CHICAGO - Kevin L. Bailey, inside sales at Mechanical Equipment Inc., has been elected 2007-2008 president of the Chicagoland Better Heating-Cooling Council (CBHCC).

Other officers elected include: June Tucker, president of International Piping Systems Inc., as 1st vice president; Frank Bridgeford, inside sales at Porter Pipe & Supply Inc., as 2nd vice president; and Michelle James, sales engineer at Mechanical Inc., as secretary/treasurer. John Stern, project manager at Dahme Mechanical Industries Inc., remains on the board as the council’s past president.

Elected to two-year terms on the CBHCC board of directors were: Scott Gorgius, sales engineer at Able Heating & Cooling Supplies; John O'Brien, principal at GHC Mechanical Inc.; Ed Usher, treasurer at Ideal Heating Co.; and Dave Gottfred, vice president at G & O Thermal Supply.

They join current board members Phil Uhl, heating manager at S G Supply Co.; Tom Olson, vice president-service at Thermodyne Mechanical Service Inc.; and William Reining, service operations manager at Independent Mechanical Industries Inc.

CBHCC also named Gottfred as 2006-2007 Educator of the Year for his contribution to CBHCC’s education program.

“Dave’s new schools proved to be incredibly popular,” said Bailey. “His schools provided hands-on training opportunities on new topics for our members’ service technicians.”

The CBHCC Educator of the Year Award is given to the instructor whose program meets criteria of excellence during the previous school year. Criteria include, but are not limited to, both the objective and subjective results of program surveys.

Hill Mechanical Group of Franklin Park earned the Council’s Contractor of the Year Award, which is presented to the member who demonstrates the highest degree of involvement in Council programs. “Hill sent 30 service techs to CBHCC schools during our 2006-2007 year,” explained Gorgius, CBHCC Education Chair. “Their commitment to our education program has been incredible.”

When considering the Contractor of the Year award, CBHCC looks at not only the number of employees a contractor sends to CBHCC schools during a given year, but also to the level of involvement (number of schools attended vs. total number of registrations) to prevent contractor size from playing an overly important role.

Formed in 1958, the Chicagoland Better Heating-Cooling Council is the professional voice of the hydronic heating-cooling industry in the Chicago area, providing a forum for education and training for Chicago’s union service contractors. CBHCC serves as an organization linking union contractors, Pipe Fitters’ Local Union 597, and manufacturers and suppliers to provide hands-on schools on timely topics. For information on CBHCC or its schools, contact the council at 773-529-1212.

Publication date:11/26/2007