Experienced, Knowledgeable Instructor

Charles R. Rushmer, P.E.

Your instructor for both seminars is Chuck Rushmer. Chuck is a licensed engineer who has been learning and practicing his profession for many years. He enjoys his work, and he enjoys teaching others about it. You will find that he is extremely knowledgeable. You will also find him to be very patient and helpful if there is something you don't understand. You are not expected to be a construction expert when you come to class, but whether or not you are, Chuck considers it his duty to make sure you leave class with a lot more knowledge and understanding of buildings.

Chuck has a widely-varying background that shows when he speaks to a group. He has expertise in several different areas. He received his BS degree in Engineering from the University of Washington in 1957. He and Virgil Beckman were classmates (see Author, in textbook). After a short stint at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, Chuck spent six years as a B-52 pilot for the Strategic Air Command, much of it at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento. He decided that was enough for anyone to learn that there are better ways of making a living.

The next twelve years Chuck spent with The Boeing Company; first as a preliminary design engineer, and then as a manager in transportation systems analysis. He received an "Outstanding" rating from NASA for his study of aircraft designed for commuting in the San Francisco bay area. One great love of his throughout his career has been technology of all types, both in design and energy efficiency. He was into energy efficiency long before it was cool to be into energy efficiency. He's the only person we know who devours every issue of Scientific American and Popular Science from cover to cover.

In 1974, Chuck joined Virgil at Northwest Inspection Engineers and found his true calling; inspecting buildings. In the years since he joined NIE, he has polished the communication skills he acquired in the Air Force and at Boeing. Finding the flaws in a building is only half the job; the other is properly communicating those items to the customer and the many other people inevitably involved in a real estate transaction. His sense of humor and enthusiasm are major assets for his role in these seminars. Don't hesitate to challenge him in any area you wish - he's more fun if you can get him stirred up.

Chuck watched Virgil build his houses and decided that he could do it better. So he designed his own house and started building. About five years later, he moved in. It is an engineering masterpiece, and it is absolutely beautiful. Perhaps someday he will have it all finished!

In 1993, Virgil created "The Technical Inspection of Real Estate" seminar, teaching together with Chuck, for the purpose of passing onto real estate professionals the knowledge that they had acquired during their years as engineers inspecting buildings. Since Virgil passed away in 1995, Chuck has continued their work and now teaches that seminar solo. In 2006, Chuck developed and began teaching "Understanding Home Construction" in response to many requests over the years for a more in-depth understanding of the materials and methods used in constructing a home.

Chuck retired from inspecting in April 2000 - so rib him about his age a little.

QUESTIONS?

Please don't hesitate to contact us by email or by phone at 1-800-251-0010.