austin permit service, inc.
and APS Code Consultants
1304
East 7th Street
Austin,
Texas 78702-3310
(512) 474-4555
(512) 474-4557 fax
COMPANY BACKGROUND
* PRESIDENT: Lorel Dowden Hoffman. Lorel founded the Company in 1984
in order to meet a need in the development community for responsible and highly
detailed life-safety codes, and ordinance consultation. The company provides life-safety and fire
code consultation on a wide variety of commercial, institutional and public
projects. APS also provides permitting and development services in the Central
Texas area. We prepare and conduct seminars for architects and educational
facilities planners on the 2003 and 2009
International Building Code. Lorel maintains currency in the code
development process, in continuing education, and re-certification. She
represents cities and other public entities in Texas, Arkansas, and other
states in varying contractual capacities.
Additionally Lorel serves as the Building
and Zoning Official, City of Goshen, Arkansas January, 2006-present.
Supervisor: Joe Benson, Mayor.
A 1978 graduate of Rice
University, Ms. Hoffman has spent almost thirty years in Building Code
Enforcement, and first earned certification as a Plans Examiner with the
International Conference of Building Officials in 1982. President of Board of
Commissioners, Travis County Rural Fire Prevention District #5, Austin
1992-1994, appointed by Travis County Commissioner’s Court. Responsible for overseeing all Fire and EMS
operations in conjunction with Board of Commissioners in a 135 sq. mile resort
area at Lake Travis, with an annual budget of $ 400,000. Built two fire stations, brought
infrastructure to the area, and began conversion of operations from all
volunteer to paid emergency services district.
City of El Paso Chapter 36 Fire Code Revision Committee for High-Piled
Combustible Storage Warehouse Retrofit Ordinance,
represented the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, 1997-1998.
Lorel was
a member of the Fayetteville, Arkansas Planning Commission from 1996 through
2003, and is the immediate past Chair. She currently serves on the Historic
Washington County Courthouse Advisory Board. Accomplishments include: ARE
Seminar and Membership Chair, Austin Women in Architecture.; Vice Chairman,
Code Change Committee, Central Texas Association of Building Officials, and
past President of the Travis County Rural Fire Prevention District #5.
Lorel was privileged to be a part of the effort of area residents and
firefighters to bring domestic water to the area, and two new fire stations
were built during her term.
Current professional involvement
Guest Lecturer,
Council of Educational Facilities Planners, Southern District annual meeting,
San Antonio, Texas Design of Educational Occupancies under the 2000
International Building Code, 2001 Albuquerque 2002, Arkansas 2009.
Professional
development seminar, Building Design under the 2003 IBC, Austin, TX, June
2003-2009.
Formatted as an introduction to the 2003-09 revisions
and highlights for Architects, 1.5-5 hour CEU’s credit hours through AIA.
Guest Lecturer,
University of Arkansas School of Interior Design, 2007-09: 5th year
studio.
Code Officials of
Arkansas, ICC Chapter; appointed to state board of directors, Education
Director 2008-present. Active in Chapter ICC Chapter X leadership.
*
VICE PRESIDENT: Melissa
Whaley Hawthorne. Melissa
has been with Austin Permit Service since 1986. She has wide ranging
experience in all aspects of development management, including building and site
plan permit submittal and expedition, site and parking plan analyses, license
agreements and easement vacations, and Certificate of Occupancy inspection
coordination assistance. She regularly serves on all task forces and committees charged with streamlining the Land Development Process,
and has throughout her career been a strong advocate for responsible,
customer service-oriented governmental review.
Ms. Hawthorne participated as a member of Council Member Bob Larson's
Site Plan Improvement Process Team in 1992. She also was a consultant for
Architectural Design Guidelines for the Sixth Street National Register District
in 1994 and is a member of the Austin Real Estate Council. Ms. Hawthorne
has served the City of Austin by participating on the following - Zoning and
Platting Commission, August 2002 through July 2006, Urban Transportation
Commission, January 2007 through August 2008, the Waterfront Overlay Taskforce,
July 2008 through April 2009.
* Steve Leitch received his degree in Architecture
from the University of Texas in 1998. Steve coordinates our site
development department, and has been indispensable asset in providing
architectural support services where needed. He has a thorough
understanding of the construction and development process that may be obtained
only through the combination of academic and extensive practical background.
* Dorance
“Ran” Miller joined Austin Permit Service as our plan
submittal coordinator. Ran comes to us
with a background in graphic design and audio engineering. His experience ranges with an excellent
customer service background.
* Fred
Peebles, AIA is a
registered Architect in Texas (Registration no. 08677) with over thirty years
of experience on a wide range of project types.
He has extensive experience in quality assurance, building codes and
accessibility requirements on projects ranging from single-family residential
to semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and everything in between. Fred received his bachelor
of science degree in Building Construction from Texas A&M University
in 1972, and for three years worked in the construction industry before
beginning his architectural career, becoming a registered architect in Texas in
1981. Fred has spent the last ten years
in charge of the quality assurance program for one of the larger architectural
firms in Austin, and has been involved in all aspects of project delivery on
numerous large projects of many types.
Prior to this, Fred was involved in the delivery of large projects at
several of the larger architectural firms in Austin. Project types include office buildings,
schools, university buildings, advanced technology, healthcare, interior
architecture, and many others.
* Steve
Cattaneo, MCP,
LEED®-AP joined
APS as a code consultant in 2006 and has recently retired from the City of
Fayetteville, AR where he served as an inspector; then plans examiner; and as
Building Official since 1994.
Steve
maintains over 36 certifications including Certified Building Official
(CBO-1998), Master Code Professional (MCP-2002), Commercial and Residential
Energy Code Plans Examiner, Accessibility Plans Examiner, and Fire Inspector;
is a member of the USGBC as an accredited professional (AP-2008) and has
produced and conducted seminars on the Building and Fire Codes, Energy Code and
LEED. He is presently the Chapter
President of the Code Officials of Arkansas; Vice President of ICC Region X
(AR, TX & OK) and chairman of the local USGBC Professional Development
Committee.
* Phil R. Haught, P.E. joined
Austin Permit Service as a codes consultant in 2003 specifically as a sprinkler
and fire alarm FPE specialist. Mr. Haught’s over twenty years of experience as a local fire
protection engineer compliments APS Code Consultants services. Phil provides consulting services in fire
protection, building codes, fire codes, and related areas. His experience includes manufacturing of
special hazard equipment and fire trucks, engineering and design of fire
sprinkler and fire alarm system, building and fire code interpretations. Mr. Haught served on the City of Austin’s
Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals from November 1988 through March of
2008.
References Available Upon Request