IAPMO Concludes 95th Annual Education and Business Conference

Las Vegas—IAPMO^®, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, last week conducted its 95th annual Education and Business Conference at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort and Casino. The event was co-located with ARCSA International’s Annual Conference.

Steve Panelli, chief plumbing inspector, city and county of San Francisco, and Jeremy Stettler, coordinator/inspector, Davis School District, Clearfield, Utah, were elected to second terms as president and vice president, respectively. Brian Hamner, senior plumbing inspector, city of Des Moines, Iowa, will return as secretary/treasurer. Eric Gilbreath, senior plumbing inspector for Public Health Seattle and King County, and Brad Elliott, combination plans examiner, city of Las Vegas, were elected as district directors, and Jeremy Diaz, UA Local 78 business manager, Rick Garcia, senior mechanical inspector, city of San Diego, and David Ledda, senior plumbing inspector, city and county of San Francisco, will return to the Board of Directors.

Tom Gugino, former IAPMO board member and IWSH chair, served as conference host and Bill Laub, IAPMO Southern Nevada chapter, served as conference chair.

“This conference was a celebration of this association’s nearly 100 years of leadership, advocacy and stewardship of the best codes and standards in the world,” Panelli said. “This week we recognized that access to clean water, effective sanitation and safe buildings is a fundamental right, and we all deserve a safe environment in which to live, learn, work and play.”

The conference was sponsored by California State Pipe Trades Council; Rainwater Management Solutions, Inc.; Plastic Pipe Institute; Watts Water Technologies; District Council 16; NITC; UA Plumbers Local Union 78; Plumbers Local 68; Southern Nevada IAPMO Chapter; South Jersey Mechanical Contractors Association; UA Local 398; Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 9; TLD Timelockdocs; California Central Chapter of IAPMO; 1^st Tee; Western States Pipe Trades Council; American Water Works Association; American Society of Plumbing Engineers; and PHCC.

During the conference’s opening session, IAPMO honored numerous individuals with awards recognizing unique contributions and long-standing support from members and industry allies. The awards and their recipients include:

• IWSH Award: Sam Woolsey, Woolsey Plumbing and Heating, UA Local 400
• Legislator of the Year: Iowa State Rep. Jane Bloomingdale
• President’s Green Oval: Jeremy Diaz, UA Local 78 business manager
• Joseph Kneidinger Sustainability Professional of the Year: David Crawford, founder and CEO of Rainwater Management Systems
• American Flag Award: Bruce Pfeiffer, city of Topeka chief plumbing inspector (posthumously)
• Bruce Pfeiffer Committee Member of the Year: Dan Rademacher, Viega Trades Education Network program manager
• Industry Person of the Year: Mike Hartley, California State Pipe Trades Council executive director
• Government Person of the Year: Steve Hart, Seattle and unincorporated King County chief plumbing inspector
• George Kauffman Lifetime Achievement Award: Marty Cooper, retired Foster City, California, chief building official
• IAPMO Fellows: Gary Boyle, Kika Bukoski, Aaron Stockwell, Dan O’Gorman, Ronnie Barbarulo, Ray Keeley, Mark Howard, Craig Loeffler, and Marty Cooper

Winners of the 14th IWSH Scholarship Essay Competition were announced. First prize was awarded to Ava Hartman, North Carolina State University, and three runners-up were Samantha Eberl, University of British Columbia; Hannah Gilmore, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Stella Wang, Markville Secondary School.

IAPMO’s 96th annual Education and Business Conference will be held in Palm Springs, California, Sept. 14-18, 2025.