Priest & Associates Consulting, LLC , Texas

Mike has over 30 years of experience in product evaluation and testing. Holding a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he began his career as a Research Engineer in product safety testing at Southwest Research Institute’s Fire Technology Department. His work with the U.S. Navy and the construction industry established him as an expert in fire testing for many applications. After earning a Master’s in Business Management, Mike pursued new opportunities with Intertek, a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) firm. Over 11 years, he held various leadership roles, including Senior Project Engineer, Operations Manager, General Manager for North America, Director of Business Development, and Regional General Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. In these roles, he oversaw testing, inspection, and certification services. In 2017, Mike joined NTA to lead the Building Products Department, where he established a fire testing laboratory in Texas and restructured the business for scalable growth. His efforts contributed to NTA’s acquisition by the International Code Council (ICC) in 2019, forming ICC-NTA. His expertise in fire testing played a critical role in expanding ICC-ES’s fire design listings and enhancing the fire lab’s capabilities. Now serving as President of Priest & Associates Consulting (PAC), Mike leverages his extensive experience to provide consulting services. He has been an active member of standard development organizations for over 20 years, including ASTM E05 (Fire Standards) and the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Tests. Additionally, during his time in the Middle East, he contributed to fire standards used in the United Arab Emirates’ building codes.