RSES Members to Match Wits in NATE Competition

Two members of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), Des Plaines, IL, will participate in the eighth annual North American Technician Excellence Certified Technician Competition at HVAC Comfortech 2007 in St. Louis.
The two RSES members are Ken Delcore, of the Titletown Chapter, Green Bay, WI, and Robert Pietrangelo, of the Delaware Valley Chapter, Philadelphia, PA.
Delcore of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay, Wis., has been in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry for 21 years. Delcore has taught HVACR service with NWTC full time for 14 years where he currently teaches associate’s degree-level students and HVACR service and maintenance technicians. He also teaches field technicians in a HVACR Apprenticeship program through the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. When asked how he keeps up with changes in the HVACR industry, Delcore responded, “It is very important for me to stay current with changes with industry trends by servicing field systems and continuing my education by attending any training opportunity that fits into my schedule. It is virtually impossible to keep up with new equipment changes without doing a lot of reading and talking to other technicians and wholesaler service managers.”
Delcore holds an associate’s degree in air conditioning technology from Western Wisconsin Technical College, La Crosse, WI, a bachelor’s degree in vocational and adult education as well as a master’s degree in training and development from the University of Wisconsin, Stout, Menomonie, WI.
Pietrangelo of Comfort Solution, Huntingdon Valley, PA, formerly Bob’s Veteran Heating and Cooling, has been in the HVAC industry for 16 years. Pietrangelo received his HVAC training at CHI Institute, Southampton, Pa., along with attending classes and seminars and completing RSES training courses. He stays current with the HVACR industry by doing a great deal of reading and receiving manufacturing training. He also attends HVAC Comfortech annually, amongst any other training he can get his hands on.
Pietrangelo has worked for Comfort Solution for 11 years where he installs WaterFurnace geothermal equipment, Trane forced-air equipment and Viessmann hydronics equipment. At Comfort Solution they believe in preventative maintenance and share their virtues whenever they can. Pietrangelo says, “Education is the key to all things great in our industry for HVAC co-owners, technicians, installers, but most of all for homeowners!”
The 2007 finalists were selected from thousands of HVAC technicians who took the NATE exam in 2006 and scored in the top 1% of the 20,000 tests given. These technicians will compete with five others selected from more than 200 semi-finalists in the HVAC industry. The competition will test the technological, systemic and mechanical knowledge required to install and service today’s heating and cooling equipment. During the competition, contestants will compete in a series of timed, hands-on events.
Residential heating and cooling equipment and simulators will be rigged with specific problems that require contestants to demonstrate their problem-solving skills by analyzing, diagnosing and correcting a number of equipment and system malfunctions. The technician who has the most correct answers will be awarded the Top Tech title. If there is a tie between technicians, the technician with the shortest time will be awarded the Top Tech title.
For information on RSES, visit www.rses.org.