RETA Breeze July-Aug 2024

2023-24 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Bengie Branham, CIRO, RAI SCS Engineers PRESIDENT Michael Hawkins, CARO Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT David Gulcynski, CIRO Dot Foods Inc. TREASURER Bill Lape, CARO, CIRO, CRST SCS Engineers SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Raymond Urban, CARO Lineage Logistics DIRECTORS Melissa Cassell General Refrigeration Company Dale Clinton, CIRO Stellar Victor Dearman, Jr., CIRO, CRST Peco Foods, Inc Arlie Farley, CARO, CIRO, CRST Farley’s SRP Inc Ron Fetterley, CARO, CIRO, CRST Applied Process Cooling Corp Brandon Jones, CARO Tyson Foods, Inc Barbara Kirkpatrick Mi-Docs Jim Kovarik Gamma Graphics Services Mike Missall, CARO Summit Refrigeration Group Jeremy Murfin AC & R Specialists Andrew Palomar, CARO Stellar Gordon Rascoe, Jr, CIRO, CRST, RAI ConAgra Brands COMMITTEE CHAIRS Certification: Lee Pyle, CARO SCS Tracer Environmental Education: Eric Girven, CIRO, CRST, RAI SCS Tracer Environmental Marketing: Jodie Rukamp SCS Tracer Environmental Membership: Jason Daniell, CIRO APSM National Conference: Jim Kovarik Gamma Graphics Services Publications: Vern Sanderson,

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Hello RETA Family, It’s hard to believe that at the time of this writing, we are only 10 weeks away from the 2024 National Conference in Grapevine, TX. Where did the year go?! I sincerely hope you can attend this year’s Conference; we have some terrific tech sessions and hands on workshops for you to obtain your PDH credits along with a sold out show floor. Not to mention the networking opportunities with your peers and vendors. As you recall, last year was a historic conference where we voted to merge with our RSES family and come together as one organization. This has been a monumental task, but we are making great progress. This year could be equally historic. Last year, past President Branham and Jim Barron met an individual from South Africa who is an instructor, doing training across the continent, and very interested in RETA. He has since taken the train the trainer course and plans to take the RAI test at Conference. We could have our first International RETA Authorized Instructor. Through his travels and teaching, he hopes to be able to gain enough individuals to be able to start a chapter there as well. Over the last year, we’ve had great atten dance at the virtual chapter meetings that have been hosted by our own Dan Denton of HQ. These meetings have been growing with attendees from all over the world. There was one group of 21 individuals from Sierra Leone in West Africa in attendance at one of the online meetings hosted by the Blue Ridge Chapter in Virginia. Chapter President Stacy Coogan took these individuals under her wing and educated them about RETA, who we are and what we have to offer. Stacy also set up a Zoom meeting specifically for them in July with the knowledgeable Nova-Aer Teale doing a

presentation. I was privileged to be able to attend the online meeting in August where they were presented their first PDH certificates, this group could not have been more proud or more grateful. With some help from Blue Ridge, Southeast PA, and HQ, we’re in the process of finalizing the membership applications for these 21 individuals AND in the process of helping them with the charter paperwork to start a chapter. If all goes well, I hope to be presenting the first International Chapter Charter at the National Conference Grapevine. The word is spreading around the world that RETA is the Gold Standard! What an exciting time for our terrific organization, I am so excited to see what the next chapter holds for us. RETA would not be the success it is without all the hard work and dedica tion of all our volunteers from the chapter level to the various committees. We are truly blessed to have such passionate and dedicated folks working to make RETA the great organization it is. On behalf of HQ and the Board of Directors, I cannot thank you enough. Please keep doing what you’re doing, and I look forward to seeing you in Grapevine, TX.

Thank you, Mike Hawkins, CARO RETA National President

Mike Hawkins CARO, RETA National President

CIRO, CRST, RAI Schwan’s Company Executive Director: Jim Barron

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