Nelson Brackin, architect
Nelson, a graduate of Auburn University, is an accomplished architect, writer, photographer and publisher. Nelson’s experience is based on understanding the clients’ needs and offering practical architectural solutions that are timeless, such as the renovation of Chastain Park Amphitheater, Emory University Bookstore and numerous other projects, both commercial and residential. Nelson assisted the author Virginia McAlester in updating A Field Guide to American Homes that will be published later this year. The updates include chapters on ranch houses, mid-century modern, and organic architecture. Nelson publishes a journal focused on original American organic architecture, The Friends of Kebyar, on topics that focus on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruce Goff and others.
www.nelsonbrackinarchitect.com • www.kebyar.com

Melissa Cary, M. Cary and Daughters Plumbing Company

Michelle Cary, M. Cary and Daughters Plumbing Company
Michelle, a licensed journeyman plumber, went on her first plumbing service call when she was 8 years old. In her teen years she spent summers working on her father’s service truck to earn money for Gloria Vanderbilt blue jeans. She became hooked on the family business. She is one of the two daughters in M. Cary and Daughters and has been in the plumbing business for 34 years.

Bill Clark AIA, LEED AP, Stevens & Wilkinson Inc.
Bill received his masters of architecture from Georgia Tech in 1979 and is currently a principal with Stevens & Wilkinson Inc. in Atlanta. A LEED-accredited professional, he serves as managing principal on a wide variety of projects in the private, commercial and institutional sectors, with historic rehabilitation and preservation as one area of focus. Bill has been renovating his personal houses for more than 30 years and still learns something from every project.

Otis Clark, Sherwin-Williams

Sandy Crowe, master craftsman, Crowe Development Corporation
Sandy has almost 40 years of experience in construction and custom home building. His specialty is the restoration of historic windows and doors. He has worked on some of the most significant homes in the Atlanta area, including the Edward Peters mansion (c.1886), the Lemuel P. Grant mansion (c. 1856), the Adair mansion, home of Arthur Blank, (c.1910), and the Donaldson House (pre-Civil War). Sandy has also done many window restoration projects for historic-home owners located throughout Decatur and metropolitan Atlanta.

Dan Curl, licensed home inspector
Dan has been inspecting homes all over Metro Atlanta for 26 years. Specialties include code compliance, older homes, new construction, energy efficiency and HVAC systems. He has owned, managed and renovated homes, and inspected more than 10,000 buildings.

Pam Dooley, owner, Plants Creative Landscapes
Pam began Plants Creative Landscapes as a part-time income source when she decided to go back to the University of Georgia to obtain her horticulture degree. Having spent 13 years in various management positions within the plant community, and educated by one of the best horticulture staffs in the country, she decided it was time to start her own company. Six years later, Plants Creative Landscapes is a full-service landscape design-build firm with a maintenance division and has been featured on “Flip this House” and “HGTV’s Curb Appeal.”

Brent Drone, architect
Brent opened Antiquity Architecture & Design in 2005 and specializes in designs that reflect the rich architectural traditions of American history. His goal with each project is to create spaces that welcome, delight and inspire while blending the character and comfortable elegance of the past with the technological requirements of modern life. Brent’s work has been recognized by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission with an Award of Excellence in 2009 and by the City of Decatur with a 2012 Design Award.

Melissa Forgey, executive director, DeKalb History Center
Melissa became the executive director of the DeKalb History Center in 2007. Prior to that, she was the executive director at Thomasville Landmarks in South Georgia for 10 years. In the early 1990s, she was employed as assistant curator at the Jekyll Island Museum. Melissa received a masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University and a bachelor of arts in history from Emory University. She returned to DeKalb County to be near family and friends, and is delighted to be fully back into the field of public history.

Paul Guldenshuh, AMR Electrical Services
Paul is a licensed electrician.

Mark Livingston, senior consulting arborist, Arborguard Tree Specialists
Mark has worked in the field of arboriculture for 14 years. He earned his bachelor of science in forest resource management from Clemson University, and has continued his education at both the University of Maryland and the Warnell School of Forestry at the University of Georgia. His extensive list of career associations includes certification with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), appointment to the City of Avondale Estates Tree Board, and membership with the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), Society of American Foresters, and the Georgia Arborist Association. Mark’s speaking engagements include presentations for Trees Atlanta, Neely Farms Garden Club, Lullwater Garden Club and the City of Avondale Estates.

Peter Michelson, CEO and owner of Renewal Design-Build, certified aging-in-place specialist
Peter is a fourth-generation contractor and the CEO of Renewal Design-Build, a full-service firm specializing in the renovation of older homes. Award-winning Renewal is ranked as a Top Five Residential Remodeler by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and has been featured on HGTV, the Discovery Network and in numerous publications. Peter is passionate about adapting homes to last a lifetime.

