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Chris Drew

AHRI Elects Officers, Presents Awards

Dec. 7, 2016
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute elected new officers and presented awards to industry leaders during its 2016 Annual Meeting.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) elected new officers and presented awards to industry leaders during its 2016 Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 13-15.

Chris Drew

AHRI's new chairman is Chris Drew, executive vice president of Burnham Holdings, a Lancaster, Pa.-based manufacturer of heating equipment.

The officers are:

  • Vice chairman: Chris Peel, president and chief operating officer (COO), Rheem Manufacturing Co.
  • Treasurer: Ron Duncan, president, Magic Aire.
  • Immediate past chairman: Doug Young, president and COO, Lennox International Inc.

The executive committee are:

  • Dennis Appel, executive vice president, Heat Transfer Solutions, Luvata.
  • John Galyen, president, Danfoss North America.
  • Nicholas Giuffre, president and chief executive officer (CEO), Bradford White Corp.
  • Chris Nelson, president, North America HVAC, Carrier.
  • Chris Peel, president and COO, Rheem Manufacturing Co.
  • Earle Pfefferkorn, president, Cleaver-Brooks.
  • Dave Regnery, president North America, climate solutions, Trane.
  • Rod Rushing, vice president and general manager global products, Johnson Controls.
  • Brent Schroeder, president, air conditioning, Emerson.
  • Mike Schwartz, CEO, Daikin Applied.
  • Bill Steel, president and CEO, Bard Manufacturing.
  • Kevin Wheeler, president, North America, Europe, and India, A.O. Smith.

The Richard C. Schulze Award, given for distinguished service and commitment to AHRI and the industry's goals and objectives, was presented to:

  • John Bade, Johnson Controls Inc.
  • Matthew Friedlander, RenewAire.
  • John Galyen, Danfoss.
  • Ron Passafaro, ECR International.
  • Tom Troyanek, Trane.

AHRI's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, given in recognition of individuals who are leaders in the industry and who have made significant contributions throughout their careers, was presented to:

  • Peter Alexander, senior vice president, Goodman Manufacturing, who recently retired after 59 years in the HVACR and water-heating industry. “Alexander's tenure in our industry is legendary, and his knowledge, insight, grace, and humor will be missed at his company and within the industry,” AHRI said.
  • Bill Root, vice president and general manager, Laars Heating Systems, who soon will retire from the industry. Prior to joining Laars in 1998, Root had been active in a variety of positions since 1986. “Root has been an invaluable resource on the heating side of the house, and his presence will be greatly missed,” AHRI said.