Chicago ASHRAE

      … in the Rear View Mirror

March 13, 2018

The 2018 ASHRAE show is now history. I wonder if they hit their 70,000 attendance target – I wasn’t counting, but it was a massive sea of people. Chicago knows how to handle a convention of that size and keep everything working smooth. The organization claims there are now only three other US cities that can handle the ASHRAE winter show – Atlanta, Orlando, and Las Vegas.

The Johnson Controls booth(s) was the largest at the show. I was amazed at how many brand names are now part of the Johnson Controls family. Here they are, see how many you recognize:

Facility Explorer, Johnson Controls Metasys, PENN, Ruskin, TempMaster, Verasys, Hart & Cooley, Koch Filter, Trion, PennBarry, Selkirk, York, Envirco, Ruskin, Titus, Quantech, and Hitachi

Don’t ask me – look them up online!

There is an ever expanding contingent of international companies showing products at these shows. Years ago it started with small booths like a China Town just offering small component parts. Now there are complete products: Furnaces, boilers, chillers, rooftops, cooling towers, refrigerant systems of all types, etc. etc.

McCormick Place is full from end to end, side to side, and ceiling to floor. Several booths opened up the beer and wine, late on Monday afternoon. They all started simultaneously, so there must have been a time limit. Suspecting that Johnson may not participate in such risky behavior, I had to see if there were any such refreshments at the Johnson booth – none seen. So I had to carry one in and relish “How great it is to be RETIRED!”

The other aspect is the people attending. As the years in retirement add up – there are fewer faces that I recognize. When we in Field Engineering coordinated the Branch Purchasing Directory, many vendors wanted to be included, so I knew more folks. Here are past and present Johnson employees that I met either at the Show or in ASHRAE meetings. See who you also recognize. (I regret any misspellings)

Terry Hoffmann, John House, Jim Braun, Itzhak Maor, Carrol Lomanaco, Earl Doyle, Juliet Pagliaro, Dave Bishop, Don Albinger, David Gill, Pornsak Songkakul, Mike Bonfiglio, Paul Stewart, Marty Harrington, Steve Drolinger, Woody Dickenson, Ron Schram. and Brian Estill.

They all look like future WSJ Society members to me.

Maybe in three years some of you want to join me on this trip?

Gene Strehlow