New Leadership Announcements!

NASRC recently appointed Clay Rohrer of Hussmann as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors and welcomed three new Directors to our Board – Michael Dellecave of Kroger, Joe Sanchez of BITZER US, and Dustin Searcy of Parker Sporlan.

Clay Rohrer has over 23 years of experience in refrigeration with roles ranging from engineering, service, controls, marketing, and business development. Clay has been with Hussmann 15 combined years and currently is focused on transforming the service industry from emergency break fix to a performance-based approach using data to drive higher performance. This effort is focused on reducing refrigerant leak rates, lowering service and energy costs, while focusing on making technicians lives better by helping them stay ahead of critical problems. Clay is responsible for connected technology sales, strategy, development, and deployment across the food retail industry.

Michael Dellecave is the Manager of Mechanical Services for The Kroger Co. Kroger operates nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states under two dozen banners with the purpose of Feeding the Human Spirit.  He has over 20 years of experience in retail grocery facility engineering. Currently, Michael manages a team with core responsibilities including refrigeration, HVAC and controls. His focus in these areas is on developing and implementing cost effective and efficient technologies, designs and applications. Prior to this role, Michael developed and implemented renewable energy and conservation projects for Kroger. Michael has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Joe Sanchez is the Vice President of Engineering for BITZER US, Inc. an independent subsidiary of BITZER SE, the largest independent semi-hermetic piston and screw compressor manufacturer globally with revenues exceeding 900 million Euro. Over the course of 18 years with BITZER, Joe has helped develop the US subsidiary through various operational and technical roles. He currently manages Application, Value Add, and Pressure Vessel engineering teams. Joe is an active member of ASHRAE, IIAR and RETA and former chair of AHRI Compressor section (2019 recipient of the AHRI Richard C. Schulze award). He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from University of Florida. 

Dustin Searcy is the Refrigeration Business Unit Manager for Parker Hannifin’s Sporlan Division. Parker is the world leader in motion and control technologies and manufactures refrigeration flow control solutions under the Sporlan, Parker, Refrigerating Specialties and Micro Thermo Alliance brands. Since joining Parker in 2006, Dustin has worked in a variety of sales and marketing roles, including application engineering, training, and business development. In these roles, much of his focus has been on new products that meet the needs of our changing world and promote sustainable refrigerant solutions for the future. Dustin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from Missouri Baptist University.

Together, the expertise and experiences that Clay, Michael, Joe, and Dustin bring to the Board will be instrumental in driving us closer to accomplishing our mission. Read more about the NASRC Board of Directors here.

New Leadership Announcements!

NASRC recently appointed Keilly Witman as the new Chief Governance Officer and welcomed two new Directors to our Board - Amber Hardy of ALDI and Clay Rohrer of Hussmann.

Keilly Witman is an independent advisor for refrigerant end-users, policymakers, and other stakeholders on everything related to refrigerant use. She has returned to self-employment after working as the Director of Refrigerant Management and Sustainability for H-E-B, which is anywhere from the 6th to 8th largest supermarket company in the nation depending on which statistics you look at. Keilly launched the EPA’s GreenChill Partnership in 2007 and ran it singlehandedly for its first 7 years.  She created the NASRC in 2015 and served as the organization’s Chairman of the Board of Directors for the first 2 years. She is also the NASRC’s Policy Advisor. 

Amber Hardy is the Director of Systems & Sustainability at ALDI USA. She has nearly a decade of experience working with supermarket refrigeration and HVAC mechanical systems. Amber has a collective 15 years of experience with ALDI. Prior to her current role, Amber was a District Manager working in retail operations before transitioning to energy management. She oversees the facilities management department with an emphasis on refrigeration, energy efficiency and sustainability. Dedicating more focus now to refrigeration, HVAC and building management systems, she and her team continue to drive optimization of resources in the store footprint.

Clay Rohrer has over 23 years of experience in refrigeration with roles ranging from engineering, service, controls, marketing, and business development. Clay has been with Hussmann 15 combined years and currently is focused on transforming the service industry from emergency break fix to a performance-based approach using data to drive higher performance. This effort is focused on reducing refrigerant leak rates, lowering service and energy costs, while focusing on making technicians lives better by helping them stay ahead of critical problems. Clay is responsible for connected technology sales, strategy, development, and deployment across the food retail industry.

