Schedule of InterNACHI Convention Cafe speakers (note: this is not the educators schedule)

NOTE: This is NOT the education schedule. For the education schedule visit http://www.nachiconvention.com/schedule.php

Sunday, February 5, 2006
Date/Time	Speaker	Subject
Sunday, February 5, 2006 9:00am	Nick Gromicko, InterNACHI's Founder
Sunday, February 5, 2006 9:00am - 10:00am	Dr. Bill C. Merrell, Owner and Director of the Merrell Institute	Keynote Speaker What your inspection school never told you. Emphasis will be on the difficulty and endurance necessary to break into the home inspection business. Rewarding...yes; Difficult...yes; Impossible to enter the business...no. He remembers being asked to omit items on a report, with a promise of more work, and being told that if he did not "play ball" he would not be able to earn a living in this field. He found that was not true, but for some heI can understand how it would be a real temptation. Sometimes doing the right thing might be tough, but in the long run doing the right thing is the only way to do business. Now with licensing about to enter many inspectors lives, it is important, more now than ever, to make sure that everything performed is within the guidelines of your association's standards of practice. Bill C. Merrell, Ph.D., is the Owner and School Director of both the Merrell Institute and the Appraisal Education Network School. He has been approved to teach in New York State for over 25 years and has developed and written over 70 courses which are currently approved for use in New York State. These include courses in real estate, environmental issues, inspection and appraisal, as well as courses that deal with state and federal agencies' guidelines, including HUD, FNMA, USPAP, and REIT. In addition to writing courses for the Merrell Institute, Dr. Merrell developed courses for New York Institute of Technology, multiple real estate schools and real estate related associations during his educational career. He also writes a monthly article for the Long Island Home Corner which has a circulation of approximately 350,000 homes and has written over a dozen articles for Suffolk Life Newspapers which has a circulation exceeding 1/2 million homes per week. Dr. Merrell's background includes real estate brokerage, mortgage finance, general certified appraising, home inspecting and obviously education. For the last several years, his focus has been on education and courses/programs created in these fields.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:00am - 10:30am	Break
Sunday, February 5, 2006 10:30am - 11:30am	Carlos Bauta and Dennis DeMarco of Integrated Business Solutions Worldwide	Power of WOW! To become the “Best of Class” professional home inspector in your marketplace, to maximize your income potential and to build your business with less hassle you need to focus on what you do best - Inspection Services, not waste time doing all the “other stuff” that can be done more efficiently with outsourced services and technology. Learn how The Power of WOW! will help you generate more inspections, and more income, every week in 2006.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 11:30am - 12:00pm	Break
Sunday, February 5, 2006 12:00pm - 1:00pm	Brian Kraff of Market Hardware	How to land more business from your website. This discussion will provide an overview of how to build, maintain and market a professional inspection website. Credibility, marketability, and search engine marketing are some of the topics to be covered. Brian will show you how other inspectors are using the web to get 5-10 extra jobs a week.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 1:00pm - 1:30pm	Break
Sunday, February 5, 2006 1:30pm - 3:00pm	Dr. Keith Swift, President of Porter Valley Software	Advanced Communication and how to Avoid Litigation. This seminar will include an entertaining and informative Power-Point presentation and conclude with a period of questions and answers. Mr. Swift is the President of Porter Valley Software and a licensed general contractor, with a PhD in English. He has been inspecting properties for more than eighteen years and during that time he has accumulated a wealth of practical experience. In addition, he has published numerous articles on the subject of avoiding litigation and has shared his knowledge with other inspectors at conferences and seminars throughout the United States and Canada.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 3:00pm - 3:30pm	Break
Sunday, February 5, 2006 3:30pm - 4:30pm	Russell Barry Hollingsworth of America's Recovery Network, Leak Eliminators and the Law Firm of James E. Sacks-Wilner, Inc. DBA Debt Collection, Inc.	Debt Collection and Recovery Solutions. Learn about bankruptcy laws, property management laws, landlord laws, liens, laws on check acceptance for home inspections, "float time" on checks from a debtor to a creditor and how to write a letter that will get the attention of those who owe you money. Also discussed will be how to get your company a credit profile, the advantages of being a D.B.A., an LLC, a sub chapter S corporation, a sub chapter C corporation, what the liabilities are and what the benefits are of being listed as a company instead of using your personal credit history for your home inspection business. Mr. Hollingsworth is Vice President of America's Recovery Network and Chairman of InterNACHI's Sewer Lateral Repair Replacement Board.
