Arlington, Virginia: The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), has announced electing new officers and presenting awards to industry leaders at its Annual Meeting, held from November 13 to 15, 2016, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In a press statement, AHRI said its new Chairman is Chris Drew, Executive Vice President of Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Burnham Holdings, a manufacturer of heating equipment.

According to the statement, the following are the officers and Executive Committee of the Institute:
Vice Chairman: Chris Peel, President and COO, Rheem Manufacturing
Treasurer: Ron Duncan, President, Magic Aire
Immediate Past Chairman: Doug Young, President and COO, Lennox International Inc.

Executive Committee:
Dennis Appel, Executive Vice President, Heat Transfer Solutions, Luvata
John Galyen, President, Danfoss North America
Nicholas Giuffre, President and CEO, Bradford White Corporation
Chris Nelson, President, North America HVAC, Carrier
Chris Peel, President & COO, Rheem Manufacturing
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

AHRI said that The Richard C. Schulze Award, given for distinguished service and commitment to AHRI and the industry’s goals and objectives, has been awarded to John Bade, Johnson Controls; Matthew Friedlander, RenewAire; John Galyen, Danfoss; Ron Passafaro, ECR International and Tom Troyanek, Trane.

The Institute said that it also honoured Peter Alexander, Senior Vice President at Goodman Manufacturing, and Bill Root, Vice President and General Manager of Laars Heating Systems, with Distinguished Service Awards – AHRI’s highest honour. The Award, the Institute said, recognises individuals who are leaders in the industry and who have made significant contributions throughout their careers.

“We are honored to recognize very deserving individuals and also to welcome these innovative leaders,” said Stephen Yurek, President and CEO of AHRI. “We are very grateful to them for their service to AHRI and the HVACR and water heating industry.”