Who is Erik Listou?

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Education

...that I remember

• University of Maryland 1968-1970 
• Electrical Apprenticeship Program 1971-1975
• Project Management 1984 (University of Maryland)
• Project Management II - Profitable Job Cost Management 1985 -(MCA/NECA/SMACNA)
• Job Supervision 1986 (Mechanical Contractors Association/National Electrical Contractors Association/Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association)
• Advanced Course on Construction Claims  1986 (Mechanical Contractors Association/National Insulation Contractors Association/Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association)
• HVAC - Trane Mfr. Company
• Developing Executive Leadership 1987 (American Management Association)
• How to Manage Multiple Projects, Meet Deadlines, and Achieve Objectives 2000 (CareerTrack)
• Negotiating Skills 2000 (NAHB)
• Customer Service 2000 (NAHB)
• Business Management 2000 (NAHB)
• Estimating 2001 (NAHB)
• Off-Site Project Management 2001 (NAHB)
• On-Site Project Management 2001 (NAHB)
• Quality Construction 2001 - NAHB
• Marketing and Communicating with the Aging in Place Client (CAPS I) 2003 (NAHB)
• Design Concepts and Methods for Livable Homes and Aging in Place (CAPS II) 2003 (NAHB)
• Details and Solutions for Livable Homes and Aging in Place (CAPS III) 2003 - NAHB
• How to Delegate Work and Ensure It's Done Right 2005 (CareerTrack)
•  Profitable Business through Quality Practices 2005 - NAHB
• Emotional Marketing 2008 (AZE)
• The Best Use of your Marketing Dollars 2008 (AZE)
• Lead Renovator (CLR) - Initial and Refresher Courses 2011 (Environmental Protection Agency - EPA)
• Dust Sampling Technician(LDST) 2011 (EPA)
• Living In Place Professional 2013

Awarded, held, and taught the following 10 industry professional certifications:

1. Electrical Apprenticeship 1974
2. Certified Aging in Place Specialist #43 - National Association of Home Builders  2003
3. Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing - National Association of Home Builders 2004 
4. Certified Graduate Remodeler  - One of the first National Association of Home Builders 2005
5. Certified Green Professional -National Association of Home Builders 2008
6. Certified Lead Renovator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
7. Lead Dust Sampling Technician -U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2112 
8. Certified Living In Place Professional - Co-founded and produced all education for the Living In Place Institute 2013
9. Living In Place Associate - Co-founded and produced all education for the Living In Place Institute 2113 
10. Home & Accessibility Trade Specialist - Co-founded and produced all education for the Living in Place Institute 2013

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Over 100 articles published and numerous education programs created and delivered since the early 2000s (partial list)

• Carpentry Standards 
• Subject Matter Expert
• National Association of Home Builders
• Project Management 
• Subject Matter Expert
• Course re-write National Association of Home Builders
• How to Choose the Right Contractor
• The Remodeling Rollercoaster
• 7 Ideas for Aging-in-Place at Home
• Communicating with Subcontractors
• Creating Goals
• Creating Project Teams
• Reimagine Housing
• Remodeling for Today and Tomorrow
• Grab Bars
• Your Ideas Can Change the World
• Body Language for Building Professionals -first presented at the 2013 NAHB International Builders Show
• Branding and Marketing
• Business Management
• Expectations of Fun!
• Eye Contact
• Home & Accessibility Trade Specialist 
• Producer and co-founder
• Seminar Marketing – Your Best Marketing Tool
• S.M.I.L.E. When You Say That! – Tips on Talking
• Strategic Planning
• What Makes a Client Say...YES!
• Hazards in Your Home – Lead, Asbestos, and Mold
• Outdoor Living, Deck, and Entertaining
• Landscaping Responsibly
• Saving Energy in Your Home
• The Remodeling Experience
• How to Finance Your Project
• Tips for Saving Energy in Your Home
• Remodeling Now and for the Future - Handicap Accessibility
• Remodeling Now and for the Future
• - Accessibility in Your Home
• Home Exteriors - Siding, Windows, and Doors
• Kitchens and Baths
• - What’s Green?
• Sell or Refinance? 
• - Options for Your Home
• 12 Tips for Going Green - RESPONSIBLY!
• Green Designs and Interiors
• What to Expect During a Remodeling Project
• Solar Lighting - Simple Solutions for Remodeling
• Champagne Kitchens on a Beer Budget
• Fixing to Stay - Home Remodeling for a Lifetime
• How to Hire Your Dream Remodeler
• Kitchen Cabinets and Remodeling
• Be Prepared! - Planning and Organizing for a Successful  Remodeling Project
• More Bang for Your Remodeling Buck 
• Your Home in Lights - Projects in Print & on TV
• Green means to BUILD RESPONSIBLE  
• There's a New Trade in Town

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Former education Provider License #2 for the National Association of Home Builders

Commercial Electrical Apprentice 1971-1975

Advanced into management in mid-1971.

