2023 Election Results & More

President's Report

Election Results:

Dear ISEA Members,

The election results are in. Congratulations to the newly elected and reelected board members. Ben Wagner will take over the President-Elect position as Noah Fehrenbacher steps up to ISEA President. Francisco Peña will remain Secretary for another term. Prakash Bangalore will assume the Director 3 position with a full 3-year term, and John Krupski remains a director for one more year to complete the Director 1 term as Ben Wagner transitions to President-Elect.

As I transition to Past President, I would like to thank the board and all ISEA members for your support of and participation in our organization. A very big thank you to long-time board member Craig Scherschel who has been instrumental in the operation and success of ISEA for many years. His presence on the board will be missed.

Finally, thank you again to all past and current board members for their time and efforts in running this organization. Your current board members are:

President: Noah Fehrenbacher
President-Elect: Ben Wagner
Secretary: Francisco Peña
Treasurer: Mark VanderWoude
Director I: John Krupski
Director II: Jesse Valencourt
Director III: Prakash Bangalore
Past-President: Thomas P. Leahy

Respectfully,
Thomas P. Leahy
ISEA Past President

Indiana Senate Bill 333:

The current Indiana Building Code explicitly removes nationally recognized building special inspection requirements for “Class 1” structures. Special inspections are intended to provide a building that, once constructed, complies with the minimum structural code requirements as well as the approved design. Senate Bill 333 (SB333) would modify the language of the Indiana Code allowing the Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission to consider adopting minimum requirements for construction inspection for “Class 1” structures in the updated Indiana Building Code. This bill does not apply to one-and-two-family residential structures.

As a community of Indiana structural engineers dedicated to the safety of the public in the built environment, we at the Indiana Structural Engineers Association (ISEA) fully endorse SB333. We believe this bill is a crucial step towards advancing public safety in the built environment and is consistent with the construction practices of nearly every other state in the nation. Indiana is one of only two states that does not incorporate special inspections into its building code and this bill will provide the opportunity to bring Indiana into compliance with modern design and construction practices.

This is not a special interest bill and it is critically needed in Indiana. Special inspections provide the level of oversight that can help identify and remedy conditions which could otherwise lead to structural failures and other building deficiencies that could compromise public safety. Members of ISEA have extensive experience investigating structural failures due to construction deficiencies in Indiana buildings built within the past decade which have narrowly avoided public harm. By including special inspections in our state building code, we can increase the likelihood that Indiana buildings will be constructed at least in accordance with the minimum requirements of the Indiana Building Code and the designer’s specifications so as to protect the building owner’s investment and mitigate harm to the public. This bill will not only benefit structural engineers, architects, and contractors but also protect the investment of developers and owners and reduce potential risks to the public who occupy the buildings. We urge the Indiana Senate to pass SB333 and help contribute to the continued safety and prosperity of our state.

More on this, and how to contact your senator, can be found on the ISEA Announcements page.

January 2023 Newsletter:

Dear ISEA Members,

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is exited for what 2023 will bring. The ISEA Board is at work putting together the 2023 Spring Conference and we wanted to send out a quick update on what’s been going on and what is coming up in the near future.

The recently formed Young Member Group had its first meeting in November 2022. The group is still taking shape, so expect to see more information on future events and how to get involved.

Application information has been sent out for the 2023 ISEA scholarship and is also posted on the ISEA website. There are three $2,500 scholarships available this year to students pursuing degrees in Structural Engineering. Please see the website for more details and forward the application information to any eligible students you may know. The application deadline is January 31, 2023.

It’s membership renewal time! Your ISEA membership will expire on January 31, 2023, if not renewed. A renewal reminder email will be sent out within the next week. Membership rates will remain the same as last year. Back in September we gave an update on the NCSEA membership dues increase, which we will not be passing through to ISEA members this year.

Registration is live for a Store Tour, Lunch Presentation and Product Demonstration at Hilti’s Indianapolis location. This free event is scheduled for February 1, 2023, from 11:30 to 1:30. A separate email went out already with the event details. If interested, please register through the ISEA website so we know how many people to expect.

The Spring Conference is right around the corner on Thursday, March 2, 2023. We have a full slate of presentations lined up. Be on the lookout for event registration information coming soon. Exhibitor and sponsor registration will also be sent out shortly.

Vulcraft has invited us to take a tour of their St. Joe, Indiana facility. Details are still being worked out, but the plan is for the tour to take place sometime in April.

As you likely know, the State of Indiana is in the process of updating its Building Code and has decided to adopt the 2021 International Building Code as the model code. There have been direct discussions by ACEC with Indiana legislators to introduce a bill which would modify the language of the Indiana Code giving The Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission the authority to include Chapter 17 in the updated Indiana Building Code. We will update you as more information becomes available. Commentary regarding Building Code updates and the Commission's rules is open to the public via the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's website until April 4, 2023.

That’s all for now. Thank you and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the Spring Conference if not sooner. 

Respectfully,

President: Thomas P. Leahy, PE, SE
President-Elect: Noah Fehrenbacher, PE, SE
Secretary: Francisco Peña, PhD
Treasurer: Mark VanderWoude, PE
Director I: Ben Wagner, PE, SE
Director II: Jesse Valencourt, PE, SE
Director III: John Krupski, PE
Past-President: Craig Scherschel, PE

ISEA is a member-run volunteer organization. The success of the organization comes with member involvement. If you would like to become more involved in ISEA please contact one of us. 

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