IAPMO, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, last week conducted its 2026 annual Education and Business Conference at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, concluding the association’s yearlong celebration of its founding 100 years ago in the City of Angels.

Jeremy Stettler, coordinator/inspector, Davis School District, Clearfield, Utah, and Brian Hamner, senior plumbing inspector, city of Des Moines, Iowa, were re-elected president and vice president, respectively. Carlos Flores, division manager of Plumbing Inspections for the city of Houston, was appointed secretary/treasurer. David Gordon, senior plumbing inspector for the city and county of San Francisco;Armando Pulido, senior plumbing inspector for the city of Los Angeles; S.J. Peters, executive director of the Plumbing Contractors Association (PCA) of Greater Chicago; and Samuel Santos, inspector for the city of Houston, were elected as directors.

Preston Riehl, CEO of the A&J Training Trust, served as conference host and Laura Ceja, UA National Recruitment and Outreach coordinator, served as conference chair. Judaline Cassidy, New York City plumber and founder of Tools & Tiaras, delivered the keynote address.

“Over the past year, I’ve had many opportunities to see firsthand how IAPMO continues to grow, but this centennial celebration has been an especially powerful reminder of just how strong this organization is because of what we have built together,” Stettler said. “I want to thank all those who came before us. Their dedication and hard work gave us the strong foundation we have today, and it is our responsibility to build on that foundation and continue moving IAPMO forward."

IAPMO celebrated its 100th anniversary by debuting historical videos, hosting panel discussions about the association’s past and future, introducing a hardbound history book, IAPMO: Our First 100 Years, and treating attendees to an evening event at Universal Studios Hollywood.

(View “Dear Stephen: IAPMO Celebrates 100 Years” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3H_CIxmqHc)

During the conference’s opening session, IAPMO honored numerous individuals with awards recognizing unique contributions and long-standing support from members and industry allies. The awards and their recipients include the following:

  •  IWSH Award: Mike Gordon, UA director of Canadian Training; Alanna Marklund, UA Canada special  representative for Youth, Diversity and Indigenous Relations; and Junitha Kgatla, a founding member of WASSUP — the Water and Sanitation Services Upgrade Program — in Diepsloot township, outside Johannesburg, South Africa (posthumously)
  • Policymaker of the Year: Jess Kramer, assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water
  • American Flag Award: Jay Chase, retired president, Muir-Chase Plumbing Co.
  • President’s Green Oval: Robert “Wayne” Lord, UA Local 68 business manager
  • Joseph Kneidinger Sustainability Professional of the Year: Markus Lenger, CleanBlu Inc. founder and CEO
  • Bruce Pfeiffer Committee Member of the Year: Travis Christensen, senior building inspector for Salt Lake City’s Department of Community & Neighborhoods
  • Government Person of the Year: Osama Younan, LADBS general manager and superintendent of Building
  • George Kauffman Lifetime Achievement Award: Jordan Krahenbuhl, PHCC of Nevada executive director
  • IAPMO Fellows: Dave Bishop, Keith Bonenfant, Ed Bowman, Andy Davie, Fernando Fernandez, Tom McCarthy, Kenneth McCorkle, David Nizborski, Dan Rademacher, Dave Svoboda, Kevin Tindall and Bill Venable

Winners of the 17th IWSH Scholarship Essay Competition were announced. First prize was awarded to Abdallah Mohamed Abd El Hady Hamed, Sharkya STEM School, Egypt; and the three runners-up were Ofentse Percy Mohloke, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Spencer Deprez, University of Alberta, Canada; and Latifat Oyiza Nasiru, Bayero University, Nigeria.

IAPMO’s 2027 Annual Education and Business Conference will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 27-30, 2027.