Remembering Rob Falke

Rob’s impact on NCI

Last March at NCI’s High-Performance Summit, Rob gave his closing talk about what we had just experienced as an industry coming through the pandemic. He shared a Chinese symbol for the word, “Crisis,” and explained that the symbol portrayed Crisis as Danger coupled with Opportunity.

How were we to know at that time that NCI was about to lose one of its greatest treasures? Rob’s loss, just as we were coming out of the pandemic early last year, was a gut-punch like I’ve never felt before. Everyone at NCI felt a bit in crisis, especially myself and David Richardson, who took on many of Rob’s duties and had big shoes to fill.

But with Rob’s smiling eyes watching over us, we overcame what could have been a serious crisis. We made an early decision to recognize the danger, but not succumb to it. Some of that determination was to make sure we honored Rob’s legacy.

Rob’s absence was felt immediately and intensely. But we also knew he would have wanted us to keep pressing forward, and keep exploring new opportunities, not just for NCI, but for the tens of thousands of HVAC professionals we have had the privilege to train and be associated with.

So we quickly regrouped and set out to make NCI and our followers better, stronger, and more united than ever. Now, almost a year later, we are well down that path, and in words that Rob and I often shared year after year, we feel like “we’re just getting started!”

Rob, you’ll be missed but never forgotten. Your legacy will, without a doubt, endure the test of time. I know that legacy was very important to you. You can rest easy because you have accomplished that and more, my old friend.

Someday I know we will meet again, and you’ll have lots to share with me about what you will have learned about the rarefied air up there. God bless and keep you my friend and brother, always.