BACnet International Annual Awards Presented in Atlanta

ATLANTA — The BACnet International community is proud to honor a distinguished set of members whose contributions over the past year have led to increased awareness and improvement of the BACnet International association and the BACnet standard.

The award ceremony took place during the 2019 AHR Expo in Atlanta, on Jan. 14. BACnet International president and managing director Andy McMillan, marketing committee chair Steve Jones, and education committee co-chairs Steve Karg and Scott Ziegenfus were on hand. The Annual Awards are bestowed upon deserving individuals and companies in recognition of outstanding achievements in several categories, including Member of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Rising Star, and Hall of Fame.

The Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to an individual that has given of his/her time to serve as a volunteer with BACnet International and has contributed to moving the association forward.

There were two Volunteer of the Year Awards presented this year: Eric Dunn and Sean Gaines, both of Intesis. Dunn and Gaines have been contributing members of BACnet International for many years and are currently both serving as members of the BACnet International marketing committee. They unfailingly attend the committee meetings, providing valuable input and guidance in marketing direction and activities, and have volunteered their time in the BACnet International booth at trade shows.

The Member of the Year Award is presented to an individual who serves as a constant and dynamic voice in the BACnet community, tirelessly upholding and promoting the BACnet standard.

This was awarded to BACnet International's marketing chair Steve Jones for his extraordinary guidance of the marketing committee and tireless participation in all aspects of promotion and betterment of the BACnet protocol. He has written about BACnet for various publications and actively participates in the annual PlugFest Interoperability Event, providing relevant input for improvement, strengthening the event for all who attend. He responds to partner questions on online forums and discussion groups, and is always willing to provide assistance to the association and other members, moving the protocol and industry forward.

The Rising Star award is presented to an individual fairly new to the industry who has already contributed to the betterment of the BACnet International association and showed a commitment to the BACnet community. This award can also be presented to a company.

The Rising Star Award was presented to Optigo Networks. Optigo has been extremely active in the promotion of the BACnet standard over the past year, developing white papers and conducting webinars describing the benefits of the protocol and increasing its exposure. Optigo used their platform to share what they have learned and provide access to content that will help people implement BACnet technically, make decisions about BACnet, and generally improve their understanding of the protocol.

Inductees into the BACnet Hall of Fame are individuals with at least a decade of meaningful contributions to the BACnet community, who have played a unique and valuable role in the ongoing development of the BACnet standard or the community, championed open dialog and a collaborative approach to resolving issues, and demonstrated a global perspective with respect for regional and cultural differences.

This year there were two inductees into the Hall of Fame: David Fisher of PolarSoft and Roland Laird of Reliable Controls.

Fisher is president of PolarSoft Inc., a developer of BACnet software stacks and tools. He has been intensely involved in the development of BACnet since 1987 including serving as a voting member, author of many parts of the actual standard, and currently as a consultant to the SSPC. Fisher has over 40 years of experience in building automation, direct digital control and communications. He is widely known for introducing DDC to building automation, and for his role in open communications standards. He has been a teacher and lecturer for ASHRAE, BACnet International and University of Wisconsin.

Laird is the founder and president of Reliable Controls. From 2005 to 2010, he was an active participant in BACnet International's BTL Working Group and the ASHRAE SSPC 135 BACnet Committee. Laird served as on the board of directors of BACnet International for six years, from 2012 through 2017.

"The BACnet International Annual Awards provide an opportunity to recognize individuals and companies who through their hard work and dedication continually enrich the BACnet community," McMillan said. "They consistently go above and beyond to make BACnet an effective and successful building automation standard and we are proud to acknowledge them."

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