Member Spotlight: Bryan Rennell
The Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) dives inside the career of Bryan Rennell, Senior Vice President for Rennell Associates, LLC in Conroe, TX. In this feature interview, learn what made him become an ABAA member, what led him on his career path, and get his perspective on the future of the air barrier industry.
Bryan Rennell
Before becoming Senior Vice President of Rennell Associates, Bryan was the Quality Assistant Manager at Kubota Industrial Equipment where he directed the installation and start-up of assembly lines for their new manufacturing facility. He managed and coordinated the activities of the quality control and quality assurance departments and ensured that quality procedures were adhered to by suppliers and in-house manufacturing personnel. Before that he was with Kubota Manufacturing of America, where he controlled bidding and purchasing of assembly line equipment for a new 430,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility and led the Steel Yield Improvement team in an effort to maximize material utilization by suppliers and in-house machine shop. He also worked for Kubota as a Senior R&D Engineer, where he coordinated and managed multiple projects with various departments and vendors, both foreign and domestic. As well, he managed engineers and technicians during prototype design, building, and testing and coordinated cross-departmental support during each phase of new product development and implementation. He developed cost estimates for new products and ensured they were built to specifications, production schedule and budget. He also wrote, implemented and improved ISO procedures, quality assurance and operator’s and instruction manuals. Bryan is affiliated with the US Green Building Council, Building Commissioning Association, the American Concrete Institute and the Air Barrier Association of America.
Name: Bryan Rennell
Title: Senior Vice President
Firm: Rennell Associates, LLC
City: Conroe, TX
What was the path to your career — how and why did you pursue a profession in building commissioning?
A: I have been involved in various aspects of the construction industry beginning with summer jobs in high school. My father founded Rennell Associates, LLC in 2002 to provide construction project management services. I joined the company in 2006, and our services grew to include building commissioning and LEED consulting. With the adaptation of LEED v2009, and the state of Texas adopting IECC 2015 as the state energy code, building envelope commissioning began to take on a more important role in our projects.
Is there anything that you believe everyone in this industry should be working towards?
A: I believe each of us should be striving to stay educated and produce a consistent work product.
What role have peers, mentors, or advisors played in your career?
A: The founder of our company, Larry Rennell, has been my primary mentor and advisor. He helped provide me with general construction knowledge, organizational, reporting and communication skills, and most importantly to not fear new challenges. I have been more or less self taught in the commissioning field. This has been greatly aided by seeking out organizations such as ABAA for education, training and certification.
What led you to become an ABAA member?
A: I became an ABAA member to acquire knowledge and expertise in fluid applied air barriers and related testing.
Are you involved in any ABAA committees? Do you have any ABAA certifications?
A: I am not involved in any ABAA committees as I am a new member. I earned the ABAA Field Auditor certification in August 2020.
How long have you been in the industry?
A: I have been involved in the building commissioning industry for 14 years, building envelope commissioning for 5 years, and air barriers for 6 months.
What major changes have you seen?
A: The biggest changes I have seen during my time in the building commissioning industry has been the incorporation of building envelope commissioning in LEED and the adaptation of the State Energy Code in Texas.
What traits or skills do you think are necessary to be able to succeed in your industry?
A: To be successful in the commissioning field, you need a broad knowledge of building systems, a high level of organizational skills, be extremely detail oriented, and be able to effectively communicate with all members of the project team through written word and orally.
Do you have any advice for anyone starting out in your field?
A: My advice would be to seek out organizations such as ABAA for education and certification in your areas of interest.
What do you think the industry will look like in five or ten year’s time?
A: Over the next five to ten years, I see building commissioning growing as more municipalities require it as part of the building permit process, as energy codes become more stringent, and as governments push toward net zero.