Chad is our Technology Awards Chair – read more about him below!
- Name: Chad Adler
- Company and Position: Johnson Controls, Account Executive
- What does your company do/provide? Building automation systems and HVAC equipment
- How long have you worked for them? How long have you worked in this industry? 8 years in the industry and all with Johnson Controls.
- How did you come to work in your field? I graduated in 2008 with a degree in industrial engineering with a focus on manufacturing and we all remember how manufacturing was doing in 2008. I started looking into technical sales positions and I found Johnson Controls.
- What is your main job function? What are you responsible for? I sell control systems for construction projects. I am responsible for take offs, estimates, budgets, and making sure my customers’ needs are met with my product line.
- What is the biggest challenge you face in your job? Time! It’s good to be busy but with a 16 month little girl at home I spend as much time as I can with her when I get home and find time for work when she’s asleep.
- What’s your favorite thing about working in this industry? I like seeing the diverse range of projects my company is involved with. We do work for universities, labs, hospitals, office buildings, government, and so on. I’ve worked on new hospitals/towers, a nuclear reactor, a prison, waste water treatment plants, research laboratories, and one of the largest geothermal projects in the area. There’s always something I haven’t seen before.
- What’s your least favorite thing about working in this industry? While you can be really busy sometimes, you can also be really slow at other times. The slow times are tough when people really need work.
- What’s your involvement in ASHRAE? I’ve been a member for 8 years and have been involved with the Technology Awards for 5 of those years. I also helped start the Young Engineers of ASHRAE group for our chapter.
- What is your responsibility on the Board? I take care of the annual Technology Awards for our chapter. These are the awards presented in April along with scholarships. It’s never too early to send me your projects for this year’s awards!
- What advice would you give someone just graduating college and starting in the HVAC world? Find the people at your company who have LOTS of experience and listen to what they have to say. These would be the old people at your office, like my boss, and are a terrific source of information.
- What’s something you’ve learned through your involvement in ASHRAE? Consulting engineers have a tough gig – they have to know too much about too many different subjects.
- What made you want to be involved in ASHRAE? (Either on the board or as a regular member.) Since I wasn’t a mechanical or electrical engineer, I thought ASHRAE would provide a good avenue for learning more about HVAC.
- Name one person who has been a mentor or an inspiration to you in your life (does not have to be in ASHRAE or in your professional career). Tell me about how they influenced you. Not one, but two people. My dad taught me how to treat people with respect and my mom taught me the importance of being honest and doing things the right way.
- Do you have a favorite sport or team? St Louis Cardinals. They win a world series about once per decade. Some other teams only do it a little less than twice per century. You’ve got some work to do Cubs.
- What’s your favorite type of music or favorite band? 90s alternative
- What’s your favorite thing to do for fun? Anything with the wife and kid away from work is a good time for me.
- Where is the coolest place you have traveled? Or what was the best vacation you’ve ever had? I haven’t been able to travel much but the wife and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon and climbed up the ruins of a Mayan temple. I’m not sure you can do that anymore.
- When you retire and have a lot more time on your hands, what will you do? I would love to travel. Whether that’s touring some baseball stadiums around the US or seeing Europe, I would just like to see some other cities/countries.
