmitted by such people. It's still the case that 74,000 people have died from this disease. And so the people who are out there infected who may not themselves be suffering or passing this on becoming a vector to others who are vulnerable with chronic illnesses or in the older age group. And sometimes young people too. Let's not say that they're immune. There are certainly plenty of sad circumstances of young people who really you would not have thought would be hard hit by this, who have gotten very little or even died. So I think it is extremely unusual to have a virus like this that is so capable of infecting people without symptoms, but having them then spread it on, we just haven't encountered something like that before. But it doesn't mean that it's not a terribly dangerous virus for those people who aren't so lucky and who get very sick and end up in the ICU and perhaps lose their lives. The only way we're really going to put a stop to that is to know who the people are who are infected, even if they have no symptoms, get them quarantine, follow their contacts. It's just good solid shoe leather public health, and we've learned it over the decades and it applies here too. 2:31:45 Gary Disbrow: In terms of the need to track people to see what happens, and particularly as was brought up earlier, is the presence of antibody actually something you can say makes you immune. I think maybe our best chance at this is this program that Congress has funded, and it's part of 21st Century Cures Act. So I'll have to specifically give a shout out to this committee about that to the chairman. And that is this program called All of Us, which is tracking when we get there a million people over time, we're already up to over 300,000 that have signed up. And those individuals answer lots of questions. Their electronic health records are available for researchers to look at after they've been anonymized. They get blood samples over the course of time, so you can track and see, oh, it didn't have the antibody, then oh, now it does have the antibody, what happened there? We should be able to utilize that for this and many other purposes to try to get some of those answers. And I totally agree. We need those. Hearing: COVID-19 Response, United States House Committee on Appropriations, May 6, 2020 Watch on Youtube Watch on CSPAN Witnesses: Dr. Tom Frieden - President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Caitlin Rivers - Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Transcript: 47:00 Dr. Caitlin Rivers: You heard from Dr. Frieden that contact tracing is really a key component, a key approach that will allow us to reopen safely. One thing that I don't hear a lot about about contact tracing, though that I want to bring to your attention is that it's also a key source of data that we badly need. We currently have very little understanding about where people are getting infected, our most new cases in long term care facilities or correctional facilities, which we know are high risk settings. But we don't have a good sense of whether 99% of our cases originate in those special settings or whether it's a small fraction. We don't know whether people who are essential workers still performing duties in the community are getting infected, or we don't know whether most infections are happening at home. Getting a better understanding of what that looks like will help us to guide better interventions. If it is special settings.

Austin is the co-founder of the Practice Managers Association (PMA), an organisation with more than 25,000 members and over 80 staff. In this episode, Tara talks to Austin about communication and the systems that the PMA uses to interact with so many people working across locations. The two also discuss how general practices are learning to be more financially astute and lessons from traditional private sector organisations. Austin shares insights into his day-to-day role and some new educational projects he's working on. Practice Managers Association: https://practicemanagersuk.org/ Austin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AustinAmbrose14 Sign up to the THC Primary Care newsletter

Gościem odcinka jest Paweł Lewtak, dyrektor generalny Hotelu Polonia Palace. Rozmawiamy o Europejskim Stowarzyszeniu Dyrektorów Hoteli, którego Paweł jest pierwszym przedstawicielem w Polsce. Do tego grona dołączyło ostatnia kilku polaków. Paweł zdradził nam jako pierwszym kiedy odbędzie się coroczny zjazd przedstawicieli tego znaczącego stowarzyszenia w Polsce.

odd Dufek knows his way around the locker room. Todd works at The Country Club at DC Ranch and is the man behind Locker Room Managers Association. On this episode of the #WednesdayMatchPlay presented by Eat Sleep Golf you will learn more about his role at DC Ranch, what sort of hours he works, some trends from inside the locker room, and all about the Locker Room Managers Association and his newsletter. This episode of the #WednesdayMatchPlay is presented by Eat Sleep Golf.

The Business Recovery Managers Association (BRMA) is North California's largest business recovery association. In fact, 2018 sees BRMA celebrate its 25th anniversary! In this episode we'll talk to it's President, Fiona Raymond-Cox and previous representative, Julia Halsne. We'll talk about the association and all the benefits it offers it current members and prospective members. Fiona and Julia will talk to us about how we determine our critical vendors and customers and what we need to consider when dealing with them. We'll also talk about how to keep our BCM/DR teams motivated and engaged and how to keep employees and managment engaged in the BCM/DR program, when many would rather place the program on the back burner.

The Business Recovery Managers Association (BRMA) is North California's largest business recovery association. In fact, 2018 sees BRMA celebrate its 25th anniversary! In this episode we'll talk to it's President, Fiona Raymond-Cox and previous representative, Julia Halsne. We'll talk about the association and all the benefits it offers it current members and prospective members. Fiona and Julia will talk to us about how we determine our critical vendors and customers and what we need to consider when dealing with them. We'll also talk about how to keep our BCM/DR teams motivated and engaged and how to keep employees and managment engaged in the BCM/DR program, when many would rather place the program on the back burner.

