Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Articles

Pennsylvania College of Technology and Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity joined on Thursday at the site of a Habitat home to observe the national day of mourning for President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at 100 years old. The nonprofits, working together to build a three-bedroom home at 508 Fifth Ave., lowered a U.S. flag at the building site in memory of the late president. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were longtime Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented Jeffrey C. Comitz with an Alumni Achievement Award at its Fall 2024 Commencement ceremony, held Dec. 21 at the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport. Comitz, of Montoursville, is director of operations at Thermal Product Solutions, New Columbia.

The fourth profile to be shared this week, during the “Give Thanks, Paw It Forward” celebration, is one of Penn College’s Corporate Tomorrow Makers – Weather Engineers, Inc., a 60-year-old company providing residential and commercial HVAC solutions in northeast Florida. Daniel E. Towers, a 1994 graduate of Penn College’s heating, ventilation & air conditioning technology major, is vice president of operations for the company. Towers enjoys recruiting Penn College students and alumni.

More than 700 students from 20 area high schools and career and technology education centers attended Penn College’s fifth PA Build My Future event on Thursday to discover what a career in the construction industry might look like. Faculty and students in Penn College’s construction and architecture division were joined by 25 industry partners to provide hands-on demonstrations and activities.

A. Pickett Construction, Inc. has scheduled a Pop-Up Employer Information Table for Monday, Oct. 21, in the Carl Building Technologies Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology. The company is recruiting carpenter helpers, carpenters, assistant HVAC technicians, assistant business administrators, assistant project managers and assistant estimators. Interested students should bring their resumes.

Johnson Controls is providing Pennsylvania College of Technology with a $100,000 grant for the second consecutive year to support students seeking in-demand careers. The grant is part of Johnson Controls’ Community College Partnership Program, a nationwide initiative that aims to provide $15 million by the end of 2026 to help students from historically underrepresented groups prepare for careers related to sustainable building practices.

Six Pennsylvania College of Technology students were invited recently to tour Johnson Controls Airside Center of Excellence in York. The students are recipients of scholarships from Johnson Controls Inc., made possible through a $100,000 gift to the college’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning academic program for 2023-24.

Two Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. employees visited classes recently in architecture and heating, ventilation & air conditioning engineering technology to introduce students to career paths with the company’s virtual design & construction operations group. That team constructs buildings virtually before they are built physically, explained 2011 construction management alumnus Sean Scully, who is a project manager for Whiting-Turner, and Brandon Hurlburt, a VDC manager for the company.

An associate professor of HVAC technology at Penn College has again contributed to the HVAC Classes blog, this time considering "What Are the HVAC Industry's Priorities in 2024?" “The HVAC industry’s top priorities for 2024 will bring interesting challenges,” department head Jason W. Killinger says. "As always, the HVAC industry will embrace, adapt and overcome these challenges."

An associate professor of HVAC technology at Penn College has contributed to the HVAC Classes blog, sharing his expertise on meeting the demand for a well-educated workforce. “The HVAC industry will continue to advance in response to environmental concerns, technological advancements and changing customer expectations, providing opportunities for those who are prepared to change and grow with it,” department head Jason W. Killinger says in "How to Expand & Support the HVAC Workforce."