Stacie Monroe, designer, preservationist, Reform Architects
Stacie founded Reform Architects in 1999 and has become well-known in the community for her local historic preservation work. She has been the recipient of numerous awards in Decatur, including the Leila Ross Wilburn Award for Outstanding Residential Design in 2004. One of the original founders and board members of the Decatur Preservation Alliance, Stacie spent several years designing and overseeing preservation projects in Decatur, including the saving and moving of the 19th century Fraser building. Reform Architects is an award-winning, full-service architectural firm specializing in residential design, with a particular focus on historic preservation and sustainable architecture. With offices in Atlanta and New Orleans, Reform’s designers bring their extensive training and passion for historic preservation to all their work, whether it’s a high-end restoration of a unique historic structure or the creation, from the ground up, of a modern Earthcraft home. Eight-time winner of the City of Decatur’s Historic Preservation Commission award, Reform consistently provides the highest quality in preservation design.

Carole Moore, tax incentives and grants coordinator, Georgia Historic Preservation Division
As grants coordinator, Carole administers the office’s annual federal and state grant programs, as well as special grants, such as the one-time Preserve America cemetery and community landmark grants, and the heritage tourism cemetery grants. As coordinator of HPD’s federal and state preservation tax incentives program, Carole works with property owners who apply for federal and state tax incentives. Carole also tracks local, state, and national economic development statistics and related information, including heritage tourism, as part of her job.

Michael Purser, master craftsman, Rosebud Floor Company
Michael has spent the last 40 years working on the wood floors in Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods and in some of our nation’s most historic properties. He is more than happy to share his experiences and what he and thousands of other homeowners have been confronted with when it comes to their old wood floors. “My clients are the homeowners: not a contractor, not a decorator, architect or designer. I want to interact with the people who are going to have to live and deal with the issues and help them find reasonable solutions.” Bring your note pad and stop by.

Phillip Raines, master mason
Phillip is a native Atlantan. He was educated at Georgia State in journalism and geology but left school to travel across America. When he returned, he apprenticed with a chimney builder in Inman Park and after a couple of years started his own masonry business. Phillip built chimneys in old Atlanta neighborhoods and in 1983 was commended by the Brick Institute of America for excellence in design and construction. He built the brick train in Underground Atlanta and with the brick mural team carved the two adjacent murals. He has written articles on masonry for various trade magazines and in 2005 he published a book, Simple Stonescaping. Throughout his 35-year career as a mason and writer, he has been a working sax player in ska, reggae and soul bands. He currently lives in a 100-year-old house in downtown Decatur. He’s a vibrant speaker with an outlandish sense of humor, so don’t miss this entertaining lecture.

Scott Reinblatt, owner, Big Blue Sky Landscaping
Scott is a graduate of UGA’s Georgia Certified Landscape Professional program and owns the Big Blue Sky Landscaping Company. Scott’s commitment to environmental responsibility, education and the future curators of the landscape industry is represented through his efforts in working with Water Smart, GCLP, MALTA (now UAC), University and Technical College Horticultural Programs, FFA and in the careers of his employees.

Heather Shuster, project development director, Renewal Design-Build
In her 10 years of working in the residential design community, Heather has provided hundreds of kitchen and bathroom consultations. Specializing in spatial planning, efficient layouts, and project development, she is uniquely qualified to share creative solutions with homeowners. Heather’s love and knowledge of homes is evident; she is always ready to discover hidden charms and opportunities to improve your home. Since working with Renewal Design-Build, she has overseen the design of multiple award-winning kitchen and bath projects. Renewal is a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Joe Thomas, home performance consultant, Renewal System Solutions
Joe is an old-house owner, a chronic renovator, and a BPI-certified building analyst. He has also completed courses in EarthCraft renovations and is trained in solar system design and installation. As manager and home performance consultant for Renewal System Solutions, Joe specializes in the energy efficiency of older homes. As part of the Home Performance w/ENERGY STAR program, he performs whole-house assessments – detecting home energy loss and safety hazards – and then improves these homes to meet today’s high standards of energy efficiency, comfort, and health.

Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., professional historian and genealogist
Kenneth retired in 2006 after 33 years with the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. During his tenure there he became an expert on researching historic houses and wrote two pamphlets that remain on the HPD website, www.gashpo.org: Documenting a Structure in Georgia, and Documenting a Structure in Atlanta. He has written the genealogy column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. A graduate of Emory University and a Decatur resident, he serves on the board of the DeKalb History Center, Georgia Genealogical Society, the Wren’s Nest, the Friends of Georgia Archives and History, and is moderator of the Georgia Professional Genealogists.

Buddy Wofford, director of business development, certified classroom instructor, certified waterproofing professional, and certified structural repair specialist, AquaGuard Foundation Solutions
Buddy has been a part of AquaGuard since its inception in 1995 and has watched the company grow and prosper over the years. Buddy is a certified instructor for ACES, AquaGuard Continuing Education School, authorized by the State of Georgia Real Estate Commission. He teaches several class curriculums to homeowners, real estate agents, and home inspectors, including the popular “Mastering Moisture and Water Problems in Residential Homes.”