< Previous20 JUNE 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY for. We spent days and nights compar- ing notes and brainstorming how this could change the industry. NCI IS BORN Within a few years, we formed the foundation of National Comfort In- stitute (NCI). Fortunately, I had a sig- nificant background both in technical training and writing. Combined with Rob’s work on de- veloping air balancing and diagnos- tic processes and his desire to teach, we began to write the first NCI class – complete with manuals and overhead transparencies. In 1993 Rob taught NCI’s first class in a distributor’s train- ing room in southern California. We were off to the races! As we began to fine tune the train- ing, adding certification exams and additional courses, NCI started grow- ing into a real company. By the late 1990s we had trained thousands of HVAC professionals in air diagnos- tic and balancing. In 1998, we incor- porated NCI and devoted 100% of our time to the company. As Chairman & CEO, I dedicated my efforts to growing the company and managing all of its business func- tions. This allowed Rob as President, to build a world class training team of instructors, while creating and im- proving curriculum. AN INDUSTRY ICON Over the past three decades, Rob, who started in the industry with no technical background, became the fa- ther of modern airflow testing and di- agnostics and residential air balancing. He spent countless hours in pursuit of knowledge. As he learned, he freely shared his knowledge with others. Together we navigated the negativ- ity of many naysayers who thought we were crazy or just outright wrong. We used to joke with each other that after all, the pioneers were the ones with the most arrows in their backs. Right up to just days before his the time had even thought about do- ing that. As he tested and fixed more sys- tems, he began to write procedures and processes so he could consistent- ly measure and record his findings. He also wrote processes for his installers to follow as they began replacing and renovating bad duct systems. During that time Rob began to serve on different association boards and in 1989 he became president of the local Air Conditioning Trade Association (ACTA). He continued to serve his lo- cal HVAC community for many years. I met Rob in the early 1990s. After running sales and installation for a lo- cal Cleveland contractor, as chief ed- itor of a national magazine, I started writing articles about the need for get- ting comfort right and improving air delivery systems. A mutual friend saw how we were on the same path and helped put us together. We decided to meet and test a home in Sacramento together using state-of- the-art (at the time) instruments. I re- alized what Rob had been working on exactly matched what I was looking Rob Falke making a presentation during the 2004 HVAC Comfortech event at America’s Center in St. Louis, MO. Rob Falke (right) presents David Richardson (left)with NCI’s first David Debien Technical Excellence award during Summit 2007 in Charleston, South Carolina. Pictured center left is Dominick Guarino and center right is David Debian’s widow, Suzanne Debien.JUNE 2022 21HVACTODAY.COM TRIBUTE and get along for such a long time. And we liked each other too! As partners we had a saying we re- peated often over the years: “If two people agree on everything, then one of them is not necessary.” Whenever we were faced with a tough decision or evaluating an opportunity, we pur- posely took opposite sides so we could be truly objective. I think this approach kept us on the right path, and helped us avoid many missteps and mistakes. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Rob also left the industry and NCI with a true blessing of hand-picked in- structors and many disciples who have made the pursuit of truth and doing the right thing their own missions. His in- fluence will continue on through the thousands he has touched during his brief time on this earth. I will miss you, Rob. I know this grief will lessen with time and be replaced with so many gifts that you have left me and those close to you, especially the fond memories of our time together. Rob Falke leaves a legacy with- in our industry that will endure for many generations to come. He has blessed countless people, including me, and will never be forgotten. God- speed my mentor, my brother, my friend. HVAC Comfortech, IHACI, and NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit. THE REAL DEAL But Rob was much more than a lead- er and a visionary in our industry. What made him truly unique is how much he cared about and loved people. Rob had the ability to bring out the best in al- most anyone. He could disarm even the most Doubting Thomas with his kind- ness and caring. Virtually everyone in our industry who has met Rob has had nothing but praise about how he positively affected their lives. Just over the past month I personally received hundreds of emails, texts, and phone calls from well-wishers sharing how Rob impacted their lives so pro- foundly. Many shared how NCI helped them turn their businesses around, and how Rob was such a major influence in their personal lives as well. Then there was Rob my best friend and partner in NCI. I feel so blessed by our partnership of nearly 30 years. It’s rare that two people can complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, passing, Rob and I talked regular- ly about how we have been so bless- ed to have a meaningful impact with our work, affecting literally tens of thousands of professionals with our teachings. The culmination of his work and what would become his final legacy, began in 2016 when Rob convinced ASRHAE (the American Society of Re- frigeration, Heating and Air Condi- tioning Engineers) to let him form and chair a committee to develop a Na- tional Standard for measuring the per- formance of installed HVAC systems. After four years of painstaking work, in large part due to Rob’s leadership, perseverance, and great people skills, in 2020 ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 221: a “Test Method To Field-Mea- sure And Score The Cooling And Heating Performance Of An In- stalled Unitary HVAC System,” was published. This standard truly embodies Rob’s vision of how the in- dustry should test and rate HVAC sys- tem performance. A prolific writer, Rob published hundreds of articles, technical proce- dures, reports and webinars during his career serving the air condition- ing and heating industry. He also has shared his knowledge and insights at dozens of conferences and associa- tion meetings including ACCA, AHR, Rob teaching during a Performance Town event at HVAC Comfortech 2011 in Indianapolis, IN. During High-Performance HVAC Summit 2022, Rob does what he loves -- explaining airflow to contractor attendees during the Performance Town session. During the High-Performance HVAC Summit in Scottsdale in April 2022, Rob Falke takes a break to pose with Patty and Bill Kennihan of Kennihan Plumbing and Heating, Valencia, PA. 22 JUNE 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY HVAC SMART MARTJUNE 2022 23HVACTODAY.COM Advertiser Index AD INDEX HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Judy Marquardt Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany-Garsed Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. 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