Andy Souza
Andy Souza is a mechanical engineer licensed in California with a passion for consulting the flourishing cannabis industry while working for TEP Engineering for the past 15 years.
He has been a hobbyist cultivator for almost 20 years and now has design experience from “seed to sale.” He has worked on all types of cannabis facilities including cultivation, manufacturing, extraction, distribution, retail, and consumption lounges. While consulting for cannabis companies like Flow Cannabis Company, he was a critical contributor to the recently released joint ASHRAE-ASABE (Agricultural and Biological Engineers) standard “ANSI/ASABE/ASHRAE EP653 Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning for Indoor Plant Environments without Sunlight,” that helps facilitate the understanding of HVAC equipment options and allows for growers to communicate knowledgably with engineers. In addition, he is actively participating in UL’s “Standard for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Buildings and Facilities for the Cultivation, Production and Processing of Cannabis” and is engaged on HVAC related discussions for ASTM’s committee D37 on Cannabis.
When asked what his HVAC goals are, Andy has a few.
“Never stop learning. Become Principal. Learn how to design mechanical systems for legal psilocybin mushroom farms, fallout bunkers, spaceships, and dome colonies on other planets. All while continuing to provide value to our clients with our cannabis and winery mechanical engineering experience,” Andy said.
Andy has also become known as the “Wine Country Engineer” while living and working in Sonoma County (Northern California) and for his involvement on winery projects, including the LEED platinum certified Silver Oak in Alexander Valley. He has contributed to many winery projects over the years, including engineering design work for production facilities, wine caves, and hospitality buildings.
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