2026 OAHE Fall Conference Agenda

Topic: How HVAC Cleaning Optimizes Energy, Airflow and IAQ for Facility Managers - Speaker: Colin Trudo 

SESSION DESCRIPTION 

The presentation explores how professional HVAC system cleaning can:

-Reduce fan energy consumption by up to 41-60%

-Improve supply airflow by 10-46%

-Extend equipment life and reduce occupant comfort complaints

-Support IAQ standards and compliance with NADCA's ACR and General Specification guidelines 

The presentation explores how professional HVAC system cleaning can:

-Reduce fan energy consumption by up to 41-60%

-Improve supply airflow by 10-46%

-Extend equipment life and reduce occupant comfort complaints

-Support IAQ standards and compliance with NADCA's ACR and General Specification guidelines 

Speaker Bio: Colin Trudo serves as the General Manager for Blackmon Mooring & BMS Cat's Charlotte location. He has been with the organization in various capacities since 2016. Colin is both ASCS and CVI certified and has served as an instructor for NADCA's ASCS training course. Currently he is Chair of NADCA's Education Committee and is an active volunteer and subject matter expert for many of NADCA's committees and task force groups.

Topic: Getting More From Your Disinfectant: Enhancing Chlorine-Based Biofilm and Legionella Control in Healthcare Water Systems

Speaker: Ron Major – Blue Earth Products Consultant

Session Description

Every water management program in a healthcare facility comes down to the same fight: controlling biofilm and the Legionella that live within it. Most facilities rely on chlorine-based disinfection to win that fight – but disinfectant alone often struggles to penetrate and break down established biofilm on plumbing surfaces. This session presents laboratory research showing that a deposit control treatment, Clearitas®, works synergistically with the chlorine-based disinfectants facilities already use, producing greater biofilm reduction at the same oxidant levels.

Clearitas has been used in the field to help remove biofilm from facility plumbing (Water Research Foundation, Project #4586), and in those same applications Legionella populations were frequently reduced as well. To understand why, we tested the hypothesis directly in the lab: does Clearitas improve the biofilm-removal performance of common disinfectants?

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how biofilm can harbor and protect Legionella within healthcare plumbing systems.
• Identify why maintaining a disinfectant residual alone may not effectively control established biofilm.
• Differentiate the disinfectant combinations that demonstrated synergistic biofilm reduction from those that did not.
• Apply the research findings when evaluating biofilm and Legionella control strategies for an ASHRAE 188-compliant water management program.

Speaker Bio: 

Ron Major is a water industry consultant with extensive experience in water treatment, chemical applications, filtration systems, and problem-solving for municipal and industrial water systems. He works with Blue Earth Products and has a strong interest in helping water professionals find practical, effective solutions to challenging water-quality and system-maintenance problems.

Ron is also actively involved in his local community and Hydro Methodist Church in Hydro, Oklahoma. His church involvement includes leadership, committee work, congregational care, and helping the church plan for its future.

Throughout his career and community service, Ron has valued practical experience, strong relationships, and helping others. Whether working with water professionals, serving his church, or helping people in his community, he believes in finding solutions, treating people fairly, and leaving things better than he found them.

Topic: Designing for Maintenance: How Early Decisions Impact Facility Operations for Decades

Speaker: Dwayne Robinett

Session Description: Every design decision made during the planning of a healthcare facility carries consequences that can last decades. Yet maintenance considerations are often introduced too late in the design process, or overlooked altogether, resulting in increased operational costs, difficult equipment access, shortened asset life, and unnecessary disruptions to patient care.

This session explores how architects, engineers, facility managers, and healthcare owners can work together during planning and design to create facilities that are easier, safer, and more cost-effective to maintain throughout their lifecycle. Participants will learn about common design challenges that create long-term maintenance burdens, discuss opportunities for improved collaboration between design teams and facility staff, and demonstrate how thoughtful planning can reduce lifecycle costs while improving reliability, safety, and operational resilience.

As healthcare systems continue to balance aging infrastructure, staffing shortages, and limited capital resources, designing with maintenance in mind has become essential, not only for protecting investments, but for ensuring healthcare environments remain functional, efficient, and supportive of uninterrupted patient care.

Learning Objectives:

+             Identify key design decisions that have the greatest long-term impact on facility maintenance, operational efficiency, and lifecycle costs.

+             Recognize how early collaboration between facility managers, engineers, and stakeholders can reduce maintenance challenges and improve building performance.

+             Analyze project examples to distinguish design strategies that enhance accessibility, maintainability, and operational resilience.

+             Apply practical design principles that support long-term facility operations while balancing patient care, staff workflow, and project budget considerations.

Speaker Bio: Dwayne Robinett, AIA, CPD, LEED AP, NCARB, ACHA 

As Chief Strategy Officer at HFG, Dwayne brings thought leadership and innovative solutions to every project he works on. He’s committed to creating safer, healthier, and more sustainable human environments. His expertise in planning and involved collaboration is a proven asset.