More than 100 years in the making, RETA, established in 1910, and RSES, established in 1933, have officially joined forces at the Board level to tackle educating the entire gamut of the HVACR industry, together. After a two-year process—involving many meetings, a merge committee, both Boards of Directors, HQ Staff members, Executive Director Jim Barron and, of course, RETA and RSES Members—history has officially been made with the election of the first merged Board of Directors between these two long-time Associations.
The Board was voted/sworn in during the RETA Annual Business Meeting Oct. 22, 2024 at the RETA Annual Conference in Grapevine, TX. The result is a committed industry-diverse Board of Directors from all regions of the U.S. and Canada exemplifying all facets of the industrial and commercial HVACR industries equally representing both Associations.
The 2024–2025 RETA-RSES Board of Directors includes the following individuals:
EXECUTIVE BOARD
- Chairman Michael Hawkins, Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC (Hanover, PA)
- President David Gulcynski, Dot Foods Inc. (Modesto, CA)
- Executive Vice President Bill Lape, SCS Engineers (Eden Prairie, MN)
- Treasurer Ray Urban Jr, Lineage Logistics (Richmond, VA)
- Second Vice President Jeremy Murfin, AC&R Specialists (Sioux City, IA)
DIRECTORS
- Jeremiah Armstrong, Brakebush Brothers (Mocksville, NC)
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Melissa Cassell, General Refrigeration Company (Delmar, DE)
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Dale Clinton, Stellar (Jacksonville, FL)
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Brynn Cooksey, Air Doctors Heating and Cooling, LLC (Southfield, MI)
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Mike Davis, Republic Refrigeration (Montgomery, AL)
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Ron Fetterley, Applied Process Cooling Corp. (Modesto, CA)
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Jayson Goff, CoolSys (Mt. Juliet, TN)
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Brandon Jones, Tyson Foods Inc. (Bella Vista, AR)
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Eric Kaiser, TruTech Tools, Ltd., (Indianapolis, IN)
- Jim Kovarik, Gamma Graphics Services (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Joe Marchese, Koldcraft Refrigeration Services (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Casey McConnaughy, Johnson Controls Technical Services (Inman, KS)
- Michael Missall, Summit Refrigeration Group (Menomonee Falls, WI)
- Jodie Rukamp, SCS Tracer Environmental (Germantown, WI)
- Gary Struhar, Retired (Belle River, ON)
- Harrison Travis, Sanden Vendo America, Inc. (Forney, TX)
The combined Board is committed to working together to elevate the competency of professionals in the industrial, commercial and residential sides of the HVACR industry. In addition, much work will be focused on ensuring the newcomers entering these industries are well-trained and ready to hit the ground working directly out of school.
Finally, several new chairs were appointed to committees, including:
- Certification Chair: Lee Pyle, SCS Tracer Environmental (Carlsbad, CA)
- Education Chair: Don Tragethon, Retired (Pueblo West, CO)
- Marketing Chair: Jodie Rukamp, SCS Tracer Environmental (Germantown, WI)
- Membership Chair: Jason Daniell, APSM (Orem, UT)
- Conference Chair: Jim Kovarik, Gamma Graphics Services (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Publications Chair: Vern Sanderson, Schwan’s Company (Paulding, OH)
The Board and committee leads will determine how each group continues to serve all sides of the HVACR industry. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please contact RETA or RSES HQ.
