ARLINGTON, Va. — Carl Smith, marketing manager for North American Technician Excellence Inc. (NATE), informed board members at its semiannual meeting in Arlington that more tests had been administered in the first quarter of 2003 than in the first nine months of 2002. Smith also indicated the organization was on a pace to exceed 15,000 tests in 2003.

Board member Herman Kling, vice president, sales for Carrier Corporation, reported his company’s goal of 2,000 tests in 2003 had already been exceeded in the first four months of the year.

The organization’s board of trustees also heard from Harry Roth of the Eastern Heating and Cooling Council (EHCC), a nonprofit educational organization located in Mt. Laurel, N.J. According to Roth, the organization offers a full-day NATE certification review course and promotes NATE certification to HVAC contractors in the Northeast. The efforts of EHCC accounted for 15 percent of all NATE tests administered in 2002.