Commercial Construction Management in Washington, DC area for 20 years. Building schools, laboratories, a police station, medical facilities, and federally funded public utility systems, plus remodeled large-scale and nationally acclaimed public housing projects. 

Served on the Mayor's Council on Housing, Washington DC

Offered a U. S. Presidential Appointment in 1990 to "fix" the U.S. national public housing system.

Improved families and lives as volunteer, Board Chair, then Executive Director for Habitat For Humanity of Metro Denver

Award-winning home remodeling/design business owner in Evergreen and the greater Denver area.

Produced and presented a 2-1/2 year live talk radio show in the Denver area "Build Responsible, with Erik!"  with est. 40k weekly listeners. National sponsors: Quad-Lock, Standard Renewable Energy, Showplace Kitchens & Bath

Volunteered with local and national professional and public service organizations

Subject Matter Expert

National Carpentry Standards (NAHB)

Project Management (NAHB)

Jefferson County Court Expert Witness

Education producer and presenter for aging-in-place design and modifications,  business skills, and team development

Direct consulting to businesses and organizations

. . . and for the last three-plus decades, brought smiles and joy to the faces and hearts of children, of all ages, when he and his wife wear their beautiful red suits (hand-made by Mrs. Claus of course) during the Christmas holidays!

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 Community Volunteer

(partial list)

• Aging Well in Jefferson County (now called Age-Friendly)
• Blue Spruce Habitat For Humanity
• City of Arvada ADU Legislation
• Colorado Home & Garden Show
• Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
• Evergreen Chamber of Commerce
• Evergreen Kiwanis
• Evergreen Rotary
• Habitat For Humanity of Evergreen
• Habitat For Humanity of Metro Denver
• Home Builders Foundation of Denver Auction (produced and raised $42k)
• Housing in Summit County 2019
• Jefferson County ADUs
• Mayor's Housing Summit, Washington, D.C.
• Mountain Area Land Trust
• Mountain Resource Center
• Rebuilding Together
• Senior's Resource Center
• Santa Claus for past 33 years

Published in public & professional media:

• New York Times
• U.S. News & World Report
• Wall Street Journal
• Washington Post
• White House Chronicles
• Women's Day
• AARP Bulletin
• Denver Post
• American Society of Aging
• Kitchen & Bath Business Magazine
• Kitchen & Bath Design News
• Professional Remodeler
• ASHI Reporter
• Bottom Line Personal
• CE Pro
• Colorado Serenity Magazine
• Canyon Courier Newspaper
• Golden Transcript
• The Daily Journal
• Council of Professional Remodelers Newsletter
• Outlook by Weather Shield
• Colorado Construction Magazine
• Denver television and international public radio
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Interviews

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Seminar, producer and presenter, conference speaker, and entertainer to over 1,500 live audiences in 30+ cities since 1990, not including virtual events!

• Aging Well in Jefferson County - now titled Age-Friendly
• American Electrology Association 
• American Occupational Therapy Association - Conference speaker for five consecutive years
• American Society on Aging
• American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)
• Colorado College
• Colorado Home & Garden Show
• Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA)
• National Kitchen & Bath Association Chapter Presenter 
• NKBA
• Home Shows in Colorado, Denver, Evergreen, and Conifer
• International Builders Show
• LivABLE Environment Conference - Canada
• National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)
• National Decorative Representatives Network (NDRN)
• National Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS)
• Occupational Therapy Associations of Colorado and California
• Rebuilding Together
• Blue Spruce Kiwanis
• Society of Certified Senior Advisors 
• Voices From The Industry - Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

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Awards

(partial list)

• Top 50 Industry Innovator in the National Kitchen & Bath Industry ($243B) - Kitchen & Bath Design News Magazine 2019
• National Educator of the Year Nominee - National Association of Home Builders 2011
• National Entrepreneur of the Year Nominee - National Association of Home Builders 2008
• Outstanding Council Chair - National Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home Builders 2005
• National Remodeler of the Month - Qualified Remodeler Magazine
• Remodeler of the Year - Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence - National Association of Home Builders  2005 
• Best Basement Finish Modern Castle - Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence - National Association of Home Builders  2004
• Best Detached Structure Now That’s a Garage  - Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence - National Association of Home Builders  2001
• Best Exterior Renovation Mountain Splendor - Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence - National Association of Home Builders  2005

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a few fun "lessons-from-life" from Erik...

