Flooring Expert Witness

Expert Witness No.132

California

Areas Of Expertise

All floor covering products
Installation
Bonding Agents
Specification procedures
Construction of sub-floors
Toxins associated to floors
Standards of practice in the floor covering industry
Management Responsibilities in Public Facilities

Formal Education

Dorsey High School- Science
Los Angeles City College
Northridge State College.- Industrial Psychology

Specialty Training

Institute of Real Estate Management
Mohasco Research and Development School
Armstrong Training School
Individual Specialized Manufacturer's Training
California Department of Consumer Affairs Expert's training program

Experience

While in college in 1964, he worked as a construction project manager, and was moved to the Commercial Real Estate Management department.  In 1969 he was the Director of Daily Apartment Operations for Urbanetics Financial Corporation, and managed several thousand apartment units in the Southwest, handling interior build-outs.  In 1970, he was Director of Property Management for the Heritage Group.

In 1972, Expert 132 went to work for Irving C. Rubin & Associates, a company that provided commercial floor covering to real estate managers. In 1976 he began his own chain of commercial floor covering outlets and became a licensed floor-covering contractor in the California.

Over the next two years he was trained in fabrication and installation of all types of flooring materials. In 1978, Dupont Chemical sent him to seminars around the country to be trained in the use and specification of fiber systems. Specialty floor covering material manufacturers sent instructors to him to provide individual training for products such as, linoleum, cork, rubber, wood, vinyl, epoxy, and stone.

This training allowed him to train his sales and installation staff. His firm sold and installed over 5,000,000-sq. ft. of specialty products, for use in athletic facilities, schools, restaurants, factories, airports and hospitals.

In 1977, Expert 132 joined the faculty at Ambassador College and taught classes in textile specification for real estate managers. He began teaching this same course for the National Boards of Realtors as part of their Professional Property Manager's certification, and The National Apartment Owners Association's "Certified Managers Program".

Expert 132 has published several articles on floor covering specification in national trade publications such as The Journal of Property Management. He also writes articles pertaining to the specification of floor covering and site conditions for architectural publications.

Dupont enlisted him into their advisory counsel, made up of eight qualified contractors, where he was asked to confer with other floor covering contractors when they needed advice. In 1980 Expert 132 opened the "Design Resource Center" in Van Nuys California, where he taught classes in materials specification to Interior Designers and Architects. In 1984 he opened Interior Specifications, a consulting and management company to service the design and construction community.

Expert 132 was first certified as a competent expert in the field of commercial floor covering by the Los Angeles County Courts in 1979. He has testified numerous times as both a plaintiff's and defense expert witness. In 1993 the California Department of Consumer Affairs certified him as a floor-covering expert. Today Expert 132 is part of their experts program, and acts as an investigator and mediator in contractor disputes.

His list of references is very long. Expert 132 has consulted for many major educational institutions, medical facilities, and public transportation facilities. He recently completed studies for UCLA, USC, Cedar Sinai Hospital of Los Angeles, and Pasadena-Glendale-Burbank Airport, and Baltimore Washington International Airport.

Expert 132 has conducted studies on site suitability for specialty flooring products for all types of public facilities. He is the floor-covering advisor, and member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles chapter, as well as the National Director of Marketing, for the Society of American Registered Architects. He teaches continuing education courses for A.I.A. and SARA, as well as writes instructional and editorial columns for their national publications. Also, he conducts symposiums for AIA and SARA on concrete additives and moisture vapor, in preparation for floor covering and the "Standard of Practice for the Flooring Industry".

In 1996 Expert 132 was accepted as a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners, and subsequently past the peer review and became a Diplomate of The American Board of Forensic Examiners. On April 1, 1999 he became a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology.

His certification is specialized to all matters pertaining to floors and their function in as part of a system. Subsequently, he has conducted investigations for several private companies, individuals and public agencies. He investigates cases involving toxic fumes toxic mold, premises liability, product liability, installation, industry standards of care involving the National Codes of Safety, and the Uniform Commercial Code, The American With Disabilities Act, and the California Code of Regulations.

In August of 2002, Expert 132 prepared a course text and was certified by the California Bar Association to provide Continuing Education, on all litigation matters pertaining to floors, premises liability, and toxins.

Credentials

California Bar Association Certified- MCLE - Provider
Diplomate American Board of Forensic Examiners
Diplomate American Board of Forensic Engineers And Technologists
Certified Property Manager (Qualified)
California Contractors License
California Department Consumer Affairs Expert

Teaching Positions

Ambassador College
National Board of Realtors
National Apartment Owners Association
The Design Resource Center
West Los Angeles City College
University Nevada Las Vegas, School of Architecture

Lecturing Bodies

Society of American Registered Architects
American Institute of Architecture
City of Las Vegas, Public Planning

Publications

Available upon request