Sunday, February 6, 2006 4:30pm - 5:00pm	Break
Sunday, February 6, 2006 5:00pm - 6:00pm	Carlos Bauta and Dennis DeMarco of Integrated Business Solutions Worldwide	Power of WOW! To become the “Best of Class” professional home inspector in your marketplace, to maximize your income potential and to build your business with less hassle you need to focus on what you do best - Inspection Services, not waste time doing all the “other stuff” that can be done more efficiently with outsourced services and technology. Learn how The Power of WOW! will help you generate more inspections, and more income, every week in 2006.
Monday, February 6, 2006
Date/Time	Speaker	Subject
Monday, February 6, 2006 9:00am - 9:45am	Carlos Bauta and Dennis DeMarco of Integrated Business Solutions Worldwide	Power of WOW! To become the “Best of Class” professional home inspector in your marketplace, to maximize your income potential and to build your business with less hassle you need to focus on what you do best - Inspection Services, not waste time doing all the “other stuff” that can be done more efficiently with outsourced services and technology. Learn how The Power of WOW! will help you generate more inspections, and more income, every week in 2006.
Monday, February 6, 2006 9:45am - 10:00am	Break
Monday, February 6, 2006 10:00am - 11:00am	Jim Gallant, Co-Founder of ReportHost	Leverage the Internet to Increase Your Business and to Reduce Your Costs and Liability. We will show you proven techniques using email and ReportHost, the internet-based report writing service, to reduce software, printing and faxing costs. We will also show you how to verifiably deliver pre-inspection contracts and produce reports that are guaranteed to increase your business. Mr. Gallant is a Co-Founder of ReportHost, the premiere internet-based report writing service for home inspectors, and the owner of All Point Home Inspections in Poulsbo, WA.
Monday, February 6, 2006 11:00am - 11:30am	Break
Monday, February 6, 2006 11:30am - 12:00pm	Kathleen A. Kuhn, President & CEO of HouseMaster	Home Inspection Franchising: How it started and where it is going. As President & CEO of HouseMaster, Ms. Kuhn is the only woman in this position in the industry and feels that she "grew up with the home inspection industry". She has seen first-hand the evolution of the industry, from the days in the late 1970s when home inspections were ignored by homebuyers and viewed with skepticism by realtors, to the present when a home inspection is considered a vital facet of the home buying/selling transaction. Having started a franchise herself in 1985, she learned the business from the ground up. In 1989, in addition to her franchise, she took over the operation of HouseMaster's largest franchise - AMC in New Jersey - for several years. Ms. Kuhn graduated from Montclair State University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in quantitative analysis and marketing. In 1985, she left a field marketing position with AT&T to join HouseMaster. Following ten years of field office and sales experience, she was promoted to a headquarters management position. In 1985, she was appointed Vice President of Marketing and named CEO in 2000. In October 2002, she added President to her current CEO title. In January 2003, Ms. Kuhn became a founding member of the American Home Inspection Association (AHIA). Ms. Kuhn has been interviewed by national magazines, daily newspapers and radio programs. She has also appeared on television, including Good Housekeeping TV, NBC's Today and CNN.
Monday, February 6, 2006 12:00pm - 12:30pm	Break
Monday, February 6, 2006 12:30pm - 2:00pm	Robert W. Pearson of Allen Insurance Group	Managing and minimizing your risk as a home inspector. This presentation details historical claims information, claim development, what causes claims, samples of claims, the 3 w's and report writing and an open discussion. Mr. Pearson's previous experience as a home inspector gives him a unique perspective in dealing with home inspector insurance. He started his first inspection business in 1985 and since 1992 has been the manager of Allen Insurance Group's program along with maintaining a home inspection business on the side. He retired as an active inspector in 2000. He has a home building business with his son in Minnesota and is an owner and manager of Allen Home Warranty Group. Mr. Pearson has written many articles on claims management and report writing and is considered to be the foremost expert on home inspector insurance.
Monday, February 6, 2006 2:00pm - 2:30pm	Break
Monday, February 6, 2006 2:30pm - 3:30pm	Roberta Dulay, InterNACHI's Director of eServices	Building your web site for the best search engine results. Your home inspection business web site can't bring you the business if it can't be found on Google and the other search engines. Here's how to build a search-engine friendly web site and how to get the search engines to index your site and put it on the top of their search results. Ms. Dulay has over 9 years experience with search engine optimization and online marketing. She will be also teaching a hands-on class on web site building for home inspectors. Ms. Dulay is also the owner and chief technologist of Grassfrog Technologies, a company that provides free report hosting (www.ReportUpload.com), free search engine optimization, and content-rich home inspection web sites for InterNACHI members for only $75 plus hosting. Visit www.homeinspectionwebsite.com for more information.
