Mr. Vyas is the Vice President, Sales & Operations at Neelands Group Limited. He champions operational improvements and new business development with focus on sustainable energy projects, digital optimization, and productivity by refining business processes to reduce processing time, improve margins and remove inefficiencies. His focus is on creating value for the customer by developing and executing turnkey sustainable projects through integrating CO2 refrigeration with micro-turbines to reduce GHG emissions & creating energy resiliency via effective heat reclaim and bringing pieces together with a digital layer for remote monitoring, alarm management, control, and optimization saving operational costs for retail, commercial and industrial customers. Mr. Vyas manages all activities including business development, feasibility engineering, design & analysis, financials, project planning and execution. Mr. Vyas has am M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University, TX, USA. He also holds Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from UMass Donahue Institute, MA, USA

Aer is a Director of Engineering for Lineage Logistics leading the Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Team. Aer’s previous experience includes Danfoss as Business Development Manager for the North American Industrial Refrigeration Market, Cargill as a Corporate Refrigeration Design and Specification Engineer, and Corval Group as Director of Refrigeration Engineering. Aer has 14 years of experience in the design, specification, installation, and operation of mechanical systems for refrigeration, utility, and food process systems. Aer is a 2008 graduate of Minnesota State University- Mankato with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. In the fall of 2012 Aer graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Master of Engineering Management. They are registered as a Professional Engineer in the States of Minnesota, Iowa, and Ohio. Aer holds a Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST) credential from RETA. Aer is a member of IIAR and RETA. They are the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for RETA, the RETA Training Institute President, and Chairperson for the IIAR Energy Sustainability Committee.

Andre is responsible for supporting sustainable system-related innovation and leveraging Copeland’s global cold chain to drive adoption of integrated solution in North America. He most recently led marketing efforts pertaining to the company’s food retail and chiller markets. Prior to that, he had managed the Copeland product porfolio’s global CO2 development. Andre has more than 37 years of industry experience in sales, marketing, training and business development of HVACR system architectures and applications with compression and component technologies. He is a certified Mechanical Engineering Technologist C.E.T. (since 1984), and is a member of AHRI, ASHRAE and RSES.

Andy is a registered professional engineer and owner of YourCleanEnergy consulting based in Seattle. He has significant experience in the financial evaluation and design of commercial sized CO2 heat pump systems which are integrated into existing and new facilities. He has lived and worked for 18 years in Alaska, and has been based in Seattle since 2018 where his work has expanded into the shaping of regulations and policy regarding heat pump refrigerants. Andy is a regular presenter and speaker on the topic of natural refrigerants and the long-term financial and environmental benefits they can provide to commercial and institutional clients for clean heating and cooling. Andy’s work focus since 2008 has been on design of heat pump systems for large facilities in the Pacific Northwest, and for ocean source district heating in coastal Alaska. His key natural refrigerant project is the design of an 80-ton trans-critical CO2 heat pump system with heat recovery to offset an existing 500 KW electric boiler used for space, domestic hot water, and outdoor slab heat. Andy is currently leading the design of a 120-ton tidal source trans-critical CO2 heat pump system with heat recovery that will provide district heating to the Library, City Hall, Firehall, and Annex for the City of Seward, Alaska. Additionally, Andy has partnered with ATMOsphere in the past year to identify both opportunities and obstructions that exist in the US market for NatRef heat pumps. He has also been working to build a coalition of businesses that are dedicated to growing the NatRef heat pump market in North America and are committed to shaping common sense regulations and policy to advance this growth.

Anthony is an Application Engineer at Tecumseh’s Laboratory located in La Verpillière, France. He is a graduate of Grenoble-Alpes University, France, and completed his Ph.D. in the field of heat exchangers. He has been working for five years supporting Tecumseh’s customers in the development and testing of sub-150 GWP refrigerant alternatives for ice makers, reach-in cabinets and ice cream machines, as well as other low GWP applications. Anthony is passionate about R&D projects which focus on energy-efficiency improvement.

Ben is Chief Strategy Officer and executive director for CoolPlanet and has been instrumental in building the B2B SaaS company specialising in ESG and decarbonisation software. Along with CoolPlanet, Ben sits on the Boards of Positive Group, a wellness and psychological skills company. Before joining CoolPlanet Ben was Director of Facilities and Sustainability for Al Futtaim Group in UAE. Previously to that he was CEO of Urbanise, a service delivery software and IoT technology company which he took to IPO in Australia in 2014. Prior to joining Urbanise Ben was CEO and Managing Director of the UAE’s largest and most successful Facilities Management company, Emrill, which employed over 8000 staff.

