After showcasing their talents Oct. 19-20 during PHCC’s annual CONNECT conference and trade show, three apprentices received the top prize packages.

The impact of recent flooding in Louisiana can be seen in photos from the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) Apprentice Training School in Baton Rouge.

After nearly 40 years in the HVAC industry, including three decades spent teaching, Cleveland native Gary Ranallo joked that he’s only just getting started. But Ranallo, who was selected as The NEWS’ 2016 Best Instructor winner, nearly missed his calling.

Jeff Adams, The NEWS’ 2016 Best Trainer winner and vice president of field services for Logan A/C & Heat Services in Dayton, Ohio, helped start the company's trianing program, which has grown so much that the company recently acquired a separate space to be devoted solely to technician training.

With more than 100 years of HVACR industry experience among them, the six instructors at Hennepin Technical College in Minneapolis proudly run one of the top HVACR programs in the country. Standing out among these industry veterans is Rhonda Wiggins, The NEWS’ 2016 Best Instructor runner-up.

Since claiming the title of Best Trainer runner-up last year, Michael Goater, Success4Others’ self-proclaimed “chief motivator” and once again this year’s Best Trainer runner-up, has upped the ante at his Scottsdale, Arizona-based professional HVAC training and coaching organization.

Given current demographic trends, finding skilled workers is becoming increasingly more difficult in the plumbing, heating, and cooling industries. 

The QSC Board of Trustees was inducted by Michael Copp, executive vice president of PHCC.