Together, the expertise and experiences that Keilly, Amber, and Clay bring to the Board will be instrumental in driving us closer to accomplishing our mission. Read more about the NASRC Board of Directors here.

NASRC Welcomes Steve Schuster and Derek Gosselin to the Board of Directors

NASRC recently welcomed two new Directors to our Board, Derek Gosselin of Hillphoenix and Steve Schuster of Parker Hannifin’s Sporlan Division.

Derek Gosselin is the Director of the Technical Product Specialist Group within Hillphoenix, a Dover Food Retail Company, and has more than 30 years of HVACR industry experience. He began his career as a store planner at Associated Grocers of New England before joining Tyler Refrigeration as its New England District Sales Manager and then National Account Manager. After the company was acquired by Hillphoenix in 2009, Gosselin’s focus shifted to business and product development, and he now leads a team to support the promotion and education for the application of new technologies.

“Being able to join the Board of Directors of the NASRC allows me the opportunity to support their stainability efforts in moving our industry to natural refrigerants,” said Gosselin. “As part of this team, my participation allows me the ability to support not only the development and advancement of the technologies that impact our environment, but also to inform and educate our industry on best practices and solutions moving forward so we can provide a better place for the generations to follow.”

Steve Schuster is the Business Unit Manager for Refrigeration at the Sporlan Division of Parker Hannifin, where he manages the food retail, food service, industrial refrigeration, and transport refrigeration markets. Throughout his seven years with Parker Hannifin, much of Steve’s work has focused on the advancement of CO2 technologies. Prior to joining Parker Hannifin, Steve was a refrigeration system designer with Henderson Engineers, where he was the lead designer of secondary CO2 and glycol loop system prototypes for large grocery chains.

“I am very honored and excited to have the opportunity to join the NASRC Board of Directors and do my part to contribute to the organization's mission to drive forward key initiatives to obtain a more sustainable future,” said Schuster. “Throughout my career I have gained great experience with natural refrigerants and joining the board will allow me to utilize this experience and be part of a focused team. NASRC's mission is as important now as ever as we continue to push for positive change in our industry to lead to a better tomorrow.”

“Steve and Derek have a deep understanding of the industry and the unique challenges natural refrigerants face in the US,” said Danielle Wright, NASRC executive director. “Their demonstrated expertise, experience, and personal commitments to our mission will be invaluable to driving the solutions to make natural refrigerants a feasible business choice for grocers.”

Read more about Derek, Steve, and the rest of the NASRC Board of Directors here.     

NASRC Introduces New Strategic Advisors to the Board

For the first time, NASRC has introduced a new ‘Strategic Advisor to the Board’ position to accelerate NASRC’s mission, provide leadership within the NASRC Advisory Committee, and contribute strategic input to the NASRC Board of Directors.  

For the 2021 year, the Board of Directors have appointed Aaron Daly and Tristam Coffin as the new Strategic Advisors to the Board. Daly and Coffin have been involved with the NASRC since its founding, helping to establish the organization in 2015 and serving on the NASRC Board of Directors for five years.

Coffin is the President of Livingstone Consulting, an engineering, design, and consulting firm specializing in sustainability in the built environment. He has a deep-rooted history within sustainability and the grocery industry, previously serving as the Director of Sustainability & Facilities at Whole Foods Market.

“As a Founding Board Member of the NASRC, I am extremely excited to rejoin the organization as a Strategic Advisor and further the critical work the NASRC is doing in the refrigeration industry,” said Coffin. “The NASRC continues to be an influential voice and resource for sustainable solutions during what is shaping up to be a monumental time for the industry with major legislation passing at the State and Federal level, and the almost certainty that the U.S. will ratify the Kigali Amendment.”

Daly is the Vice President of Strategic Development with Ratio Institute, a nonprofit organization under Ecology Action that is focused on accelerating measurable sustainability in food retail. He also has a deep history in the grocery industry, serving as the Global Director of Energy Management for Whole Foods Market and a National Account Manager at PECI prior to his current role.

