BOISE, ID — Events at the most recent Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA) national conference held here focused on the group’s technician certification program developed for engineers who work on large industrial refrigeration equipment.

At the time of the conference, 669 operators had been certified through the program. In 1998, 138 operators were certified.

Rich Finefrock, RETA’s certification program committee chairman, reported that a new Level A exam was in place in the program, and an updated Level B exam would be available in the near future.

The current pass rate on Level B is 65% on the first try, and 50% on the first try for the Level A test, according to Finefrock. Close to 1,200 engineers have taken the test overall.

More updates

Don Tragethon, chairman of RETA’s Education Committee, reported that the association has compiled an updated reference list called the Speakers Bureau, in which chapters can find conference speakers.

Tragethon also spoke about RETA’s plans to develop joint training programs with local training institutions. RETA’s goal, he said, is to find more opportunities to deliver training through community colleges.

Also, the association is revising its Industrial Refrigeration II handbook, scheduled to be available this year.

The board for 2000 was announced at the meeting as well. Elected officials include Jeff Nank, EVAPCO, president; Don Tragethon, Western Precooling Systems, executive vice president; Mike Conti, Dual Temp, first vice president; and Herb Rosen, HA Phillip & Co., treasurer.