As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we want to recognize a few of the women in the HVACR space who are making an impact in the lives of future techs and helping to train and equip those around them. This includes instructors and trainers in the field as well as some of our own employees who are making the tools and test equipment we all use and love! At Fieldpiece, we thank you for your impact, your commitment to the HVACR industry and to training the next generations of techs.
Michele Seaman, the HVAC/R Program Director Western Dakota Tech. Michele, we thank you for your dedication, passion and advocacy for your students. The Western Dakota Tech program competes in SkillsUSA every year and she is so committed to helping them reach their potential. Thanks for being a role model and for inspiring your students every day!
Crystal Naegle of the UA Local 525 in Las Vegas, NV, we see you! Crystal is an instructor and HVAC coordinator, has been toseveral trainings and conferences the past few months. She’s been actively honing her skills and bringing them back to her home city where she has been developing an intensive HVAC training program for apprenticeship and journeymen.
We’d also like to give a shout out and recognize this year’s Lady of the Trade nominees at the recent @hvactactical awards in Atlanta, GA. These fantastic women are sharing their daily HVACR field experiences on social media. This gives visibility and encouragement to everyone about the variety of jobs and situations any HVACR tradesperson will see out there. So here’s to Emily @hvac.chick an HVAC apprentice in San Diego, CA and Shawna Peddle @hvac.optimist a Level 3 commercial HVACR apprentice in Canada. Congratulations, Brandi Ferenc @chlrchk, who was this year’s award winner and who serves as a Refrigeration Mechanic Gas Fitter 1 HVAC instructor and mentor in Ontario, Canada!
Manufacturers also have women in the trade, so we’d like to recognize one of our own. Nicole Schneegas, is an Industrial Designer here at Fieldpiece. She’s one of two industrial designers who help create all of our products and how they end up looking and feeling in your hands. Not to mention ensuring all of the technical manuals, tool bags and the packaging also look great! As one of the younger members of the Fieldpiece team, we look forward to her many future contributions too.
Mentorship and fellowship also deserves a mention here. Thank you to organizations like Women in HVACR who are bringing the industry and techs together and creating opportunities for connection, insights and growth across all areas of the HVACR community. It creates a great foundation for collaboration and mentorship for men and women who want to help prepare future generations and keep us all working towards a collective goal of keeping the trades inclusive.
There are so many deserving women who work tirelessly behind the scenes and many more that are in industry or the face that the customers see. If you know of a woman in the HVACR trades that deserves a mention, please write it in the comments. She may just be a feature in a future article!