With close to 35 years of experience in the refrigeration industry, Benoit Rodier is a seasoned veteran and a go-to expert on natural refrigerant technology who is regularly quoted in leading trade publications. He is the Director of Business Development at CIMCO, a professional engineer, and a teacher who shares his expertise with the next generation of engineers, recognizing that they have a significant role to play in sustainability. He was an early adopter of, and is a strong advocate for, CO2 refrigerant technology, which has been used in most prestigious ice ribbon at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He’s passionate about technological development and industry trends, and believes in the power we all have to make better choices for the future.

Brian joined InterCool USA in February of 2018 where he manages the pre-construction department with primary responsibilities including project development, preliminary engineering, cost estimating, and proposal generation. Brian is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of OH and is heavily involved with the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), currently sitting on the Standards Committee as a voting member. Prior to joining InterCool, Brian spent 12 years working for a national, specialty consulting firm performing industrial refrigeration design for the food & beverage, dairy, and cold storage industries.

Carl is an HVAC/R engineer for Kwik Trip Inc, a Midwest convenience store chain operating over 800 convenience stores in six states. Graduating from Ferris State University with a B.S. in HVACR Engineering Technology, Carl has spent a majority of his 14-year career leading Kwik Trip’s refrigeration program through system design, installation management, and service coordination. In 2022, Carl spearheaded Kwik Trip’s first step into CO2 with the installation of two transcritical booster systems. He guides incoming HVAC/R professionals by serving on the HVAC/R Advisory Committee at Western Technical College.

Charles Vanelslande is Engineering Manager at TechnoREF4 Group. He holds two master’s degrees in mechanical engineering which he obtained in France & Canada. After completing a research period in Technische Universität in München, Germany, he began his career in the supermarket refrigeration industry and currently works in Design, Installation and Operation of Mechanical Systems for industrial warehouses, processes, and tailored applications. Charles is Vice-President Contractor at CETAF who supports all contractors within Quebec through training as well as, technical & regulatory advice. He was also in charge of the refrigeration committee of ASHRAE- Montreal. Additionally, he was a Lobbyist during the last update of the provincial Regulation Respecting Halocarbons which put ahead the CO2 in the large refrigeration systems.

Christina Starr is a Senior Policy Analyst leading EIA’s advocacy and engagement on HFC policy in the United States. Christina has been closely involved over the past eight years in providing input into US EPA regulations and at the state level in California, Washington, and New York among others. She is also a member of several Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety standards committees for refrigeration and air conditioning.

Cindy Newberg is the Director of the Stratospheric Protection Division (SPD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Her Divison is responsible for implementing the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Title VI of the Clean Air Act to protect the ozone layer, and the domestic implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Division develops and implements both regulatory and partnership programs. Ms. Newberg was previously the Branch Chief for SPD’s Alternatives and Emission Reduction Branch and the Phaseout Team Leader. She has also served on numerous delegations to Montreal Protocol meetings, including the Kigali Amendment negotiations. Ms. Newberg has a bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.

Clark Andrews started working for the M&M Refrigeration engineering department in 2005 and worked his way up to Director of Engineering. His background is mainly in ammonia and ammonia/CO2 cascade system design and project management. Since early 2022, he has transitioned into a Business Development role for M&M Carnot in the western USA focusing on projects with new industrial TCCO2 packaged systems.

Dana Fischer is the Director of Regulatory Strategy at Mitsubishi Electric US. He has been with Mitsubishi Electric for 5 years in roles engaging with everyone from individual homeowners to utility and industry organizations to the US Secretary of Energy about the transformative power of cold-climate heat pumps. In the prior 7 years going back to the ARRA grant era, he was the Program Manager of the Home Energy Savings Program at Efficiency Maine contributing to the establishment of the still active residential rebate and loan programs for weatherization, conventional heating systems and heat pumps. He also has background in municipal finance, solar thermal, ultra-high purity manufacturing, and microbrewing with a degree in Philosophy from The University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine.

Danielle is the executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing climate-friendly natural refrigerants. She has experience managing large-scale energy efficiency incentive programs for grocery stores, delivering both optimized performance and lower operational costs. Her focus has always been to create environmental and business wins.

