RSES Conference Focuses on Education
Technical Talks, Product Expo Dominate Five-Day Event
LONG BEACH, Calif. — RSES has always stressed education, but, for its 77th Annual Conference and HVACR Technology Expo, the trade association took that to the next level.
The five-day event did away with opening ceremonies and keynote speakers, and trimmed back social events to allow more time for technical sessions, both in terms of quantity (29) and quality (two to four hours) for each session.
Topics included profit management, variable frequency drives (VFDs), electronically commutated motors (ECMs), combustion analyzers, refrigerants, system performance, inverter technology, micro controls, and more.
Time also was allowed for attendees to participate in North American Technician Excellence (NATE) core exam preparation, RSES’s certified member exam, a Battle of the Regions question-and-answer session, and a four-hour technology expo that allowed manufacturers and trade associations to showcase their latest equipment and service offerings.
Reports
Outgoing RSES international president Joe Marchese, owner, Koldcraft Refrigeration, Pittsburgh, and columnist for The NEWS, told attendees, RSES “is definitely moving forward.” He noted growth in webinar offerings, plans for a video contest among members, and more membership benefits. He said a key to growth over the years has come from “people talking about RSES.” He encouraged members “to find someone who will benefit from being a member and encourage such a person to join.”
Rich Hoke, interim executive vice president, RSES, said the video contest would involve members producing five- to 10-minute troubleshooting videos that can be posted on RSES’s website. Hoke, who also serves as the building maintenance superintendent for the City of Elgin, Illinois, noted plans to add manufacturer videos to the RSES website and intends to do more with wholesalers in terms of programs and training.
Roger Hensley, chairman of the RSES Educational and Examining Board, told attendees three geothermal training manuals, in addition to one ECM motor manual, are complete. He said all training materials related to NATE exams have been completed except for one commercial refrigeration packet, which will be finished in early 2015. He said a Spanish-language version of the NATE core exam preparation is also finished. He further stated RSES is working diligently to present its tests online.
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Transitions
During the conference, attendees elected Harlan ‘Skip’ Krepcik international president. He will serve in RSES’s top elected position until the next annual conference, slated for September 2015 in Rosemont, Illinois. Krepcik, a native of Nebraska, spent half his career in the HVACR manufacturing sector and half in HVAC contracting. Currently, he teaches full-time at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia, and is an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Member of Year kudos were given to Tom Schaefer, service manager for Upstate Systems Inc., Buffalo, New York. Speaker of the Year honors went to Art Miller, a retired educator from Pittsburgh who taught at the Community College of Allegheny County. The RSES Manufacturers Service Advisory Council (MSAC) named David Boyd of Appion Inc. the MSAC Member of the Year.
Publication date: 12/22/2014
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