Now that the IIAR conference, with its committee meetings, networking events and technical discussions has ended and we’re all back at work, it’s time to set some new goals and carry the momentum of our recent meeting into the rest of the year.

As your new chairman, my first priority this year is to welcome the new members in the U.S. and across the world as we encourage your continued participation and focus on creating the growth that will help our natural refrigeration industry meet the new challenges ahead.

This year’s Industrial Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Show was our first major step in that direction, and I’m very pleased to report that the event again saw record-breaking numbers of attendees and exhibitors, and added important alliances through signed MOU’s with organizations like ASHRAE and RETA.

We also brought exciting news with publications and technical papers. The new and revised CO2 Handbook showcases not only the latest knowledge available to the industry, but the technical strength of our committee work. We also just finished the first public review of the IIAR-2 standard and completed IIAR-5 and IIAR-4. IIAR’s 2014 show was one of our best conferences yet, exceeding and surpassing expectations, primarily because of the support and hard work of our members, so I’d like to extend special thanks and appreciation to all who contributed their time and financial support to this year’s event.

We welcomed over 130 exhibitors participating in our exhibit hall this year, representing a more diversified ed cross-section of our industry and the largest exhibit floor ever. Many unveiled new products, and there was an impressive display of larger equipment.

The IIAR technical program was also a success, with eight technical papers, eight workshops, a research panel, an international panel and a closing forum discussing the characteristics and applications of small charge systems, which was of this year’s hottest topics.

As dedicated as our members are to making this organization a success we also count on our very talented and dedicated staff lead by our president Dave Rule.

I encourage you to get to know them and connect with them at our conferences and meetings. They do a lot of “behind the scenes” work, and it is their hard work that allows us to continue to support a vibrant and dynamic, growing, association.

Our organization’s strength also lies in the work of its membership, coordinated and lead through our Committee Chairs and their voluntary work. And I should not forget the outpouring of enthusiasm of each one of our members when it comes to sharing knowledge and new ideas.

I’d like to take this opportunity to call for your increased participation and leadership in IIAR’s committees and development of technical papers. Our publications are second to none, addressing new trends and introducing new technologies, and you, as an IIAR member have the opportunity to contribute to them directly.

Another area that will receive my focus as your chairman this year is expanding our interaction with our association partnerships by exchanging technical information and resources. IIAR will continue to grow as a resource for the educational and training materials that make our industry safe and enable the use of new natural refrigeration technologies.

Resolving some of the most complex scenarios we are facing with the phase-out of synthetic refrigerants will depend on the ability of IIAR’s membership to continue to develop those resources and communicate the potential of new technologies.

We’ll continue to foster communication with all of our partners with which we have signed MOU’s, while at the same time looking for new opportunities to grow our presence on the global stage.

To that end, we’ll also be focused on the work of our committees this year, especially government relations, where we’ve continued to build relationships on behalf of our industry, carrying the torch on initiatives with the Department of Homeland Security, EPA, OSHA and many other government organizations.

I’m looking forward to working together with you as your chairman this year. As members, your ongoing work and participation make all of our activities possible. Thank you for enriching our industry with your support.