Dean Groff, Food Retail Service Contracts Manager for Danfoss, has over 30 years of experience in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry in a variety of functions, including Materials Management, Global Product Management and Program Management. Groff currently serves on the Technical Committee for the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufactures (NAFEM) and is a member of several AHRI working groups dealing with regulatory issues in Commercial Refrigeration. Over the past ten years, Groff has represented the industry at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency

With more than 30 years of HVACR industry experience, Derek Gosselin currently serves as Director of Technical Product Support for all Hillphoenix products, a Dover Food Retail Company, located in Conyers, GA. Derek began his career as a store planner at Associated Grocers of New England in Manchester, NH, before joining Tyler Refrigeration as its New England district sales manager, then the National Account Manager. In 2009 as part of the Hillphoenix acquisition of Tyler, Derek joined Hillphoenix as a National Account Manager before moving into operations as a systems division Product Manager with a focus on business and product development. With the recent trends in the industry, he has moved into the lead position on a team to support the promotion and education for the application of natural refrigerant with the deployment of developing technology.

Eric Smith is the Vice President and the Technical Director for IIAR. He manages the development of IIAR standards, research projects, safety and compliance publications, and technical program development. He is also involved with advocacy, outreach, education, and member services. Eric was a refrigeration designer for 18 years, and was a service technician for several years prior to that. Eric is a registered professional engineer in over 30 states and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Francisco Picazo is a Global Engineering Project Manager at Grupo Bimbo. He has a Mechatronics Degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has been working on Asset Management and CAPEX projects for the baking industry since 2015. In 2019, he was appointed to lead Grupo Bimbo’s Refrigerants Strategy and today, he is also overseeing strategic projects for Grupo Bimbo, which includes new bakeries and new manufacturing lines.

Fritz brings over 25 years of senior management experience in both the industrial and electrical distribution markets. In his role at Therm, Fritz helps organizations accelerate the transition from climate-damaging refrigerants by monetizing the displaced carbon, and making the capital investments more tenable. Prior to Therm, Fritz served as Executive Vice President of Dalkia Energy Solutions (formerly Groom Energy Solutions) where he co-led operations and business development related activities. Before Dalkia, Fritz was President of Poplar Consulting Group, Inc., providing strategic consulting services to manufacturers, distributors and private equity firms in the supply chain markets. Earlier in his career Fritz was a senior executive with WW Grainger. During his 10-year tenure with Grainger, he held several senior management positions in Integrated Supply, National Accounts, as well as the Industrial Supply Division. As Vice President of Grainger Integrated Supply, he co-founded and built the $240 M division into the industry’s leading Management Services outsourcing entity.

With a deep career in the industrial refrigeration industry, Gary’s expertise has helped countless companies navigate marketplace trends. Now in a newly created position of business development manager at Vilter Manufacturing, Gary is helping customers evaluate heat pumps and CO2-based solutions to achieve new levels of performance. Since joining Vilter in 2004, Gary has held roles of increasing responsibility most recently as district sales manager of the Southeast Territory. He has been involved in the refrigeration industry since 1983 and has worked with various manufacturers of industrial refrigeration equipment in sales, application engineering and marketing positions. He is active in both IIAR committees and RETA . Gary earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degree in industrial administration from Purdue University.

German graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad America – Bogota, Colombia. Between 1997 and 2005, he held the position of Sales Manager, Industrial Refrigeration & Gas Compression, with Frick / Johnson Controls. Between 2005 and 2023 German worked with Vilter / Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions first as Industrial Refrigeration – Latin America & West Coast Sales Manager, and then as Heat Pumps and CO2 Refrigeration Sustainability Executive. Since 2023, he has worked for GEA Heating and Refrigeration Technologies North America as Heat Pump Sales Manager.

Giacomo Favari, Head of Sales and Marketing – Refrigeration North America, Carel, supports the adoption of Carel’s high-efficiency technology and enhancing brand experience in the North American region. Giacomo was awarded a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Padua in Italy after completing a research period in Germany with an emphasis on thermodynamics. Specializing in high-efficiency refrigeration applications, Giacomo started working on optimizing CO2 transcritical cycles early in his career. After joining CAREL in 2012, he progressed through several technical, sales, and marketing roles in different geographies, including the Middle East, Southern Europe, South America, and North America.

