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.

NASRC Welcomes Frank Davis, Mike Ellinger, and Doug Milu to Board of Directors

Frank Davis, Mike Ellinger, and Doug Milu

NASRC has recently welcomed three new Directors to our Board: Frank Davis of Grocery Outlet, Mike Ellinger of Whole Foods Market, and Doug Milu of Publix Super Markets. Together, they have a combined 78 years of experience in the commercial refrigeration industry.

Frank Davis is the Director of Refrigeration Engineering, Energy & Sustainability at Grocery Outlet. Prior to joining Grocery Outlet, Frank was the Director of Facility Engineering with Sprouts Farmers Market. When Frank joined Sprouts Farmers Market, they only had 31 stores. He helped them design and grow their store footprint to 340 stores within 10 years, all with sustainability in mind.  

Frank has brought that focus on sustainability to the NASRC Board of Directors. “I chose to join the Board of Directors to collaborate with the top leaders in the supermarket refrigeration industry to make a difference and help retailers with solutions on engineer refrigeration system with a sustainable approach,” said Davis, “My goal of joining the NASRC is to create a template with options that retailers or small business owners can use to be more sustainable with their refrigeration mechanical systems.” 

Mike Ellinger, Global Principal Program Manager of Engineering, Compliance and Sustainability for Whole Foods Market, shares Frank’s enthusiasm for sustainable refrigeration. “Natural refrigerants have been a passion of mine since I installed some of our first systems over 10 years ago,” said Ellinger. “Natural refrigerants have come a long way in the last 5 years, but we still have more work to do to remove the barriers. I look forward to working with our Board leadership and members to make a significant impact for our industry.” Mike joined Whole Foods Market in 1997 as part of the Sustainable Facilities Team and currently works to develop and implement MEPR programs aligning with the company’s sustainability goals.

Doug Milu is a seasoned professional bringing 38 years of experience in supermarket refrigeration, installation, service and maintenance to his position. As the Refrigeration & Energy Program Manager for Publix Super Markets, Doug oversees Publix's refrigeration and HVAC equipment specifications, installation specifications, and provides input on future refrigeration designs. Doug’s core team also facilitates research and development of advanced technologies in refrigeration systems, energy management and sustainability.

“I see this organization as a forum for input and collaboration surrounding many of the challenges grocery retailers face in adopting a more sustainable refrigeration architecture,” said Milu. “NASRC and its contributors seek answers to these challenges through an unbiased approach that provides real world options for those end users wanting to adopt new technologies. I am honored to be associated with NASRC, and I'm excited to help drive change in our industry.”

“We are thrilled to have Frank’s, Mike’s, and Doug’s voices on the Board of Directors,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “The experience they bring as experts in the industry and on the challenges facing end-users is invaluable.”

Read more about Frank, Doug, Mike, and the rest of the NASRC Board of Directors here.     

Sprouts' Frank Davis Joins NASRC Board of Directors

NASRC is thrilled to welcome Frank Davis, Director of Facility Engineering for Sprouts Farmers Market, to the NASRC Board of Directors.

Frank has over 20 years’ experience with supermarket refrigeration and HVAC mechanical systems. Frank joined Sprouts Farmers Market when they only had 31 stores and help them design and grow their store footprint to 340 stores within 10 Years.  The direction was to grow responsible and find solutions and technologies that provide long term sustainable goals.

“I chose to join the Board of Directors to collaborate with the top leaders in the supermarket refrigeration industry to makes a different and help retailers with solutions on engineer refrigeration system with a sustainable approach,” said Davis. “My goal of joining the NASRC is to create a template with options that retailers or small business owners can use to be more sustainable with their refrigeration mechanical systems.”

Read more about Frank Davis and the rest of the NASRC Board of Directors here.