HVAC/R Trade and Training Event a Big Draw
Expo offers products, education sessions, regulatory updates
CATCHING UP: Jonathan Jenkins, the owner of Target Air HVAC in Redford Township, Michigan, catches up with Kenneth Beahlen, right, an instructor at the William D. Ford Career Technical Center in Westland, Michigan, during the HVAC/R Expo on October 12. At left is Target Air technician Logan Talbert. (Staff Photo)
STATE OF HVAC: Talbot Gee, the CEO of HARDI, offers an HVAC industry update during the Behler-Young Co.’s HVAC/R Expo at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, on October 12. Gee said that there are a lot of different forces currently impacting the industry and that he was packing two hours’ worth of content into an hour. (Staff Photo)
SELLING POINTS: Robert Rusniaczek of Grandy & Associates, a contractor training firm, speaks during one of the HVAC/R Expo’s 36 training sessions about how HVAC technicians should approach sales opportunities. Rusniaczek said technicians should position themselves a guides and their residential customers as heroes in solving home HVAC problems. (Staff Photo)
POWER PLAY: Fred Kreusch, vice president of business strategy at ABLE Power Products Inc., speaks about the importance to HVAC systems of electronic surge protection during an HVAC/R Expo training sessions on October 12. ABLE is a technology partner of Rectorseal, which sponsored the session. (Staff Photo)
NEW PRODUCT: Stacey Wocken, the general sales manager at Malco Products, and Alexander Mason, right, of Christian & Co., talk with a visitor to the HVAC/R Expo on October 12. Mason and Wocken were demonstrating Malco’s new C-Rhex Sawtooth hex driver, a 2022 Dealer Design Awards Gold winner. Christian & Co. represents Malco in the Detroit area. (Staff Photo)
LET ME GOOGLE THAT: Colleen Keyworth, the director of sales and marketing at Online Access, which helps HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors with online marketing, talks about how contractors can maximize and polish their company’s presence on Google. Keyworth spoke during the Behler-Young Co.’s HVAC/R Expo in Novi, Michigan, on October 12. (Staff Photo)
NOVI, Mich. — Contractors and technicians from across the state converged in this Detroit suburb October 12 for the HVAC/R Expo, a trade and training event sponsored by the Behler-Young Co., a Grand Rapids-based distribution firm.
Visitors got to see new products, attend classes on topics ranging from online marketing to HVAC system surge protection to regulatory updates, and catch up with friends and colleagues in the industry.
Behler-Young’s first such event since 2016, held at Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace, drew more than 100 exhibitors, and 2,000 guests were expected throughout the day. HVACR industry household names like Carrier, Bosch, and DiversiTech were represented, along with many smaller companies, business services firms, industry associations, and trades education programs.
“The vendor participation this year is phenomenal,” said Cameron Young, Behler-Young’s customer experience manager.
“It’s a great show. A lot of engaged people,” said George Groh, a regional sales manager at Sterling HVAC Products, based in Westfield, Massachusetts. Sterling makes radiant unit heaters and makeup air and rooftop equipment.
Behler-Young officials said attendees came from as far as Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Gaylord, Michigan, and even Ohio. Attendees also included architects, engineers, maintenance workers, and trade school students, said Kari Schellie, Behler-Young’s senior marketing manager.
“I am really, really impressed. It’s been a steady stream of people,” said Brad Williams, an inside sales manager at Little Giant Pump Co., a pump brand based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Looking for quick answers on air conditioning, heating and refrigeration topics? Try Ask ACHR NEWS, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ACHR NEWS
Talbot Gee, the CEO of HARDI, a trade association for distributors, offered an update on the state of the industry, which he said is facing headwinds after “a couple of extraordinary years.” Gee said indicators suggest that growth will be slowing while costs continue to grow, and that regulatory changes will complicate the picture.
But opportunities will still be available, Gee said, for those who know where to look for them and can keep updated on the economic forces at work.
“There’s a heck of a lot going on in our industry,” said Doug Young, the chairman and CEO of Behler-Young, and those who don’t keep up to speed will get left behind.
According to Doug Young, the show began in the mid-1960s and was originally called Brand-A-Rama. Five or six Brand-A-Ramas were held between the mid-’60s and 1985, he said, but after that there wasn’t another show until 2016. In the intervening 31 years, Behler-Young grew substantially, including taking on products from Bryant, a Carrier brand, in 1991.
Behler-Young’s next HVAC/R Expo is planned to coincide with the company’s 100th anniversary in 2026.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
