Timothy Wentz. Image credit: ASHRAE website*

For ASHRAE to move to the next level and grow, its members must embrace new technologies and let go of outmoded tools and concepts. Timothy Wentz, ASHRAE President-Elect, shared this advice in a speech he delivered in front of the members of the Falcon Chapter on March 23, in Dubai, UAE.

Wentz, whose presidential theme is “Adapt today to shape tomorrow”, gave those present at the meeting a glimpse into his plans during his term as ASHRAE President, by revealing three directives he intends to implement once he officially takes over the reins of the Society on July 1.

“How do we shape tomorrow? I have three directives that I’m going to announce on July 1,” said Wentz. “The first is to adapt ASHRAE resources to expand member knowledge and develop the visionary of tomorrow. We’re going to break that into three initiatives. We’re going to launch an ASHRAE university as an educational platform, and it will be aimed at our membership to help them become more proficient, more productive and more visionary.”

In addition to launching a university, Wentz shared that he also means for ASHRAE to “impart cutting edge skills necessary to excel” through the introduction of brand-new courses and – as the third initiative under his first directive – to “develop and implement an internship programme”.

“This will be a web-based internship programme,” he said. “This is going to help the employers, our student branches and student members. And we are going to connect our members and create an environment for students to acquire real-life experiences. At the same time, our employers can start including these students into their businesses. Internships are a very powerful tool, and it’s a way for us to recruit the best and the brightest into our industry.”

Moving on to discuss his second directive, Wentz said that he also intends for ASHRAE to invest in energising its chapters and engaging its members. To do that, he announced that he has identified another set of initiatives that he plans to take. They are: Create a chapter opportunity fund; adapt ASHRAE’s bEQ (Building Energy Quotient) system for use by the Society’s student branches; and form a student leadership academy.

The opportunity fund, he disclosed, has already been budgeted and will be distributed to ASHRAE chapters, with the goal of energising them and helping them give back to their communities through the development of special projects.

Closing his speech with details about his third directive, Wentz returned to the topic of technology, saying: “Some of us, we just hang on for dear life. We just hang on and don’t want to let go because of fear. But we know that we need to let go of that old technology … in order to adapt to new technology, where we can then excel. So, directive number three is to adapt ASHRAE technology.”

With his third directive, Wentz explained that he hopes to give ASHRAE members direct and immediate access to the Society.

“How do we do that?” he asked, and answered: “We’re going to have three initiatives. We’re going to create a technology board or tech portal where we can tie into ASHRAE technology anywhere, anytime, thus, bringing the power of ASHRAE right to your jobsite, right to your firm.”

He continued, “Initiative number two: Develop application guides written specifically for practising professionals. These are not going to be research documents; these are not going to be thick books. These are going to be reality-based application guides. And then, finally, we’re going to be announcing a series of apps based on ASHRAE technology to make you more effective, so you can work on a niche, while taking ASHRAE technology right to your jobsites.”

Taking the stage after Wentz, ASHRAE Region-at-Large Director and Regional Chair, Farooq Mehboob, spoke on behalf of the region, expressing its members’ commitment to supporting Wentz’s plans. “From this platform,” Mehboob said, “I’d like to say to our President-Elect: We are ready to adapt. The Region-at-Large is ready to adapt to adopt your vision for the Society, because it is a vision that we share; it is a vision that we believe is correct for our future.”

* Image credit: https://www.ashrae.org/society-groups/meet-the-board/2015-2016-bod