Woman Contractor of the Year

Duffey offers solid protection

By Nathan J. Comp

Ada Duffey
President of the Milwaukee Lead and Asbestos Information Center Inc.

Ada Duffey President of the Milwaukee Lead and Asbestos Information Center Inc.

Linda Fellenz got more than she bargained for out of completing an asbestos- and lead-risk assessment course.

Certainly, the environmental department manager for Kapur & Associates Inc., Milwaukee, walked away with a much better understanding of the dangerous substances covered in the course. But she also found a friend and mentor in the course instructor, Ada Duffey.

“She’s probably the most informed person in the state on the rules of asbestos and lead paint — both state and federal regulations,” Fellenz said. “She’s the person to go to.”

And Fellenz started going to Duffey almost right away. Shortly after Fellenz’s class ended, her company was selected to demolish a 20-acre industrial facility.

Fellenz called Duffey to head up the asbestos inspection. So eager was Duffey to help out with a big project that she didn’t even want to be paid for her work, Fellenz said.

Since then, Fellenz subcontracted with Duffey numerous times to assist with a variety of projects, including the Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex project. On that job, Duffey managed to juggle her company’s responsibilities with the 14-hour days she put in on the site.

“My experience with her has been so delightful,” Fellenz said. “I’ve never met someone so ambitious. She doesn’t allow herself enough time for fun, but I’m working on that.”

It’s understandable if Duffey finds free time hard to come by. Each year, she trains thousands of people like Fellenz in the dangers of lead paint and asbestos, and she established herself as a local and national expert.

As president of the Milwaukee Lead and Asbestos Information Center, Duffey guarantees, among other things, that there is an educated work force. Her company is Wisconsin’s largest lead paint-abatement training provider.

Duffey graduated in 1994 from Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Since then, she earned 13 certifications in areas like lead paint, asbestos, mold and environmental safety training.

Her company is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, the National Lead Assessment and Abatement Council, the Metropolitan Builders Association, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Apartment Association of Southeast Wisconsin. And, in 1999, she won the Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award from the Wisconsin Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which is run by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

And for all of her work educating people about the dangers of substances like lead, there’s still more to be done. Lead-based paint was banned in 1978, but 38 million homes nationally still have lead paint on the walls, creating a risk of lead dust in the air from deteriorating paint surfaces.

Through her work, Duffey aims to cut those numbers and the hazards still posed by lead paint nearly 30 years after its prohibition. And to keep on top of the best ways to achieve her goal, Duffey regularly contacts David Turpin, regional lead coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, for updates on the latest federal asbestos and lead regulations.

“She likes to be ahead of the game to give her students up-to-date information,” he said. “When Ada teaches, not only is she protecting people but also the people working in that location, which is just as important.”

And, as far as Turpin sees it, she’s the right person for the job.

“It’s a pleasure to work with her,” he said. “It’s important to have a highly qualified group of professionals in the lead field performing lead abatement.

“She’s the kind of person you want out there training people.”