FALLS CHURCH, Va. - John Garvelink, past president of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors - National Association, received special recognition for his leadership in technician excellence.

Garvelink, who is the founding chairman of the North American Technician Excellence (NATE) program, received the 2004 Ted Rees Leadership Award from the NATE board of trustees. NATE board member Tom Moore presented the award to Garvelink during the 2004 PHCC annual convention in Boston.

The NATE board of trustees created the special award to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the pursuit of technician excellence. It is named for Ted Rees, the former president of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

"John's leadership enabled NATE to become what it is today - the industry standard for technician excellence," Moore said during the presentation. "John Garvelink was and continues to be an advocate for technician excellence, and played a vital role in establishing NATE as the symbol of high-quality HVACR technicians."

Publication date: 01/31/2005