After obtaining his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2002, Giacomo Pisano worked for one year as a Project Manager for General Electric’s Oil & Gas division, where the core business is turbomachinery applied to the oil \\u0026 gas industry. He joined DORIN in 2003 in the R&D department, taking responsibility of the CO2 compressor development and being in charge of the product’s technical qualification. Giacomo Pisano then took over several application engineering roles and is currently responsible for the CO2 compressors’ business development. In the meantime he joined several ASERCOM working groups and was the Chairman for the association’s CO2 working group for many years.

Giovanni holds a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano University in Milan. He spent over 7 years in R&D in LU-VE headquarter in Italy working on thermal design and optimization of natural refrigerant equipment. He is currently based in Jacksonville TX facility, responsible of the technical team and of the Research in North America.

Griffin first started advocating for local sustainable projects like the Seward Heat Loop as an organizer of the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action chapter at Seward High School. He worked as a ranger naturalist in Kenai Fjords National Park for many years, sharing the history and stories of his hometown and coastal Alaska more broadly. His recent work is based out of Juneau with the Alaska Municipal League, where he helps communities access needed resources like federal infrastructure funding

Heidi Pickard is a 4th year PhD candidate in the department of Engineering Sciences at Harvard University. Pickard holds a Master’s degree in chemistry from Memorial University in Newfoundland where her research focused on the long-range transport mechanisms of PFAS, with an emphasis on the atmospheric oxidation of PFAS precursors, including certain CFC-replacements, to ultra-short chain PFAS, such as TFA. Her current PhD research focuses on using a toolbox of analytical methods to explore the full extent of PFAS contamination in the environment and investigate important pathways of exposure to humans. Her overarching research goal is to better understand how PFAS precursors persist and accumulate in biota across different ecosystems.

Ignacio Chaparro is an integral member of the Kysor Warren Epta US leadership team where he serves as the Sustainability & New Technologies leader. His core operational responsibilities include the organization’s new systems product design and the deployment of strategies which help the organization develop solutions that reduce resource use, energy use, and is climate-friendly in North America. Chaparro has over 20 years of global commercial refrigeration experience with a wide range of knowledge in regard to new product development, refrigeration systems design, natural refrigerant technology benchmarking and sales. In his most current role, Ignacio champions the development and implementation new and innovative technologies with a concentration in new natural refrigeration systems design. In addition to his sustainability experience, Ignacio served as New Product Development Manager where he also served as lead trainer for the organization’s natural refrigeration training courses. Ignacio has led multiple trainings on natural CO2 refrigeration design over the past five years. He is a curious and brilliant engineer whose leadership grounded with passion and integrity. He continues to be a trailblazer in the industry in ushering in the next chapter of natural refrigeration technology, market acceptance and customer adoption. Mr. Chaparro holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in Thermodynamics from Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Ciudad de México. Ignacio is also Six Sigma, Green Belt certified.

James McClendon is Director of Energy Efficiency for Walmart Stores, Inc. Mr. McClendon joined Walmart in 2005 in a leadership position to develop new energy efficient designs and identify retrofit strategies to reduce the total energy consumption in new construction and the existing building portfolio. Mr. McClendon leads a team in response to Walmart’s publicly stated goal to reduce their GHG emissions in alignment with the Paris accord. Components of this goal include installing 7 Billion kW of renewable energy and reducing their building energy intensity footprint (in kWh/sq-ft) by 20% which encompasses over 750 million square feet of existing buildings. Efforts towards this goal have led to many new industry developments including LED lighting, refrigeration system technologies and cooling applications. Prior to joining Walmart, Mr. McClendon accumulated over 20 years of experience in the HVAC/R industry in both owning and managing companies from service & contracting to design & engineering. He has worked in the commercial, industrial, institutional and governmental sectors representing the contractor, designer, supplier and owner perspectives. Mr. McClendon is a registered Mechanical Engineer, as well as a CEM, CEA, IPMVP, LEED, & NEBB.

“Always keep innovating” is one of James Seabrook’s favourite mantras. As a professional engineer and president of Vitalis, his passion is collaborating to design and build cool tech that combines great economics with environmental sustainability. His expertise in CO2 handling has already made Vitalis a leading manufacturer of sophisticated CO2 based extraction equipment for natural ingredients. As a father, he sees that the urgency for a decarbonized and detoxified world has never been greater, leading Vitalis to expand their product line to include R744 heating and cooling systems.

