Client News: Wausau’s Steve Fronek, Lisa May and Tom Mifflin earn LEED Green Associate Certifications
Wausau Window and Wall Systems’ Steve Fronek, P.E., vice president of technical services; Lisa May, health care market manager; and Tom Mifflin, government market manager, successfully passed the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED®) Green Associate Certification.
As LEED Green Associates they share their knowledge in support of customers’ green building goals. Recent opportunities have included presentations and articles on daylighting, thermal performance, energy efficiency, curtainwall specifications, acoustic considerations for school designs, blast mitigation for high-security applications and creating safe, comfortable healing environments.
Fronek, May and Mifflin also meet with groups and publications connected to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and the USGBC. Wausau is a member of the USGBC, a frequent exhibitor at the national Greenbuild® International Conference and Expo, and an active participant in local USGBC chapters. Wausau encourages LEED education, certification and accreditation, and also welcomes visitors to its LEED Silver-certified, manufacturing center.
The LEED Green Associate credential, introduced in 2009, demonstrates comprehensive knowledge in green building and the LEED building rating system. It distinguishes individuals who support, but may not directly participate in, green building in their regular professional work. This credential is also a prerequisite to pursue the next tier of accreditation, LEED Accredited Professional with Specialty. For more information on the USGBC and LEED, please see USGBC.org and GBCI.org.
Steve Fronek, P.E., Vice President of Technical Services
As Wausau Window and Wall Systems’ vice president of technical services, Steve Fronek leads new product development, marketing, field service, technical support and general research for the company. He also serves as chairman on American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s (AAMA’s) Board of Directors and as chairman of AAMA’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Test Methods Task Group.
Fronek previously served in various capacities on more than 15 AAMA committees and task groups, contributing to the North American Fenestration Standard’s Joint Document Management Group, Green and Sustainability Committee, as well as guiding the evolution of thermal performance standards as they exist today.
In addition to his leadership within AAMA, Fronek represents Wausau’s membership in the USGBC and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s High-performance Building Façade Solutions’ Public Advisory Committee. He also develops and presents many continuing education programs approved by the AIA, such as “Understand U-Factors, “Daylighting and Integrated Façade Design” and “Window Selection for Sustainability and Long-Term Performance.”
Lisa May, Health Care Market Manager
Lisa May works with hospitals, medical centers, clinics and other health care facilities to offer technical assistance, sustainable design input, thermal modeling, detailing and specification review to design professionals nationwide. Recently, May has been helping facility designers and owners understand the importance operable windows can play in providing natural light and ventilation, as well as energy-efficiency and emergency ventilation for patient rooms in case of fire.
She also instructs architects and others in AIA/CSI-approved continuing education programs addressing thermal and acoustical performance, as well as window and curtainwall selection. As part of these educational programs, she shares Wausau’s project case studies, such as Johns Hopkins Hospital’s clinical building in Baltimore, Florida Villages Regional Hospital, University of Colorado’s newest medical research complex and Gateway Medical Center in Tennessee.
In addition to the presentations, May represents Wausau at associations and events such as Healthcare Design, Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo and the International Facility Management Association’s Health Care council.
Tom Mifflin, Governmental/Military Market Manager
Prior to joining Wausau in 1996, Tom Mifflin was a design engineer for a government subcontractor working on classified projects for the Naval Facilities Command. At Wausau, he has been involved with high-security and blast-mitigating window systems for new construction and renovation projects, such as Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and energy-improvement projects. He represents Wausau’s membership in Protective Glazing Council International.
In addition to security, net-zero energy goals, LEED certification and design-build methodologies are increasingly important to the government projects on which he works. Exemplifying all three of these aspects, Mifflin most recently was involved with the new Research Support Facility for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.
Frequently, Mifflin is called on to review blast hazard mitigating designs to create elegant, quiet, daylight-filled, environmentally responsible, cost-effective buildings that protect occupants without resembling the aesthetic of a concrete bunker. Examples include: Pacific Beacon Naval Base San Diego, Air National Guard facilities in North Dakota and Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania biocontainment facility and U.S. federal buildings in Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Virginia.
Mifflin draws from years of experience interpreting the government facility standards and security design criteria to ensure windows or curtainwall that are capable of meeting the specified level of protection. Addressing curtainwall and window wall for commercial applications, he was one of the first to earn Approved Calculation Entities (ACEs) certification through the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC). ACE-certified users analyze performance data for commercial fenestration energy ratings, which help meet design requirements in government facilities and other buildings.
To connect with Wauasu’s LEED Green Associates and learn more about the company’s green building support, please WausauWindow.com or call 877-678-2983.
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