Monday, February 6, 2006 3:30pm - 4:00pm	Break
Monday, February 6, 2006 4:00pm - 5:00pm	Carlos Bauta and Dennis DeMarco of Integrated Business Solutions Worldwide	Power of WOW! To become the “Best of Class” professional home inspector in your marketplace, to maximize your income potential and to build your business with less hassle you need to focus on what you do best - Inspection Services, not waste time doing all the “other stuff” that can be done more efficiently with outsourced services and technology. Learn how The Power of WOW! will help you generate more inspections, and more income, every week in 2006.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Date/Time	Speaker	Subject
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 9:00am - 11:00am
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 11:00am - 11:30am	Break
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 11:30am - 12:30pm	Valerie Brodeur of Aerotech P&K Laboratories	Mold Inspections: Standards and Certifications 1. Unification of IAQA, IESO and AmIAQ: What each will do and how they fit in with groups such as InterNACHI 2. IESO standards: Overview, Development, and Moving Forward 3. CRMI program: History, Future, How to sign up Ms. Brodeur has over five years of analytical laboratory experience which includes environmental chemistry analysis, indoor air quality analysis and two years of project management experience. She is involved with several organizations including the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), the American Indoor Air Quality Council (AmIAQ), and the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO). Ms. Brodeur is a Certified Residential Mold Inspector (CRMI) and a Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE). She has been a trainer for the CRMI program through the Aerotech Technical Institute since 2004. With her background in microbiology and project management, Ms. Brodeur opened and managed the first successful Aerotech P&K service center in Tampa, FL. Ms. Brodeur holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Arizona State University.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 12:30pm - 1:00pm	Break
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 1:00pm - 2:30pm	Rick Bates, CCI, CEI, REEW, RIAQM of Environmental Education Foundation	What Every Home Inspector Needs to Know About Indoor Air Quality. A past, present, and future perspective on indoor air quality and how the home inspector is directly and indirectly impacted. The top (10) IAQ issues facing home inspectors will be identified. Points of interest that all home inspectors must be aware of to provide minimum levels of service while reducing the potential for litigation will be described in detail. This presentation is packed with useful information for the inspection professional with regards to offering profitable IAQ services and avoiding lawsuits. Components of the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor Air Quality Building Education and Assessment Model (I-BEAM) training will be introduced. Mr. Bates is Corporate President of Bates Consulting, Inc., which he founded in 1987. He has performed over 8,000 structural, mechanical & environmental inspections in the past 18 years. He is a Certified Construction Inspector, Certified Environmental Inspector, Registered Environmental Expert Witness and a Registered Indoor Air Quality Manager. Mr. Bates is approved as an expert litigation witness in structural, mechanical and environmental cases. He is the past National President of the Housing Inspection Foundation, past President of the International Environmental Assessment Association and presently the President of the International Environmental Education Foundation. Mr. Bates is the author of (6) inspection training manuals and numerous inspector training courses. He conducts both live and internet based seminars and training courses across North America.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 2:30pm - 3:00pm	Break
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 3:00pm - 4:00pm	Chris Uhland, CEO of SkyeTec	Water Intrusion and Mold Intrusion: A Basic, Step-by-Step Process. This course is designed to break-down the confusing elements of Mold and Water Intrusion into a fundamental response process for the builder or home inspector. In outlining the appropriate steps the builder can build a documentation trail and expectation of closure on an issue that currently creates confusion and fear. The course will outline specifically the personnel, the actions, the communication processes and the documentation processes necessary to appropriately identify and respond to Water Intrusion and Mold concerns. In addition, the course will educate the attendee on the proper way to communicate their activities and the results of their activities with the owner or occupant of the building in question. All of which brings all parties to a collective place of closure. CEO and cofounder of SkyeTec, Mr. Uhland gained 15 years of documentation and protocol experience in environmental and healthcare industries before co-founding SkyeTec in 1999. Since 1999, SkyeTec’s services have grown to include, among other services, the SkyeTec Certification Program to validate builders’ best practices, limit their liability, educate their staffs and homeowners in indoor environmental issue prevention, and offer them online resource management tools. Currently, SkyeTec is the fastest growing, privately-held company in Northeast Florida and has become the benchmark for the indoor environmental industry.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 4:00pm - 6:00pm		In keeping with the InterNACHI mission of providing innovative solutions through our programs, education, and assistance, we are pleased to announce our partnership with SkyeTec and encourage you to attend an informational session on Tuesday, February 7 at 4:00pm at the InterNACHI Convention. This unique relationship addresses the need to support the growing demand in the real estate market for inspections and certification regarding moisture intrusion and mold. Executives from SkyeTec will be presenting information for business opportunities for our membership in the insurance, new construction and real estate sales industries. If you are interested in expanding your service offerings, you must attend this meeting or visit the SkyeTec exhibit at booth #106 at the convention. For information on SkyeTec you may visit their their website www.skyetec.com