“As a Strategic Board Advisor, I look forward to facilitating a conversation aimed at advancing the opportunities to utilize natural refrigerants in commercial cooling,” said Daly. “I’m excited to support the NASRC in its mission to advance natural refrigerants.”

“We look forward to working with Aaron and Tristam in this new capacity,” said Danielle Wright, NASRC executive director. “They’ve played a tremendous role in building the organization, and their contributions as Strategic Advisors will no-doubt drive us closer to accomplishing our mission.”

NASRC Board of Directors Elects New Officers

The Board of Directors for the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) is excited to announce a newly elected team of Board Officers who will build on the great work of our former Officers - Keilly Witman of KW Refrigerant Management Strategy, Paul Anderson of H-E-B, and Aaron Daly of Whole Foods Market. NASRC Board Officers play a critical role in shaping NASRC’s strategies that contribute to our mission of overcoming the barriers preventing the widespread adoption of natural refrigerants in supermarkets. 

“I am confident that the leadership of our new Officers will continue to drive us closer to accomplishing our mission. Our new officers have all been committed to the NASRC since our inception, and are very much committed to our goals. I’m also very excited to welcome Brad Person as our new CFO. Brad adds significant depth to our leadership team having served in many businesses that support the grocery retail arena. I would also like to say ‘Thank You!’ to the former NASRC Board Officers for their service. Keilly, Paul, and Aaron have provided significant leadership to the NASRC since our founding.  Without their contributions, NASRC would not be in nearly as good of position as we currently are.” 

-Bryan Beitler, NASRC Board President and CEO.

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NASRC Board Officers

Bryan Beitler, President and CEO

Bryan Beitler, Vice President of Engineering at CoolSys, has served as the NASRC Board President and CEO since our founding in 2015, and was recently re-elected for another term. He also leads NASRC’s Partnership Committee and our Contractors & Service Technicians Progress Group, which focuses on increasing the number of service technicians and contractors that are well-versed in natural refrigerant technologies, equipment installation, and maintenance. With over 35 years of experience in refrigeration and HVAC design, sales, energy, and operations, and over 30 contractors licenses in various states and regions, he is well-suited to lead the NASRC’s Board of industry leaders and help us accomplish our mission.

Peter Dee, Chair

Peter Dee, the Chair of the NASRC Board of Directors, is the Sales & Service Director of Danfoss Electronics North America, a global manufacturer of high-efficiency heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, and motion systems. Peter has been with Danfoss since 2012 and leads the companies’ development of business in supermarkets and commercial refrigeration. He is also responsible for accelerating the adoption of natural refrigerants and technologies to reduce energy consumption, giving him a unique expertise that aligns with many NASRC initiatives. Peter has over 30 years of industry experience, and worked as the President of Cool Controls and Energy MCS prior to his role at Danfoss.

Todd Washburn, Secretary

Todd Washburn, Secretary of the NASRC Board of Directors, is the Director of Sales and Marketing for True Manufacturing’s Retail and Display Division. In addition to leading a team of sales and marketing professionals, Todd is responsible for True Manufacturing’s product portfolio expansion and successfully launching new technologies into the commercial refrigeration market. Todd’s engineering background along with two decades of experience in the refrigeration industry has allowed him to drive energy efficient technology and environmentally responsible products like natural refrigerants. His expertise and creativity have led to the development of a number of innovative NASRC strategies. In addition to his role as Board secretary, Todd serves as the head of the NASRC Donations Committee.

Brad Person, CFO

Brad Person, CFO of the NASRC, is the President/Owner for Sustainable Energy Expense Reduction and Refrigeration (SEER2), a family operated business focused on facilitating key customer objectives, including asset retirement, environmental compliance, operations, energy efficiency, controls, and performance. Brad is a third-generation commercial refrigeration industry professional and entrepreneur and has held a variety of roles in the commercial refrigeration industry. His strong industry knowledge, experience, and relationships are a significant contributor to his ability to help shape the NASRC’s financial and organizational strategies.

Click here for more information about the NASRC’s Board of Directors.