Today’s show is sponsored by LeadSimple and Fourandahalf. Together, they’ve come up with one of the best conferences for property managers, called the PM Grow Summit. This event is laser-focused on growth strategies and brings together some remarkable thought leaders from around the country. I attended last year and was thoroughly impressed all around -- and that was just their first year! The next conference will be in San Diego in 2018, and I’ve already booked my spot. Go to pmgrowsummit.com to learn more, and enter promo code “Brad” to get a $100 discount on your ticket! We’re also sponsored by Marc Cunningham of Grace Property Management. Marc has created some amazing products for property management companies, which we can say firsthand as we’ve implemented his systems here. Visit their website and try out their products! To get a 10% discount on any of Marc’s products, use the promo code “Brad”! Today’s special guest comes all the way from Australia! Ben White is the director of Leading Property Managers Association, or LPMA. He’ll talk a lot about that association, as well as its US expansion efforts, in our conversation today! We’ll also discuss their accounting standard project, which coincides with some of our efforts to standardize accounting practices within the industry. If you’ve listened to the show, you’ve already heard me talk about the PM Grow Summit, which is one of my favorite conferences. Another of my absolute favorites is the conference put on by LPMA, which goes above and beyond almost anything else you’ll see here. If you want to experience it for yourself, believe me, it’s well worth the flight to Australia or New Zealand. In fact, Ben has even sweetened the deal by waiving the conference fee for property managers or property management company owners who are listening to the show. In addition to talking about LPMA and its conferences, Ben will offer some fantastic insight into the industry. As we discuss in the episode, despite (or maybe because of) some striking and fascinating differences between the American and Australian markets, we can learn a lot from each other. Ben points out, for example, that your biggest competitor is no longer the best agency in your marketplace. Instead, your biggest competitor (and the one you need to fear) is the worst property management company, because the bad companies are dragging down the industry as a whole. To learn more about this, and other great tips and insights into the industry, tune into this episode! Here’s where you can find Ben: ben@lpma.com lpma.com Show Notes [04:05] - Ben gives us a quick intro to who he is and how he got involved in property management. [06:48] - For listeners who are wondering, Brad talks about why it’s worth listening to Ben even though he’s from Australia, which is a different market. [08:31] - Ben explains that the infatuation with real estate is greater than that in the United States, in that many more people own investment properties. [11:45] - We learn about Ben’s books, which he wrote after having been lucky enough to have visited well over a thousand property management companies. [16:10] - Ben offers a synopsis of what he’s doing during this visit to the United States. He then discusses his affiliate program. [20:09] - Brad takes a moment to rave about the many available resources on Ben’s site. [22:09] - We hear about one of Brad’s recent changes, which was switching to Seacoast Bank. [24:20] - Ben expands on the idea that staff churn can create a negative impact that lasts for years. He walks us through the four possible scenarios that can happen when a property manager leaves. [29:47] - In Australia, there’s a trend to not give property management staff personalized email addresses, because there’s so much staff turnover. [33:29] - Brad clarifies that Australian property managers charge weekly instead of monthly. [35:39] - Ben talks about how the LPMA conferences are run, and offers a discount for listeners who want to come to one of these conferences in the future. [38:12] - LPMA originally had two brands, both of which are now part of LPMA, Ben explains. [41:36] - Ben expands on the formula he’s been working on coming up with to produce potential valuations for companies. [43:46] - You can’t just value a property management company based on its income, Ben explains. [46:16] - Ben shares a story about one of the first days that he was in property management. He and Brad then dig into specific numbers and percentages within the property management industry. [50:08] - Brad points out that prioritization shouldn’t be overlooked, because it lets you know exactly where you should be focusing. [53:08] - Ben talks about trying to develop a membership base for the LPMA in America. [56:05] - Brad takes a moment to talk about how he and his company use LeadSimple to manage their workflow. [57:24] - There are three kinds of core property management systems, Ben explains. [59:33] - Where can people get in touch with Ben if they want to learn more or stay in touch? Links and Resources: ben@lpma.com lpma.com Numbers Game by Ben White Seacoast Bank Xero

Listening to this podcast on the move? Get to the show notes here: http://www.vacationrentalformula.com/vrs152

Michael Cornicelli, BOMA, moderated an insightful discussion on how critical policy issues will unfold along with their predicted impact on the future of Chicago's commercial real estate industry, business community and overall economy. Moderator: Michael Cornicelli, Executive Vice President of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) Panelists: Ron Tabaczynski, Director of Government Affairs, BOMA/Chicago Steve Morrill, President, Morrill & Associates Mike Munson, Principal, Metropolitan Energy

