IIAR Searches for New ARF Executive Director

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration is looking for a new executive director for the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation to lead the non-profit research and education organization toward continued growth and expansion.

“This is an exciting time for ARF, and this new opening presents a great opportunity for any IIAR member who would like to take a more active role in the leadership of this industry,” said ARF chairman Marcos Braz.

He added that the Foundation will be reaching its goal for the ARF endowment fund in the next two years and emphasized that the leadership of a new Executive Director will shape how the Foundation uses that endowment to fund research and scholarships.

ARF’s mission is to support research and educational efforts in industrial refrigeration, particularly in the area of ammonia and natural refrigerants. ARF also funds industry scholarship programs and recognizes outstanding contributors to the industrial refrigeration profession.

“We’ve unveiled a new scholarship program and we’ve reached a level of financial support that will allow us to commit to ongoing research projects, which will make that a much more sustainable activity than it ever has been,” said Braz.

Tim Facius led ARF as executive director for the past two years, providing exceptional leadership during a time when the foundation’s endowment increased from $1.3 million to $2 million. In addition to expanding ARF’s activities and fundraising, Facius served as an invaluable resource for IIAR and was a motivating factor in the foundation’s growth, said ARF past Chairman, Bob Port.

“The foundation is in an extremely healthy condition,” said Facius. “Our $2 million endowment gives us a solid base and the flexibility to pursue the kind of research projects we feel are important. There are also a lot of exciting things happening on the education side. We want the scholarship piece to be a bigger part of our overall work. We’re unveiling a new scholarship program, which means we’ll have more of a balance between scientific research and bringing in young talent to the industry.”

Facius said he is proud to have installed structure, discipline, procedures and documentation in the operations of the foundation during his term. “It positions us for a smooth hand-off to new leadership,” he said.

“The leadership is really multifaceted, from the chairman to the board to the trustees to my part as executive director, to the support IIAR has provided,” he said. “It’s all that coming together as a team that has made the foundation what it is today.

“For me, it’s been a very rewarding experience and an exciting way to give back to the industry for such an important cause. The concept of funding research and drawing in new talent is a real and tangible way that IIAR and ARF can better the industry that we’re working in.”

ARF said in a recent report that it hopes to have a new executive director in place by early July.

IIAR members interested in the ARF Executive Director role should contact Marcos Braz, ARF Chairman at 817- 444-7858, via email at marcosbraz@ mr-braz.com or IIAR President Dave Rule at 703-312-4200, via email at dave_rule@iiar.org.

Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation, Unveils New Scholarship Initiative

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation, ARF, and the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, IIAR, has unveiled a new scholarship initiative, open to any undergraduate engineering student interested in the thermal sciences and attending an accredited four-year engineering school.

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation is a non-profit research and education foundation organized by members of the IIAR to promote educational and scientific projects related to industrial refrigeration and the use of ammonia and other natural refrigerants.

The new ARF scholarship initiative addresses one of the Foundation’s primary goals – to support students that have an interest in this field of study and would like to pursue a career in the industrial refrigeration industry.

“This is an incredible opportunity to get involved in shaping the next generation of our industry,” said IIAR president Dave Rule.

Under the new program, ARF said it will work to attract new engineering talent to the industrial refrigeration industry by awarding three two-year scholarships. The base scholarship package provides $1,000 per semester for four semesters after the student has completed a minimum of 60 hours towards an engineering degree.

The scholarship also includes a fully funded pass to the 2016 IIAR Industrial Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, FL with an incentive bonus scholarship for attending.

For scholarship instructions and application information, please visit the ARF web page at: http://nh3foundation.org/. n