Kenneth D. Newson, ACFEI, DABFE, DABFET
Forensic Technologist

Interior Specifications
5737 Kanan Road, #549
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
818-445-9492 Fax: 818-475-5099
Email: ken@4floors.com
Web Site: www.4floors.com



AREAS OF EXPERTISE

All floor covering products:
  • Installation
  • Moisture Vapor Emissions
  • Adhesives
  • Performance
  • Standards of practice in the floor covering industry
  • Slip & Fall
  • Forensic Investigation
  • Standards of practice in the retail industry (floors)
FORMAL EDUCATION
  • Dorsey High School- Science
  • Los Angeles City College - Psychology (AA degree)
  • San Fernando Valley State College - Ergonomics (2 years)
SPECIALITY TRAINING
  • Forensic Science
  • Institute of Real Estate Management
  • Mohasco Research & Development School
  • Armstrong Training School
  • Individual Specialized Manufacturer's Training.
  • California Department of Consumer Affairs Expert's training program
QUALIFICATIONS

Mr. Newson was first certified as a competent expert in the field of commercial floor covering by the Los Angeles County Courts in 1979. He has testified numerous times as both a plaintiffs and defense expert witness. In 1993 the California Department of Consumer Affairs certified him as a floor-covering expert. For 25 years Mr. Newson has been part of their Industry Experts program, he acted as an investigator and mediator in contractor-consumer disputes. He is currently an editor of the California Contractors License Examination.

Mr. Newson has handled over 1,500 ligation matters. He has testified in over 25 times at trial, 150 depositions, and numerous Arbitrations and Mediations. His list of references is very long. Mr. Newson has consulted for many major educational institutions, medical facilities, and Governmental Agencies. He recently completed studies for UCLA, USC, Cedar Sinai Hospital of Los Angeles, Bob Hope Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport and The US Department of Justice. Ken is a Certified MCLE for the California and Nevada Bar Associations. Mr. Newson has provided legal expertise, and consulting in 32 states, 2 U.S. Territories and 4 Canadian Provinces.

His list of references is very long. Mr. Newson has consulted for many major educational institutions, medical facilities, and Governmental Agencies. He recently completed studies for UCLA, USC, Cedar Sinai Hospital of Los Angeles, Bob Hope Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport and The US Department of Justice. Ken is a Certified MCLE for the California and Nevada Bar Associations. Mr. Newson has provided legal expertise, and consulting in 32 states, 2 U.S. Territories and 4 Canadian Provinces.

Mr. Newson has conducted studies on site suitability for specialty flooring products for all types of public facilities. He is the floor-covering advisor, and past member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles chapter, for the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA). He teaches continuing education courses for the American Institute of Architecture (A.I.A.) and SARA. He has had instructional and editorial columns for their national publications. Also, he conducts symposiums for A.I.A and SARA on concrete additives and moisture vapor, in preparation for floor covering and the "Standard of Practice for the Flooring Industry".

In 1996 Mr. Newson was accepted as a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFE#10104), and subsequently passed the peer review and became a Diplomate of The American Board of Forensic Examiners. On April 1, 1999, he became a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Engineering & Technology. In 2007 Mr. Newson was elevated to the level of Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.

His certification is specialized to all matters pertaining to floors and their function as part of a system. Subsequently, he has conducted investigations for several private companies, individuals and public agencies. He investigates cases involving toxic fumes, toxic mold, premises liability, product liability, installation, industry standards of care involving the National Codes of Safety, and the International Building Code.

In August of 2002, Mr. Newson prepared a course text and was certified by the California Bar Association and the Nevada Bar in 2019, to provide Continuing Education, on all litigation matters pertaining to floors, premises liability, and toxins. In November 2005, Mr. Newson became a certified Mediator for the California State Contractors License Board.[A

EXPERIENCE

While in college in 1964, he worked as a construction project manager, & was moved to the Commercial Real Estate Management department. In 1969 he was the Director of Daily Apartment Operations for Urbanetics Financial Corporation, & managed several thousand apartment units in the Southwest, handling interior build-outs. In1970, he was Director of Property Management for the Heritage Group.

In 1972, Mr. Newson went to work for Irving C. Rubin & Associates, a company that provided commercial floor covering to real estate managers. In 1976 he began his own chain of commercial floor covering outlets & became a licensed floor-covering contractor in the California.

Over the next two years he was trained in fabrication & installation of all types of flooring materials. In 1978, Dupont Chemical sent him to seminars around the country to be trained in the use & specification of fiber systems. Specialty floor covering material manufacturers sent instructors to him to provide individual training for products such as, linoleum, cork, rubber, wood, vinyl, epoxy, & stone.

This training allowed him to train his sales & installation staff. His firm sold & installed over 5,000,000-sq. ft. of specialty products, for use in athletic facilities, schools, restaurants, factories, airports & hospitals.

In 1977 Mr. Newson joined the faculty at Ambassador College & taught classes in textile specification for real estate managers. He began teaching this same course for the National Boards of Realtors as part of their Professional Property Manager's certification, & The National Apartment Owners Association's "Certified Managers Program".

Mr. Newson has published several articles on floor covering specification in national trade publications such as The Journal of Property Management. He also writes articles pertaining to the specification of floor covering & site conditions for architectural publications.

Dupont enlisted him into their advisory counsel, made up of eight qualified contractors, where he was asked to confer with other floor covering contractors when they needed advice. In 1980 Mr. Newson opened the "Design Resource Center" in Van Nuys California, where he taught classes in materials specification to Interior Designers & Architects. In 1984 he opened Interior Specifications, a consulting & management company to service the design & construction community.


CREDENTIALS
  • California Bar Association Certified-MCLE- Provider #11509
  • Nevada Bar Association
  • Fellow America College of Forensic Examiners Institute Certificate #10104
  • Diplomate American Board of Forensic Examiners
  • Diplomate American Board of Forensic Engineers And Technologists
  • Certified Property Manager (retired)
  • California Contractors License #710802
  • California Department Consumer Affairs Expert
  • California Contractors License Board Mediator
TEACHING POSITIONS
  • Ambassador College
  • National Board of Realtors
  • National Apartment Owners Association
  • The Design Resource Center
  • West Los Angeles City College
  • University Nevada Las Vegas, School of Architecture
LECTURING BODIES
  • Society of American Registered Architects
  • American Institute of Architecture
  • City of Las Vegas, Public Planning
ASSOCIATIONS
  • American College of Forensic Examiners
  • National Wood Flooring Association
  • Marble Institute of America MIA
  • American Standards Testing & Materials Int. ASTM
PUBLICATIONS
  • SARASCOPE
    • Cork Flooring
    • Rubber Flooring
    • Carpet
    • Resilient flooring
    • Moisture Vapor Migration
    • Floor Safety Design
    • Wood & Stone flooring
    • Life cycle costs
  • Journals
    • The Apartment Owner
    • Carpet
    • Resilient flooring
    • Moisture Vapor Migration
    • Floor Safety Design
    • Life cycle costs
    • Floor Safety Design
    • The Daubert Dilemma in the Slip & Fall Case
AWARDS
  • Society of American Register Architects Certificate
  • Ambassador College Certificate
  • Presidential Certificate SARA

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