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William Asdal,
CGR. Asdal & Co. Builders Chester, NJ Bill Asdal began building in 1973. A versatile builder, Bill has built several dozen custom homes, hundreds of structural room additions and untold residential and commercial renovations. By entering many phases of the building industry, Asdal Builders has been sheltered from many of the ups and downs of economic cycles. Actively working for the industry, he was the 1997 President of the Community Builders Association of New Jersey and recently named the 2000 Remodelor of the Year by the NAHB Remodelors Council.
Asdal Builders has won recognition for
high quality work through Awards of Excellence in historic
restorations and commercial renovations. Remodeling Magazine
named Asdal to its BIG 50 and in 1998 the Community Builders
Association named him Builder of the Year. Bill currently
serves on the H.U.D. industry steering committee for the Partnership
for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) and has completed several
research projects on energy efficiency, codes and technology
implementation. He is the author of The Paper Trail – Systems
and Forms for Remodelers published by the Home Builder Press
Bill was a driving force behind the
creation of award winning Professional Remodeler magazine and
currently serves as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board. Asdal
Builders is active in speculative remodeling - buying, selling and
renting properties and currently manages properties in 4 states.
Diversification has been the key to stability. |
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Mr.
Lux graduated from Clarkson University in 1969 and obtained an
M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1977. He worked for five
years as managing director of LUX´s French subsidiary and for two
years in a joint venture between LUX and an Austrian machine tool
manufacturer in the United States. Mr.
Lux was appointed managing director of the OBI group in 1981 and has
held several responsibilities. From 1987 on he was in charge of
purchasing, merchandising, sales promotion and product related
advertisement for the group of companies. From 1990 on he was also
responsible for mergers and acquisitions. Since
the beginning of 1997 Mr. Lux is in charge of the legal, finance,
corporate accounting, expansion and real estate as well as a number
of operating companies such as Emil Lux, Thomas International, OBI
Import and Maus & Partner. In
May 2000 Mr. Lux was appointed as President of OBI. |
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Donald Ratajczak For twenty-seven years, Dr. Ratajczak has been Director of the Economic Forecasting Center in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business and is now Regent's Professor of Economics Emeritus, having retired from Georgia State University at the end of June 2000. Prior to founding the Center in 1973, Dr. Ratajczak was Director of Research for the UCLA Business Forecasting Project. Dr. Ratajczak remains active as an economic consultant and is aiding in the development of new enterprises in the Southeast as investor and founding investor in several ventures. He also continues his writing for the economic journals. Under his direction the GSU Economic Forecasting Center became recognized as a leader in inflation analysis, a source of the south for economic development in that region, and one of the most accurate forecasting centers in the country. Business Week cited Dr. Ratajczak for his accuracy in predicting national trends. The Wall Street Journal acknowledged Dr. Ratajczak as one of the twenty most quoted economists in the world. In 1994, Dr. Ratajczak won the Blue Chip award for forecasting accuracy during the previous four years. Dr. Ratajczak regularly comments on inflationary trends for CNBC and on Federal Reserve policy and other economic issues for CNN. He also has been on the "Today Show" and on national news programs for all the major TV networks as well as public television and NPR radio. Dr. Ratajczak presents his views on economic conditions for many professional and industrial groups and also has been asked to provide testimony before the U.S. Congress on many different economic issues. He has been an inflation advisor to the Council of Economic Advisors and the Congressional Budget Office. He remains a weekly columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and a news source for all the major media outlets. Dr. Ratajczak has a math teaching wife and two children, a twenty-one year old son who just graduated from MIT and a thirteen year old daughter. He received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his Ph. D. from MIT. |
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Kermit Baker, Ph.D., Director, Remodeling Futures Program Kermit Baker is a senior research fellow at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and is the project director of the Remodeling Futures Program. This in-depth research effort is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. remodeling activity undertaken by the Joint Center. The project's goal is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the U.S. home improvement industry, so that it can better meet future challenges and opportunities. Prior to joining the Joint Center, Baker was vice president and director of the economics department at Cahners Business Information, where he was responsible for industry forecasting. During his ten years at Cahners, he developed the Cahners Economic Outlook, and the Top U.S. Construction Market Report, and served as editor of the Cahners Building and Construction Market Forecast newsletter. Cahners is the largest US publisher of specialized trade magazines. Baker received his master's degree in urban planning from Harvard University, and holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same field.
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Barry Asmus, Ph.D., Sr. Economist NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS Dr. Barry Asmus speaks, testifies, writes and consults on political and business issues facing America. He was named by USA Today as one of the five most requested speakers in the United States. Dr. Asmus was twice voted the Outstanding Professor of the Year, as well as honored with the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge Award for Private Enterprise Education. Dr. Asmus' comments on globalization, demographics and public policy are rooted in factual information, enthusiasm and humor. Recognized for his views on making U.S. companies world-class competitors by focusing on delivering value to the customer, he addresses many of the opportunities and challenges facing American business today. As the Senior Economist with the National Center for Policy Analysis, Dr. Asmus doesn't just speak on policies - he involved with their implementation. He recently testified before Chairman Bill Archer and the House Ways and Means committee on switching from an income tax to a consumption tax. He was a main speaker in the Privatizing Social Security Conference for Western European leaders held at the Forbes Chateau de Balleroy in France, and has consulted with policy makers in Santiago, Chile concerning their privatization programs. Dr. Asmus has debated members of the Clinton Administration on competivizing American health care using Medical Savings Accounts. He is a strong advocate of free market / limited government solutions. Dr. Asmus' recent books include: Apollo: An Outer Space Economic Adventure (1996); When Riding a Dead Horse, for Heavens Sale… Dismount (1995); It's Tea Time Again: The Original American Dream (1995); Clinton Care: Putting Government in Charge of Your Health (1994).
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Michael Virga Director of Sustainable Forestry Programs American Forestry & Paper Association Michael Virga is the Director of Sustainable Forestry Programs at the American Forestry & Paper Association in Washington, D.C. Virga's responsibilities include enhancing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)SM program by improving the 3rd party verification component and building consistency among SFI SM program standard auditors, assisting customers with the development of environmental policies and promoting the SFI program overseas. Virga ended a long career with Lyons Falls Pulp & Paper in New York before joining the forest products industries leading trade organization. He has been an active member of the Society of American Foresters since 1983, both in New York and nationally, including a term as House of Society Delegates Chair in 1999. In 1999, Virga was awarded the New York Society of American Foresters highest and most distinguished honor, Forester of the Year. BS Forestry, 1982, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse, NY MS Forestry Economics, 1984, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse.
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