Wisconsin Commercial Building Code Refresher

Mark your calendars to attend this event from February 20-22, 2023 in Madison, WI at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall. The full daily schedule with topics and speakers has been confirmed! Agenda has been posted below under Course Outline.

What is the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code Refresher?

This annual event has been a valuable forum for professionals from many disciplines since its inception. Get current information to understand and use the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code in your work. This conference will be beneficial to architects, engineers, trade professionals, inspectors, and many others who use the Commercial Building Code in their careers.

Stay Current on the Codes

Learn best practices for implementing the Commercial Building Code on your projects! Wisconsin is currently using the 2015 International Building Codes, with amendments. Learn from nationally-recognized International Code Council (ICC) instructors about the 2015 codes and hear expert advice from Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services staff that will improve your buildings and help make your plan submittal reviews smooth and successful. 

This refresher is designed specifically for people who design, construct, maintain or inspect commercial buildings in Wisconsin. Attendees include:

• Architects
• Planners
• Engineers
• Builders
• Code officials

Save When You Register for Multiple Days

The 2023 daily session topics and speakers are posted under Course Outline. Choose the days and sessions that best fit your needs. You can enroll in 1 day for $295, 2 days for $495, or all 3 days for $695—a savings of $190. The 2023 conference will take place in person from February 20-22, 2023 in Madison WI at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall. 

Choose and Move Between Sessions

When you register, you’ll be asked to select the breakout sessions you plan to attend. What if you change your mind later? No problem—you can move between sessions to maximize your learning.

Conference Website

When you register, we’ll email you a link to set up your access to the conference website. Download conference materials, print your certificate, view agendas and speaker biographies, and more. Presentation handouts will be posted to the website during the week before the conference in a printable PDF format. Printed presentations will not be provided at the conference. Note: Please be sure to register with an email address that you use regularly. If you set up a UW "NetID" login name for the conference last year, or for any other past online UW course, you can reuse the same NetID for this year.

Attend the Ethics Session Monday or Tuesday

Need to meet your two-hour ethics requirement for PE license renewal? You’ll have two opportunities to attend the next ethics workshop on Monday or Tuesday afternoon. Note: You must sign in at the workshop in-person to receive credit.

Earn Continuing Education Credits (CEU, PDH, AIA)

Earn 6 professional development hours (PDH), 0.6 continuing education units (CEU), or 6 AIA Learning Units (LU/HSW) for each day that you attend—up to a maximum of 18 PDH, 1.8 CEU, 18 LU/HSW. Your certificate, which will show your hours, can be printed from the conference website at the end of each day you attend.

2023 Daily Agenda

2023 Daily Sessions with Descriptions

2023 DSPS License Approvals

Joy Altwies

Joy Altwies, PhD, PE, LEED AP+, is a program director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Interdisciplinary Professional Programs. Since 2004, Dr. Altwies has developed and taught continuing education courses emphasizing high performance building design and construction, mechanical system design and operation, energy efficiency, and commissioning.  She is also program director of the Master of Sustainable Systems Engineering (SSE) degree program and an instructor of two graduate courses in the program.

Jeff Boldt

Jeff Boldt, PE, FPE, FASHRAE, LEED^® AP, HBDP

Jeff is a Managing Principal and the Director of Innovation and Quality at IMEG in Middleton Wisconsin, a 1,300+ person firm.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer with 40 years’ experience in HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and acoustical design.  He has served as Project Manager and Design Engineer on many award-winning projects; including the Agronomy Laboratory, which won the ASHRAE International Technology Award for the best HVAC design of the year and appeared on the cover of the ASHRAE Journal. 

Jeff is an ASHRAE Fellow, and chairs the Mechanical Subcommittee of the ASHRAE’s 90.1 Energy Standard and the working groups dealing with Hydronics, Elevators/Escalators, and Duct System Leakage.  Jeff is also a member of ASHRAE Guideline 36 (Standardized Control Sequences), SPC-215 (Duct Leakage), TC 8.6 - Cooling Towers, and TC 3.6 - Water Treatment.  Jeff is LEED^AP accredited and received ASHRAE’s High-performance Building Design Professional accreditation.

Randall Dahmen

Randall R. Dahmen, PE, is an advanced engineering consultant in the Division of Industry Services (formally the Division of Safety and Buildings) of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. A Wisconsin registered professional engineer as well as licensed commercial building and UDC HVAC inspector, Dahmen has been employed by the Division since 1995. Prior to that he was a private sector project engineer involved in the design, fabrication, testing, field installation, and troubleshooting of various types of HVAC equipment. Dahmen was a finalist for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jeffrey Johnson Award for his energy conservation efforts.

Laura Grossenbacher

Laura Grossenbacher, PhD, is the Director of the Technical Communication Program in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been teaching courses in engineering communication for over twenty years. Dr. Grossenbacher has been an active member of the Association for Practical and Profession Ethics, serving as a judge at the National Ethics Bowl Intercollegiate Competition for several years. She has served a three-year rotation as an NSF proposal reviewer for the Ethics in Engineering and Science Education panel, and actively develops cases for her undergraduate capstone course, Contemporary Issues in International Engineering.