So many landscape companies don't have a clear vision of who they are and what business they are really in or what business they should be in. For those that do have some sort of mission statement most have not articulated that ideal to their employees to help them understand who and what the company stands for.In 2005, Jim McCutcheon recognized that this was the situation at his company, HighGrove Partners, and changed his business model from that of landscape company that provides maintenance services to a service company that does landscape maintenance.McCutcheon is owner and CEO of HighGrove, a $15 million company that provides Land Services, Landscape Maintenance and Water Management to commercial clients in the Metropolitan Atlanta area.He answers common business questions: -What is the role of an owner and CEO? -How can you differentiate yourself in a competitive market place? -What is a service company? -How do you develop a mission statement? -Water management opportunities for the "green industry"McCutcheon graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture. He has been in the landscape industry for almost 25 years and has developed a broad background of experience. Through the years he has led all aspects of a landscape company including operations, sales and service. He is primarily focused on the vision for HighGrove and building a strong team to help him make the vision a reality. He often refers to himself as “the chief protector of the culture.”McCutcheon is also very involved in community and professional organizations. He was recently named President-Elect of PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) and is the current Past-President of the Academic Excellence Foundation. He is also involved in the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Community Association Institute, the Urban Agriculture Council and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.For more information, visit http://www.highgrove.net/.

So many landscape companies don't have a clear vision of who they are and what business they are really in or what business they should be in. For those that do have some sort of mission statement most have not articulated that ideal to their employees to help them understand who and what the company stands for.In 2005, Jim McCutcheon recognized that this was the situation at his company, HighGrove Partners, and changed his business model from that of landscape company that provides maintenance services to a service company that does landscape maintenance.McCutcheon is owner and CEO of HighGrove, a $15 million company that provides Land Services, Landscape Maintenance and Water Management to commercial clients in the Metropolitan Atlanta area.He answers common business questions: -What is the role of an owner and CEO? -How can you differentiate yourself in a competitive market place? -What is a service company? -How do you develop a mission statement? -Water management opportunities for the "green industry"McCutcheon graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture. He has been in the landscape industry for almost 25 years and has developed a broad background of experience. Through the years he has led all aspects of a landscape company including operations, sales and service. He is primarily focused on the vision for HighGrove and building a strong team to help him make the vision a reality. He often refers to himself as “the chief protector of the culture.”McCutcheon is also very involved in community and professional organizations. He was recently named President-Elect of PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) and is the current Past-President of the Academic Excellence Foundation. He is also involved in the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Community Association Institute, the Urban Agriculture Council and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.For more information, visit http://www.highgrove.net/.

So many landscape companies don't have a clear vision of who they are and what business they are really in or what business they should be in. For those that do have some sort of mission statement most have not articulated that ideal to their employees to help them understand who and what the company stands for. In 2005, Jim McCutcheon recognized that this was the situation at his company, HighGrove Partners, and changed his business model from that of landscape company that provides maintenance services to a service company that does landscape maintenance. McCutcheon is owner and CEO of HighGrove, a $15 million company that provides Land Services, Landscape Maintenance and Water Management to commercial clients in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. He answers common business questions: -What is the role of an owner and CEO? -How can you differentiate yourself in a competitive market place? -What is a service company? -How do you develop a mission statement? -Water management opportunities for the "green industry" McCutcheon graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture. He has been in the landscape industry for almost 25 years and has developed a broad background of experience. Through the years he has led all aspects of a landscape company including operations, sales and service. He is primarily focused on the vision for HighGrove and building a strong team to help him make the vision a reality. He often refers to himself as “the chief protector of the culture.” McCutcheon is also very involved in community and professional organizations. He was recently named President-Elect of PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) and is the current Past-President of the Academic Excellence Foundation. He is also involved in the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Community Association Institute, the Urban Agriculture Council and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. For more information, visit http://www.highgrove.net/.

So many landscape companies don't have a clear vision of who they are and what business they are really in or what business they should be in. For those that do have some sort of mission statement most have not articulated that ideal to their employees to help them understand who and what the company stands for. In 2005, Jim McCutcheon recognized that this was the situation at his company, HighGrove Partners, and changed his business model from that of landscape company that provides maintenance services to a service company that does landscape maintenance. McCutcheon is owner and CEO of HighGrove, a $15 million company that provides Land Services, Landscape Maintenance and Water Management to commercial clients in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. He answers common business questions: -What is the role of an owner and CEO? -How can you differentiate yourself in a competitive market place? -What is a service company? -How do you develop a mission statement? -Water management opportunities for the "green industry" McCutcheon graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture. He has been in the landscape industry for almost 25 years and has developed a broad background of experience. Through the years he has led all aspects of a landscape company including operations, sales and service. He is primarily focused on the vision for HighGrove and building a strong team to help him make the vision a reality. He often refers to himself as “the chief protector of the culture.” McCutcheon is also very involved in community and professional organizations. He was recently named President-Elect of PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) and is the current Past-President of the Academic Excellence Foundation. He is also involved in the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Community Association Institute, the Urban Agriculture Council and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. For more information, visit http://www.highgrove.net/.

London answered traffic gridlock with congestion charging. Should San Francisco follow? Tilly Chang of the SF County Transportation Authority and Ken Cleaveland of the Building Owners and Managers Association argue their sides. The post Terra Verde – August 1, 2008 appeared first on KPFA.