Key Takeaways Mike ’s Background Over 40 years of Fire Protection Consulting Experience Studied Fire Protection and Safety Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology Labs were at Underwriters Laboratories Received an MBA from University of Houston Working at Rolf Jensen and Associates and then Jensen Hughes  Over 30 years  Involved in the code writing process and litigation support. Saw failures of passive systems Got involved with the healthcare industry and was part of committees related to life safety code. Dealt with Healthcare projects, finding ..read more

Key Takeaways Rich ’s Background Valparaiso University Grad, ,multi-Fraternity member  Always wanted to go into engineering Passion started in Junior High School when he modified a bike Originally wanted to be in mechanical engineering, pivoted to civil engineering.  Working at UL Had a friend who introduced him to the company.  Lab work/office work combo was appealing. Did not think of it at Life Safety or Fire Protection. Started in tunnel testing Moved over to fire-resistance group 43 years at UL Project Engineer Work  Interio ..read more

Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protec ..read more

The Burn: Beyond Firestop Hosted by John Zalepka Intro Welcome back to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I'm your host. John's Zalepka. Our show, if you're not aware is focused on life safety, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, also known as STI Firestop. Since 1990 STI has been a leadin ..read more

Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I'm your host, John Zalepka. Since this show is focused on life safety, I'm on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspectives. As the training and development manager at STI, it's part of my job to help people understand how fire stop fits into life safety, but we want to get beyond that. So our hope is that our audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to life safety of whatever is being built.  Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, al ..read more

The Burn takes a dive into the life safety and code requirements for compliance in modern construction.  If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to design, build or erect a super tall, or how manufacturers test their products to meet codes and standards... then you’ve come to the right place. We are going to be sitting down and picking the brains of thought leaders and subject matter experts at third-party testing agencies, building product manufacturers, architects, contractors, and of course the best of the best in the fire protection industry.  ..read more

Today’s guest is Chris Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at Jensen Hughes.  Key Takeaways Chris ’s Background Cornell University  Board member of the Bucks County Children’s Museum BucksKids.Org Started in Software and Information Technology Career evolved through sales, product management and marketing.  Exposed to Fire Protection Industry at Tyco.  Wanted to be an architect, was fascinated by the built environment.  Chief Commercial Officer Focus is on the growth side of the business. Sales, marketing & strategy.  Promote thought ..read more

Key Takeaways Luke’s Background Attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute  Time on the football team helped develop skills needed in the professional world.  Studied mechanical engineering System design engineer at Kidde-Fenwal, assessing explosion risk Went to Tyco and worked on the suppression side of the business Introduced to the lab and fire testing Patents  Developed and patented a mist fire protection system  Use less water than sprinkler  Joined business development role at Tyco as the first engineer brought it.  Combining ..read more

Today’s guest is Tom Hardiman, the official spokesperson for the modular construction industry.  Key Takeaways Tom ’s Background MBA from Marshall University  Had a passion for entrepreneurs and small business owners.  Director of the Associated Builders & Contractors  Modular Construction  Modular Construction is a process of constructing a building or home in an off-site factory in modules, transporting to the site and then assemble.  Shortened schedule with offsite construction. Allows you to have 2 sites going simultaneously.&n ..read more

Today’s guest is STI’s Director of Strategic Accounts, Eric Lacroix Key Takeaways Eric’s Background Born in Massachusetts, grew up in the Carolina’s, went to college at Umass Dartmouth and then moved back south to work for STI in the Carolinas.  Studied History at Umass Dartmouth, interested in going into Education Worked at a construction supply company while in College.  Background is in plumbing, but crossed over into FireStop and Fire Protection.  Path to STI Worked closely with STI as a distributer. Met VP of Sales, and eventually met others withi ..read more