Sara Kampfe
In Sara Kampfe’s first two years at Copeland, she was the driving force behind key improvements and upgrades to the company’s sample management system, and helped train their internal users in order to improve the efficacy of the system.
Before entering the HVACR industry, Kampfe worked in the renewable energy industry, working for engineering/new technology companies and serving in scientist and leadership positions. With her experience as a laboratory chemist and leader, she could have found jobs in multiple industries, and rather quickly at that. Kampfe chose Copeland because she’s passionate about the challenges that come with engineering and technology innovation.
“I felt excited at the prospect of working in an industry constantly looking at new technologies and having a positive and sustainable impact on people and the environment,” Kampfe said. “Since starting at Copeland, I’ve enjoyed diving deeper into the HVAC industry, collaborating with other scientists and engineers, and experiencing our positive impact.”
Kampfe has also mentored Copeland’s material lab’s team and their engineers; helping the engineers better understand the chemistry of Copeland’s materials, while also engaging them to help her better understand the space and expertise they provide.
“The insights we are fostering between these teams have been a big part of our lab’s success and represent Copeland’s culture of innovation,” Kampfe said.
Kampfe values having a broad positive impact, and takes pride in her active participation in several committees in the refrigerant and lubricant space for The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).”
When looking ahead, Kampfe hopes to advance in her understanding of the industry, while inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
“I’ve seen how people are willing to learn more when given context and opportunity,” Kampfe said. “For example, we’ve had some exceptional co-op students who initially had limited industry knowledge. It is incredibly gratifying to see that after their experience, they will return to work for Copeland full-time, bringing solid skill sets and passion for positively impacting people and the environment.