Jeff Buxton is a progressive engineer with nearly 9yrs of experience designing numerous Ammonia and CO2 refrigeration systems in various applications. He is a refrigeration engineer at JH Kelly, Vice President of the WH Knox RETA Chapter, and a licensed Professional Engineer in 6 states.

Jerry Tippmann is a highly accomplished professional and serves as the Director of Refrigeration at Ti Cold, a leading company in the cold storage and logistics industry. With an impressive background in refrigeration engineering and extensive expertise in the field, Jerry plays a pivotal role in ensuring the optimal functioning of the end user’s refrigeration systems. With a deep understanding of the intricate workings of refrigeration technology, Jerry is responsible for overseeing the design, installation, and maintenance of the company’s state-of-the-art refrigeration infrastructure. His technical acumen and meticulous attention to detail enable him to develop innovative solutions that guarantee the safe and efficient storage of temperature-sensitive products for Ti Cold’s customers.

John DeCicco, Jr., is President and CEO of De Cicco & Sons, a 10-store grocery operator based in Pelham, N.Y. He has overseen the installation of transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems at 7 of the 10 stores, with another on the way, and is the recipient of the EPA’s prestigious Platinum GreenChill award. Over the past seven years, DeCicco & Sons stores have reduced their energy usage by more than 40%.

John Prall studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. In 2012, Prall accepted his current position with Embraco, working as Application Engineering Expert for the United States and Canada. At Embraco, Prall’s responsibilities include providing engineering support for commercial and aftermarket customers, including assisting customers with selection and application of hermetic compressors. Prall also trains customers on compressor technology and market trends through customer visits, trade show presentations and webinar activities. Prall has 20 years of experience in the commercial refrigeration industry. Prior to his role at Embraco, he held several different roles ranging from engineering to product management at Hussmann Corporation.

CEO and founder of the HVAC and Refrigeration company Area Cooling Solutions www.areacooling.com. Our core values are innovation, sustainability and service. Since 1986 @ your side for HVAC and Refrigeration projects. We understand your business, and provide you with the best solutions to improve your product range. Over 12 years’ experience in inverter driven applications. Remote control and preventive maintenance features. We manufacture CO2 hermetic condensing units since 2016.

Kathy Loftus is the Vice President of Strategic Construction Projects, Energy and Facility Services at Retail Business Services which is the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA. In this role, Kathy leads several teams all engaged to optimize productivity and operationalize our business’ Race to Zero commitment. Among previous roles, Kathy was Vice President of Sustainability for Whole Foods Market, leading strategic ESG programs and together with teams innovated in many areas within the built environment, including waste & packaging, responsible sourcing, education, marketing & communication. She was a founding Steering Committee member for U.S. DOE’s Better Buildings Alliance and was a founding member of EPA’s Green Chill Program. She is immediate past Chair of the Board of Green Building Initiative, and member of WPI’s’ Center for Sustainability in Business and Mechanical Engineering External Advisory Boards. Her education includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Kuo-Chiang (K-C) Chen is Vice President of CO2 at Energy Recovery, where he led a multi-disciplinary team through the research and development, product delivery, and go-to-market strategy of our PX G1300 device for CO2 systems. Mr. Chen brings years of new product development expertise to Energy Recovery and has managed over 20 commercialized engineering projects from concept to production, working cross-functionally to align technology efforts with strategic business needs. Mr. Chen holds more than 50 patents. Prior to joining Energy Recovery, Mr. Chen had extensive experience in the energy space, most recently as Vice President of Upwing Energy. He also served in a variety of leadership roles at Halliburton, CNPC, and Schlumberger. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the National Taiwan University, and an MBA from Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Keith Dennis is the President of the Beneficial Electrification League, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to increase understanding of the benefits of electrification by promoting the market acceptance of beneficial electrification. He is also the CEO of Electrification Strategies, LLC. Keith has an interdisciplinary background in engineering, business, and law. He worked for nearly a decade at the trade association for 900 not-for-profit electric cooperatives (NRECA), where he was Vice President of consumer member engagement. In 2015, he coined the term “environmentally beneficial electrification,” which led to an industry movement around beneficial electrification.

