Every industry is served by people who significantly impact it — whether from the invention of technology or processes, or sales and/or marketing techniques. Because of their experience, knowledge, position in that industry, and relationship with others, these are people who impact its development. These “influencers” make a difference in the industry’s direction and its future. The High-Performance segment of the HVAC industry is no different.

Such influential people are not only members of the High-Performance HVAC Contracting community, but they work to help others be more successful. In fact, their actions contribute to the High-Performance HVAC Industry’s growth and acceptance throughout the greater HVAC Industry and among consumers.

Influencers believe in education and training and continually seek better ways of doing things. They lead by example. They take what they learn and implement it successfully into their businesses, then take the time to share what they learn during that process with others.

How did they make our list? Over the years, members of the NCI team have traveled the country, visiting and working with many contracting firms, manufacturers, distributors, utilities, and trade associations. They worked together on evolving beyond selling equipment to an approach where a system is more than a set of boxes.

The NCI team met people who believed in the tenets of testing duct systems, equipment, and even the overall building itself. They measure airflow, temperature, and more, then calculate their impact on delivered comfort and energy efficiency.

The following four are the 2022 “influencer inductees.” We don’t consider the time or era in which these influencers served. We look at what candidates have done or are doing and the impact of those efforts.

To submit a nominee, let us know who they are and why they are influencers. Send me your “nomination” via email at ncilink.com/ContactMe.

So, without further ado, here is the 2022 class of influencers who directly impacted the High-Performance HVAC Industry.

Scott Johnson

One of the strongest proponents for HVAC system testing in California is Scott Johnson. In fact, Scott spent decades working to bring a level of realism to system testing. In the 1990s, he was president of Action Now, located in Costa Mesa, CA, a company that tested thousands of homes during the early years of government-regulated testing. He was on a mission to influence how not only contractors viewed HVAC systems, but how regulators, inspectors, and other entities viewed it as well.

In that effort, over several decades, he served on many government and utility committees, including the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. He was a member of the Institute of Heating & Air Conditioning Industry (IHACI) in California and became its Education and Training Chairman.

IHACI has a longstanding Southern California program that trains more than 5,000 technicians each year. In his position, Scott managed a crew of trainers and spent more than seven years developing the organization’s training curriculum.

In the earlier days of his career, Scott focused on the blower door and duct blaster approach to testing, but that evolved after becoming active with National Comfort Institute.

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