Leroy Friend wins National HVAC Apprentice Contest

The Foundation’s HVACR Apprentice and Journeyman Training Committee members were on hand to set up and judge the contest Leroy Friend, Shapiro & Duncan, Inc., Rockville, Md. won first prize The event was made possible by the generousity of industry sponsors

Oct. 23, 2014

2 min read

Leroy Friend winner of the PHCC Educational Foundation39s second annual HVAC Apprentice Contest — Leroy Friend, winner of the PHCC Educational Foundation's second annual HVAC Apprentice Contest.

NEW ORLEANS, LA — Three top HVAC apprentices received awards in the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors–National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation's second annual HVAC Apprentice Contest, held Oct. 8-9.

The Foundation’s HVACR Apprentice and Journeyman Training Committee members were on hand to set up and judge the contest, which was a highlight of the PHCC–National Association's CONNECT 2014 Product & Technology Showcase. A portion of the contest was hosted by the HVAC program at Delgado Community College’s Jefferson Campus in Metairie, La.

This year’s awards went to:

1st Place – Leroy Friend, Shapiro & Duncan, Inc., Rockville, Md.
2nd Place – Tyler Sheppeck, Corporate Mechanical, Minneapolis, Minn.
3rd Place – Chris Lighthart, The Lighthart Corp., Los Angeles, Cal.

Foundation volunteers operating this year’s event included:

Scott Balmer, Chair, ShoffnerKalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service, Knoxville, Tenn.
Tony DeSantis, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Cal.
Bill Jones, Raven Mechanical, LLC, Houston, Texas
Craig Lewis, R.E.C. Industries, Inc., Bryan, Texas
Joel Long, GSM Services, Inc., Gastonia, N.C.
Warren Lupson, Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute, Arlington, Va.
Ron Newman, Lakes Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Inc., Spirit Lake, Iowa
Ken Nielsen, AccuAire, Inc., Reading, Mass.
Kenny Ripberger, Delgado Community College, Metairie, La.
Jamie Simpson, Schaal Heating & Cooling, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa

The event was made possible by the following generous industry sponsors:

Headline Sponsors: Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); Coburn Supply Co.; and Rheem.

Contestant Sponsors: AC Pro; AHRI; Cengage Learning; Coburn Supply Co.; Daikin; Emerson Climate Technologies; Milwaukee Electric Tool Co.; NATE and NIBCO, Inc.

Additional prize and materials sponsors included: Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); Aireco, Inc.; Channellock; Delgado Community College; Emerson Climate Technologies; Fluke; Greenlee Textron Inc.; Hilmor; Honeywell; Imperial/Stride Tool; Milwaukee Electric Tool Co.; NetBraze, LLC; NIBCO, Inc.; RIDGID; Sioux Chief Manufacturing Co.; and Techsource Tools.

The PHCC Educational Foundation, a partnership of contractors, manufacturers, and wholesalers, was founded in 1987 to serve the plumbing-heating-cooling industry by preparing contractors and their employees to meet the challenges of a constantly changing marketplace. For more information contact a member of the Foundation staff at 800/533-7694 or visit http://www.phccfoundation.org.