>> Elementary School << 

I recently found some old family photos of me wearing a bow tie, which not surprisingly became part of my public "look" decades later. 

I still remember receiving the weekly award for, "Good Grooming".  A result of my parent's always-positive influence.

I remember my mom teaching me, "If you want to eat well, learn to cook well".  So I did, and have always loved cooking, especially for others. Today I realize how her words affected my life in so many ways. Examples: If you want to look nice, learn to dress nice. If you want a clean house, learn how to clean well. If you want a happy life, learn how to be happy.

>> Junior HIgh School <<

As a military family, we moved often and I quickly learned how to make good choices for new friends. Every morning my parents gave me a quarter and a dime for lunch. Before school, I bought three packs of chewing gum with my quarter. I sold those three packs at school for a quarter each. Then, after school, with my two extra quarters, I played the pinball machines at the bus stop/convenience store. I quickly learned to win more games to continue playing for longer, and when when it was time to go home, I gave the free games to my friends

 >> High School <<

...or what I remember of the 1960's 

In the 60's there were no film or related classes in high school. Besides being the #2 class clown, I produced, along with the help of my best friend, Gary Fisher, a 5-minute senior class movie, hand-splicing  with tape a fully-edited movie using an 8 MM camera and a tape-recorder soundtrack. Somehow, I convinced the student council to pay for the film supplies. I remember when it was completed we were given permission by The Principal, for one day, to interrupt senior classes and debut the film!  

>> College Years <<

I was accepted to Kent State in 1968. At the last minute, I switched to the University of Maryland to be around friends and close to home. I am relieved that I missed the infamous Kent State deaths.

I took a job selling ice cream from a truck. After three days my boss asked me if I had given away any ice cream. I told him yes, a few children just did not have enough money. It seems that I had given away more than I collected. He polietly terminated my employment and told me, "You are too kind and generous, you should not be in retail."

I volunteered with a group of other students for a new food co-op providing students with affordable, quality food. We bought food in bulk, repackaged, and sold at cost.

My second year of college was interrupted and ended after the 1970 nationwide anti-war protests. During a week of riots on campus, my friends and I formed our own small group, and wearing vintage gas masks from a surplus store, we ran into the forays and rescued fellow students who were overcome by tear gas and brought them back to safety. 

>> My Early 20's <<

I took a job at a local chain drug store and my first day was watering the plants out front, What a great job!

Someone suggested that I become an electrician - how hard can it be to screw in a light bulb? I took a helper position with a commercial electrical contractor building a new school and began my 4-year apprenticeship program. My first day was handing materials up to workers on ladders and scaffolding. During that first day I calculated in my mind how many workers and their cost...the overall cost of building a school...how much land was disturbed...how many rabbits lost their homes because of the school...how many teachers would work there...how many students will go to school over the lifetime of the school... 

Three months after my start, my role changed from helper to foreman - normally a 4+ year process, apparently because of my friendly, organized approach to successful team building construction management.

In the early 70s I built my own home. Except for the excavation, concrete, and plumbing, and asking lots of questions, I built a two-story, colonial-style home with a full walk-out basement by myself, and what an education!

>> My 30's <<

After developing and managing two retail stores, I moved back to the DC area and moved into large-scale commercial project management for government projects, such as the utility tunnels under the D.C. government buildings, Howard University renovations, and the then-new 7th District police station. My work included concurrent public housing renovations of up to $20m each, in today's dollars. I shared some suggestions for improving efficiency, lowering overall costs, and expediting the completion of projects with officials in the D.C. government and Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a result I was offered a U. S. Presidential Appointment to, "fix-our-public-housing-system".

>> in the past few decades <<

Created and managed an award-winning home remodeling company.

Served as a volunteer, then staff Executive Director for the Denver Habitat For Humanity, organizing a five-homes-in-five-days blitz build using all volunteers, produced the first-ever national executive director conference, and introduced the Habitat Resale Store concept in Denver.

Produced and hosted a Denver area talk radio show with 40k weekly listeners.

Became recognized as one of the leading national experts, education producers, and spokespersons for home accessibility.

For over 33 years I have worn The Big Red Suit during Christmas .

In my 50s I became a part-time, professional musician.

Spoken to over 1,500 in-person live audiences since 1990.

I beat prostate cancer.

My best accomplishment ever... 

My amazing wife of 35 years, Frances. 

My mid-40's daughter, Jasmine, and two wonderful granddaughters, Lavender and Marigold!

>> Please help me write the next chapters <<