Larry directs engineering activities and reviews all refrigeration designs for SubZero while also estimating and managing refrigeration projects. He has worked in both the A & E professional services and contracting sides of the cold storage industry since beginning his career in 1992. Larry sits on the Board of Directors and the Controlled Environment Building Association’s Education Committee. He served on the International Association of Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Committee during the development of the Piping Handbook from 1995-2010, including as Chair from 2008-2010. He went to the University of Connecticut – BSME. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer (multiple states).

Founder of ATMOsphere a global, independent market accelerator with a mission to clean-up cooling. Marc Chasserot has 20 years of experience in the HVAC&R sector. His focus throughout those years has been with Natural Refrigerant based technologies used in Refrigeration, Heat Pumps and Air Conditioning applications. He has founded several industry platforms, namely; www.R744.com, www.hydrocarbons21.com, ammonia21.com, and Accelerate Magazine. Published numerous reports for industry and policy-makers, chaired over 70 ATMOsphere conferences worldwide. Marc has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and America. He holds several degrees in Economics, Marketing and Politics.

Evapcold Marketing Design Manager that holds a bachelor’s degree in HVAC engineering from Pennsylvania College of Technology and a Project Management degree from Pennsylvania State University. Mark has been with Evapco for 13 years and headed the development of the Low Charge Evapcold product line that has been in the marketplace since 2014. Mark is also a chapter chair in the IIAR Piping Handbook committee and holds multiple IIAR certificates and is dedicated to the use of natural refrigerants.

Mark holds a BS in General Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Marquette University. He has been engaged in the natural refrigeration industry since 1989. Having led natural refrigeration equipment manufacturing firms for Johnson Controls and Emerson, Mark is currently engaged in a team effort to broaden the array of natural refrigeration solutions provided by Bassett Mechanical. As a former Chair of IIAR’s Board of Directors and an IIAR Honorary Life Member, Mark has served as Chair of IIAR’s Research Committee and Chair of IIAR’s Government Relations Committee, in addition to his current service as Chair of IIAR’s Education Committee. He considers it a great privilege to address an audience of leaders and fellow believers in clean cooling technologies.

As the Head of Content for ATMOsphere (formerly shecco), veteran journalist Michael Garry is responsible for the news articles on R744.com, Hydrocarbons21.com and Ammonia21.com. He also contributes to in-depth market reports, and helps to organize ATMO conferences. Starting at ATMOsphere in 2014, he has also served as editor-in-chief of Accelerate America and Accelerate Magazine. Prior to joining ATMOsphere, he led the coverage of sustainability, technology and logistics at Supermarket News for 11 years. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of M.I.T with a degree in political science, he is the author of Game of My Life New York Mets: Memorable Stories of Mets Baseball.

Mirko graduated from Mechanical Engineering from the University of Padua with a Master’s degree in Refrigeration. Mirko joined SCM FRIGO at the end of 2001 as a Project Engineer. Since 2004 he has been engaged in the design and development of CO2 systems and since 2009 of NH3 systems. He currently holds the position of Technical Director and R&D Manager of the Beijer Ref OEM Segment.

Patryk leads the design of compact CO2 units in the range up to 30kW cooling capacity. As a refrigeration engineer from the beginning he is closely involved in the entire product life cycle from concept to commissioning. A seven-year career with Area Cooling Solutions in various roles has prepared him well for next challenges of natural refrigerants. As a direct technical contact with key CO2 customers, he ensures that the iCOOL units meet the highest market expectations.

AAA Refrigeration Service, Inc., founded in 1937, is a commercial refrigeration/HVAC service and installation company headquartered in the Bronx NY. With the help of two satellite offices, AAA Refrigeration Service, Inc. services over 500 locations in five states. Pete began with AAA Refrigeration Service, Inc. in 2005 as a service technician and controls installer. In 2010 he transitioned to management to oversee the Long Island Division. Today Pete is the Director of Operations for the EMS and controls division for all offices while acting as a project manager for the NY Office. He is also AAA Refrigeration Education Department Co-Chair in charge of setting the curriculum and student placement.

Phillip Walker leads the ARNEG Systems team as Director of Refrigeration Solutions. From fine-tuning the refrigeration systems in the field to developing cost-effective solutions, he brings a wealth of leadership, knowledge, and experience to the Canadian supermarket refrigeration industry. With 20+ years of supermarket business experience, Phillip works closely with customers, service providers, and the ARNEG team to develop natural refrigerant solutions that are tailored to meet the objectives of the project. Through creative innovation and sustainable solutions, the ARNEG Systems team is paving a new roadway in the natural refrigerant market.

