President's Report

Vahan Margaryan CPD, GPD - President

November 24

Hello fellow ASPE LA members,

I hope you are all doing well.

ASPE as an organization has officially passed six decades of successful operations since our founding and incorporation in Los Angeles on September 18, 1964. From a small group of visionary professionals in Southern California, the American Society of Plumbing Engineers has grown into a leading voice in global plumbing engineering, representing over 7,000 members worldwide. I’m thrilled to serve as the current president of this incredible organization, especially as we celebrate ASPE’s 60th anniversary. It’s an honor to lead during such a significant moment in our history.

I want to thank all the past ASPE and ASPE LA Chapter boards, whose dedication and leadership have brought us to where we are today. Kudos to all our members and their families who have supported ASPE over the years. This significant milestone was celebrated at the Taglyan Complex on October 9, 2024, with nearly 100 attendees. A special invitation was extended to the original 60 members who established this organization 60 years ago. Unfortunately, many were unable to attend due to various circumstances. However, we were delighted to have founding member Ron Romo with us, accompanied by Kook Dean.

We were also pleased to have Rafi Karim, president of the ASHRAE Southern California Chapter, in attendance. The attached picture is proof of the verbal memorandum of understanding between ASPE LA and ASHRAE SoCal.

I would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the Taglyan Complex for co-sponsoring and hosting this event, and for their tremendous efforts in making our celebration a success—ASPE LA truly appreciates your partnership.

Did anyone notice the soldered ½” copper pipe candle holders that served as centerpieces at each table? These were made and generously provided by our longtime supporters, Jimmy Baker of Muir Chase Plumbing. They looked beautiful on the tables—thank you, Jimmy!

Lastly, I would like to thank our ASPE LA friends at Arup (especially Dudley Calle) for creating a gorgeous flyer, a stunning video advertisement, and for supporting ASPE LA from A to Z.

A quick update on our website transfer progress: While we are still experiencing difficulties transferring our webpage to the new host, the involvement of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has shed some light on the issue. ICANN has taken the matter seriously, and now we are beginning to see progress. Hopefully, we will have a resolution by the end of October. In the meantime, you will still receive ASPE LA newsletters from [email protected], which is a legitimate communication from ASPE LA. The link within the email will take you to our temporary website, American Society of Plumbing Engineers Los Angeles - Home Page (starchapter.com). This is our temporary site, and its content will eventually migrate to the ASPELA.com website. Please be advised that Arup’s IT team continues to support us in this transition and is taking all necessary actions to expedite the process.

Be well and stay well.