Dan Hatch

Dan is a registered architect and joined the DHS DQA Office of Plan Review and Inspection as a plans examiner, inspector, and surveyor in 2019. Prior to joining DHS, he was a commercial building plans examiner with the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) and a Plan Review Manager with the third-party building services provider, SAFEbuilt.  Dan earned both a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati, as well as a Professional Certificate of Sustainability from the Ecosa Institute in Precott, Arizona. He has practiced architecture in a wide variety of roles in Chicago, San Francisco, London UK, and throughout the Midwest. Dan lives in Green Bay with his wife, 2 daughters, and a variety if animals.  Only the dog listens to him.

Steve Kismohr

Steve Kismohr is an architect who brings diverse perspectives to DQA's Office of Plan Review and Construction.  He is a skilled team builder, collaborating with multidisciplinary project teams in the design and construction industries for over 20 years.  As a recognized expert within the sustainability and building code compliance communities, he has presented to audiences as near as the Wisconsin Dells and as far away as Australia.  Steve has the knowledge to dive deep into the technical analysis of building codes, but the understanding to explain the outcomes in ordinary language.

Jack Miller

Mr. Miller graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in December 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering – with a structural emphasis.  He previously had worked for Morton Buildings, Inc. submitting plans for almost four years in the engineering & design department.  He has worked as a commercial building plan examiner for the State of Wisconsin since 1989 in the Hayward & La Crosse offices.  He also reviews new products for approval, as well as duties in telephone consultation & BldgTech group e-mail box.

Victor Nino

Victor G. Niño, Ph.D. PE is the Director of Business Development for Build Equinox, supporting the team strengthening their positioning as fresh air technology leaders in the residential market, and expanding their reach to the commercial and multi-family building market. He is also the founder of EcoBalance Technologies, a global engineering firm implementing technologies decarbonizing communities, buildings and agro-industrial processes. He holds both a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Victor has more than 20 years of industrial experience in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) field. As a senior research engineer, he developed new heat exchanger technology for air-conditioning systems using natural refrigerants (very low global warming potential). As an engineering manager, he led a global team of engineers using Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software to speed up commercialization of heat transfer products and systems. He is a member of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and currently serving as the Government Affairs Committee Chair of the ASHRAE Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chapter. He was recently appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) to be part of the Advisory Council on Building Sustainability for Wisconsin. Victor teaches HVAC Fundamentals at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuous Education program.

Brian Rausch

Brian is a graduate of Milwaukee School of Engineering with a degree in architectural engineering.  He has been the department’s elevator code consultant and reviewer of elevator plans and petitions for variance since 1997.  Before joining Commerce/DSPS he worked in the HVAC design and consulting field.  He is involved in developing the program’s website articles, forms, exams and training,  He is a non-voting member of the conveyance safety code council.

David Soens

Dave is the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' fire authority, physical environment technical consultant, federal surveyor, state building inspector, and liaison to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). He previously served as the director of the Department’s state-wide engineering construction and survey team for hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living providers. He continues to serve as an active member of ASHE, NFPA, FGI, and WHEA. A licensed professional as both an engineer and architect, he continues to serve the overall building industry in both the private and public sectors for over 25 years.

Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf has 36+ years of experience with the Greenheck Group, a leading manufacturer of HVAC equipment.  Having held positions in engineering, sales, marketing, software development, and general management, Mr. Wolf has a solid foundation for understanding the impact policy, legislation and regulations can have on businesses and the markets served by those businesses.  Mr. Wolf is active in the development of test standards, codes and programs with industry trade associations, government agencies, REEOs, and related consultants.  Examples include ASHRAE, AMCA, AHRI, HVI, NAM, NFPA, ICC, UL, ISO, CEC, DOE, NEEA, PG&E, ASAP, 2050 Partners, LBNL, Cadeo Group, Energy Solutions, Guidehouse, et al.  Mr. Wolf participated on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Working Group responsible for developing recommendations on Commercial and Industrial Fan and Blower Energy Regulation.  Mr. Wolf is also a past U.S. Secretary of Energy appointee to the Department of Energy’s Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC).  Mr. Wolf holds an engineering degree from U.W. Madison and is a Licensed Professional Engineer.

Jay Woodward

Jay is a Senior Staff Architect with ICC’s Business and Product Development department and works out of the Lenexa, Kansas Distribution Center. His primary responsibility is the development of new ICC publications and instructing seminars. Among the publications he has authored or co-authored are the Significant Changes books on the IBC, IMC and A117.1 standard, and the recent ICC book Firestopping, Joint Systems and Dampers.

With over 30 years of experience in building design, construction, code enforcement and instruction, Jay’s experience provides him with the ability to communicate effectively on issues of code application and design for code enforcement personnel as well as architects and designers. Jay has previously served as the secretariat for the ICC A117.1 standard committee, ICC’s Energy Conservation Code and the International Building Code’s Fire Safety Code Development committee.

Jennifer Zettler

Ms. Zettler graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA and M. Arch. She is a licensed architect in Wisconsin and Minnesota and maintains a LEED-AP certification. Additionally, she is a licensed commercial building inspector and UDC inspector (construction, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing) for the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. Prior to work with the Department, she was a project architect working in the private sector. Ms. Zettler has been employed by the Division of Industry Services since 2017, starting as a UDC Consultant before transferring to her current role as a commercial building plan reviewer.