Barry Costa lives in Kingman, Arizona with, his wife, Carol. Barry has a BS degree in education from Springfield College and was a public school teacher for ten years and received the “Excellence in Education” Award by the State of NH and Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the New Hampshire Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Barry began his career in the carpet installation, cleaning, restoration industry in the mid-1960s with Costa Carpet Company, Inc., a family business and continued as the owner of Carpet & Cleaning Craftsman, Inc. in Peterborough, NH until December 1999.

In the carpet installation industry, Barry’s certifications include C.F.I. certified Master Carpet Installer (the second to score 100% on the master’s examination.) Barry is also a F.I.T.C. certified carpet installation instructor. Barry was involved on the committee re-writing CRI 104 and 105 (Carpet Installation Standards for commercial and residential) and acted as the Vice-chair of the ANSI/IICRC S600 Carpet Installation Standards Committee.

Barry’s certifications within the cleaning and restoration industries include IICRC Certified Master Cleaner, Master Restorer, Senior Carpet Inspector. Barry was also an approved OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer.

An IICRC approved instructor in the areas of Carpet Repair and Reinstallation; Water Damage Restoration, Barry has instructed across the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The recipient of the “John Mauciere Excellence in Education,” “George Cervenka Volunteerism Award,” “2003 CleanFax Person of the Year,” “The Ralph Bloss Humanitarian Award,” as well as other honors bestowed in this industry including “Instructor of the Year,” twice voted by his peers in the IICRC and his latest, the ‘Peoples Choice Award’ voted on by students.

Barry is a contributing author to the national water damage standard’s S500-94 and S500 2nd edition and the newly revised ANSI/IICRC S500 3rd edition as well as S100, S300, S520 and the recently approved ANSI/IICRC approved S520 2nd edition. Barry was also the vice-chair of the new S600 Carpet Installation Standard. Barry has been a key speaker at many restorative symposiums, conventions, and special events, and has written many articles in I.C.S. and CleanFax magazines.

He served and chaired many national committees’ within the cleaning and restoration industry, including the Examinations and Standards Chairman for the IICRC, responsible bringing in its current grading and test analysis process (Scantron). Barry also chaired the Standards Committee for the IICRC (2003 – 2008) and was responsible in bringing ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accreditation to the IICRC Standards Writing Process. This committee successfully brought two standards to this level of third party accreditation (S500 and S520). Barry was a member of the Board of Directors of the IICRC, past Certification Council chair, past Education Committee Vice-Chair, and past Executive Committee member of the IICRC with terms ending October 2011. Barry was on the board of CRA and in charge of the Education Committee of ICRA and has been instrumental in creating “Performance Assessments” to the Cleaning & Restoration Industry to complement the current “Cognitive” testing programs that exist.

Barry has been a motivational speaker at six Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program Pasta Parties (Disney, San Diego (twice), Honolulu (twice), Arizona, and Seattle). To date, Barry has raised over a Quarter of a Million Dollars ($250,000.00 plus) to help find a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and other Blood -related Cancers.

As an approved instructor since 1986, Barry never works a day. His work IS his play! “Touch as many lives as you can” was a gift received from his daughter Kimberly Joy Costa. My hope, as my daughter watches me every day, is that I am not letting her down. I love what I do, and I love and care for my students and my industry!