Pier Zecchetto is CEO of the Colombian provider company Pórtan, providing their customers with technical engineering solutions, installation and maintenance in the fields of gastronomy, retail, and industry.

In his role as a managing director for Climate Change and Sustainability Services at Ernst & Young LLP, Rob helps companies and governments develop and implement strategies to address climate risk and manage emissions. In previous roles, he has led the international climate work of the World Resources Institute, advised on the creation of the EU’s emission trading system, trained diplomats for a Middle Eastern country, and helped negotiate the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals. Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences from the University of London (University College) and a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia.

Bob Sussman is the principal in Sussman and Associates, a consulting firm focusing on energy and environmental policy issues. He is Chair of the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin and has taught courses on climate change and energy at Yale Law School, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Management and Georgetown Law Center. In 2013, Sussman completed four and a half years of service in the Obama Administration, first as Co-Chair of the Transition Team for EPA and then as Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator. In this position, he functioned as the Administrator’s principal policy advisor, providing oversight and guidance on the full suite of policy issues across the Agency. He also played a key role in EPA’s interface with OMB, CEQ and other White House offices and worked closely with other agencies, particularly the Department of Energy and Department of Interior. Sussman served in the Clinton Administration as the EPA Deputy Administrator during 1993-94. In 2007, Sussman retired as a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins, where he headed the firm’s environmental practice in DC for ten years. Sussman is a magna cum laude 1969 graduate of Yale College and a 1973 graduate of Yale Law School.

Scott is the Vice President of Technical Sales for CoolSys Inc, providing technical support and oversight to their national sales and operations teams. He has over 15 years of industry experience and has spent most of his career as a refrigeration consulting engineer working very closely with installation teams and equipment manufacturers across the United States and in Canada. Prior to joining CoolSys, Scott spent close to 10 years working for Hill Phoenix where he managed the engineering team for their aftermarket services group and had been involved in many CO2 refrigeration projects including one of North America’s first CO2 booster systems to utilize ejector technology with parallel compression. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Indiana Institute of Technology and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Steven Bruneau leads the Réfrigération Frigo-Zone Inc. team as President since 2009. As refrigeration was running in the family, he has been in the service field since he was a teenager. He studied business management while he was working part time learning the ropes. Steven has been a certified refrigeration technician since 2006. At the age of 24, he bought his own refrigeration company. Visionary, eager to learn and develop, he collaborated with the manufacturer CSC in the research and development of the 1st CO2 booster in North America, an innovative technology at the time. In 2009, Réfrigération Frigo-Zone Inc. was the 1st company in Quebec to install a CO2 refrigeration system and has completed over 30+ CO2 installation projects since. Réfrigération Frigo-Zone Inc. has become a reference in the field and a valued business partner to several clients and manufacturers seeking natural refrigerant solutions.

In a career spanning many years, Steven Goh, an experienced and accomplished sustainability professional and leader, has held positions of increasing scope and responsibility. Steven has served as Director of Energy Management at Vallarta Supermarkets in Los Angeles, California. There, he managed a large-scale energy operation which has consistently met all companywide expectations. Currently, Steven holds a position as Energy and Sustainability Manager at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

Thomas is Deputy Manager for Public Affairs, dealing with files related to ozone depletion, climate change, energy and chemicals. He regularly contributes to ATMOsphere’s industry-dedicated media outlets www.R744.com, www.ammonia21.com and www.hydrocarbons21.com with policy-relevant articles. Before joining ATMOsphere, Thomas worked at the European Commission’s competition department for state aid in the energy sector.

Tim Whitehouse is Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. He is a former senior enforcement attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and head of the law and policy program at the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Tom began his career in the HVACR industry over 30 years ago with Emerson/Copeland. During the late 90’s, Tom led the founding of National Refrigeration Services, a consolidator of 10 refrigeration service companies generating over $150M in revenue later acquired by Ingersoll Rand which owned Hussmann at the time. Most recently, he consulted LU-VE Group of Italy on its entry into the U.S. Refrigeration market. He has completed 25+ M&A transactions and personally visited 500+ HVACR service companies. Tom holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University and a Masters in Business Administration from Stetson University.