ASSE Seeks Working Group Members for Development of Professional Qualifications National Standard
ASSE International is seeking working group members to support the update of ASSE 19000, Hydronic Systems Professional Qualifications Standard.
PRESS RELEASE
IAPMO Elects Stettler President, Advances 2027 Uniform Codes at 2025 Annual Education and Business Conference
Palm Springs, California — IAPMO®, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, last week conducted its 2025 annual Education and Business Conference at the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel. The event was co-located with ASSE International’s Annual Meeting and ARCSA International’s Annual Conference.
Jeremy Stettler, coordinator/inspector, Davis School District, Clearfield, Utah, and Brian Hamner, senior plumbing inspector, city of Des Moines, Iowa, were elected president and vice president, respectively. Keith Bonenfant, California Department of General Services plumbing and mechanical inspector, was appointed secretary/treasurer. Tamara Kuykendall, Mechanical Plumbing Bureau chief, New Mexico Construction Industries Division; Brad Elliott, combination plans examiner, city of Las Vegas; Steve Fernlund, St. Paul, Minnesota, Department of Safety and Inspections plumbing inspector; and Rick Moreno, Astro Mechanical Contractors, Inc., president, were elected as directors.
Wyatt Stiles, UA Local 398 organizer, served as conference host and Jaime Valdivia, UA Local 398 president, served as conference chair.
“This year’s conference was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do,” said Steve Panelli, IAPMO immediate past president. “Bringing together professionals from across the industry to share knowledge, celebrate achievements, and reinforce our commitment to public health and safety is what makes this association so vital. As we approach our centennial, our focus remains clear — building a future rooted in collaboration, innovation, and integrity.”
Development of the 2027 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and 2027 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®) was advanced during the Association Technical Meeting Convention, part of IAPMO’s ANSI-accredited consensus code development process.
The conference was sponsored by the California State Pipe Trades Council; Codez-N-Spexs; Hawaii Local 675; NITC; PHCC of California; Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 9; Plumbers Local 68; Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 447; South Jersey Mechanical Contractors; Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16; Time Lock Documentation, LLC; UA Local 78; UA Local Union 322; UA Local 398; Watts Water Technologies; Western States Pipe Trades.
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: Dr. Bonifacio Magtibay, technical officer for Environmental and Occupational Health at the World Health Organization’s Philippines Country Office, and Shane DeLong, master plumber in Oregon and North Dakota and member of UA Local Union 290
- Legislator of the Year: Massachusetts State Rep. Tackey Chan
- President’s Green Oval: Doug Marian, retired Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16 assistant business manager
- Joseph Kneidinger Sustainability Professional of the Year: Billy Smith, ASPE executive director/CEO
- Bruce Pfeiffer Committee Member of the Year: Dan Daniels, retired chief plumbing inspector, Pueblo, Colorado
- Industry Person of the Year: Robert “Chap” Thornton, UA Local 286 business manager and financial secretary-treasurer
- Government Person of the Year: Robert Gray, chief building official, Los Gatos, California
- George Kauffman Lifetime Achievement Award: Phil Ribbs, retired chief plumbing, mechanical and electrical inspector, city of San Jose, California
- IAPMO Fellows: Ron Bauer, Tom Bigley, Charlie Campbell, John Clark, Rick Coffman, Bill Guthrie, Bill Hoffman, Jesse Kealy, Shayne LaCombre, Brian Rogers, Earl Setches and Echo Svoboda
Winners of the 15th IWSH Scholarship Essay Competition were announced. First prize was awarded to Saba Ahmed, Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the three runners-up were Rifah Maulidya, University of Indiana, in Bloomington, Indiana; Hannah Schaeffer, Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada; and Sakethram Ramakrishnan, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
IAPMO’s 2026 Annual Education and Business Conference, celebrating the association’s 100th anniversary, will be held in the city in which it was founded in 1926, Los Angeles, Sept. 13-17, 2026.
IWSH Releases 2025 Impact Report Highlighting Global Plumbing Projects Across Four Continents
The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH®), the public charity of IAPMO, has released its 2025 Impact Report. The report highlights how targeted plumbing projects helped improve health, safety, and daily life for more than 5,000 individuals across five countries.
ASSE Seeks Working Group Members for Development of ASSE 18000 Professional Qualifications Standard
ASSE International is seeking subject matter experts and industry stakeholders to participate in a working group for the development of a proposed new professional qualification standard: ASSE 18000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Fuel Gas Systems and Equipment Installers and Repairers.