RACCA's New Years Kick Off News Letter

The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (RACCA) of Tampa Bay celebrated its 58th Annual Awards and Installation Banquet on January 16, 2025. The event took place at the Hampton Inn Tampa Airport and brought together over 60 members and their guests for an evening of celebration, recognition, and entertainment.


The evening began with a lively cocktail reception, setting the tone for a memorable night. Guests were treated to an audience-participation True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show presented by The Dinner Detectives, adding an interactive and entertaining twist to the banquet. Following Act 3 of the show, the focus shifted to honoring excellence and welcoming the 2025 Board of Directors and Officers.


2024 President Brendan Fuller opened the evening, sharing his reflections on the association’s accomplishments over the past year. “Tonight, RACCA celebrates another successful year of supporting the industry by highlighting a few members who continue to go above and beyond, as well as introducing the incoming officers and directors for 2025. We hope to have some fun as well!” said Fuller.

RACCA's 2025 Officers and Board of Directors



The 2025 RACCA Officers and Board of Directors, L to R: Contractor Director John Watson, Vice President Robert Wasilewski, Contractor Director Troy Daland, Outgoing President Brendan Fuller, President Renee Pagan, President Elect Bryan Wade, Secretary/Treasurer Jason Hofmann, Contractor Directors Shanna Pettys & Paul Keller, Associate Director Paula DeSantis-Tarris (front) & Contractor Director Garrett Lingerfelt (back)

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of awards, recognizing individuals and companies for their outstanding contributions to RACCA and the HVAC industry in the Tampa Bay area.

Trane Supply and Victor Distributing receive the Award of Excellence to Associate Members for outstanding participation and contributions to the Industry.

Pelican Aire Commercial Services receives the Award of Excellence to a Contractor Member for outstanding participation and contributions to the Industry.

Michael Tarris receives the President's Award of Excellence to an Individual that has distinguished themselves with service to the RACCA Organization.

Renee Pagan receives the Legacy Awards for Years of Service to RACCA and the Industry.

Paula DeSantis-Tarris receives the C J Dillard Award for an Individual for outstanding service to RACCA and the Industry.

Bob Cochell of Gulf Coast Air Systems was named an Honorary Lifetime Member of RACCA. This recognition was awarded for his 51 years of service in the trade and his unwavering support and advocacy for Florida’s HVACR industry.

Incoming President Renee Pagan expressed her gratitude to outgoing President Brendan Fuller, stating, “I appreciate the progress the association has made during Brendan’s tenure and look forward to working with my fellow board members in guiding RACCA another step forward. I also want to thank Federated Insurance on behalf of all our members for sponsoring tonight’s banquet. They have been a constant presence in our association for years.”

Click here to view Photos of RACCA's Awards & Installation Banquet.

Look through the picture for the Murderer at the end. RACCA would like to Thank Peter Montana with ACprosite.com for providing the article above as well as on the Award, Installation and Dinner Pictures.

To read Peter's full article on RACCA Awards & Installation Banquet click here.
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The 2025 AHR Expo Trend Report

HVACR is a very truly distinctive industry, bringing together professionals from a variety of sectors and disciplines. While we all share common objectives, our daily practices can vary significantly. The Industry Trend Report serves this career diversity, designed to bridge the differences and offer thoughtful connection points regarding the industry’s current state ahead of Orlando.


Our endorsing associations provide a comprehensive view of the many roles within the industry, highlighting relevant discussion topics as we prepare to meet in person.


We appreciate the contributions of all those who participated in this report, as their input is vital in understanding the industry’s challenges and opportunities from multiple perspectives. Read more

The article above was supplied by TODAY'S A/C & REFRIGERATION NEWS and can be found on the bottom of the front page of their February 2025 Edition.



Informing & Supporting Conditioning Air Professionals & the Industry


Peter Montana

Director, ACprosite.com



Phone 813.417.6792


Email Address:

pmontana@acprosite.com

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HARDI 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE “NAVIGATE” SETS NEW RECORDS AND INSPIRES HVACR PROFESSIONALS

Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) concluded 2024 with its largest Annual Conference to date. Held December 7–10 in Atlanta, GA, the event welcomed over 2,030 attendees, including more than 550 wholesaler representatives from 181 companies, 65 Solution Center providers, 45 unique member sponsors, and a sold-out Booth Program featuring 230 suppliers and manufacturers.


“Atlanta capped off a historic year for HARDI, with record attendance reflecting our growth in distributor and total membership,” said Talbot Gee, HARDI CEO. “This success stems from the unwavering focus of our Board, volunteers, and team on our mission. Our industry thrives when competitors come together, united in delivering greater value to their customers and expanding distribution’s share of HVACR sales. Read More

The article above was supplied by ACprosite.com and can be found on their Website under the News tab.

Save the Date


RACCA Dinner Meeting Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) presented by Raz Bajwa President of IndusTrack Feb. 13th 5:30 PM til 8:30 PM at Banquet Masters 13355 49th St. N. Clearwater (Charge)


Executive Lunch N Learn Evaluating Performance & Quality in Your Workforce February 20th 11:30 AM til 1:00 PM at Victor Distributing Co. 11125 49th Street North Clearwater, Fl. 33762. (Charge)


Workshop on Demystifying FEMA: Regulations HVAC Contractors need to know managed by CRG Inc. Feb. 25th 10:00 AM til 12:00 PM at Trane Supply 12385 Automobile Blvd Clearwater, Fl. 33762. (Charge)


Lunch N Learn TEV Theory with Contaminant Controls presenting by Stephen Sloan Parker Hannifin-Sporlan March 11th 11:30 til 1:00 PM at Trane Supply 4720 East Adamo Dr. Tampa, Fl. 33605. (Charge)


RACCA Sporting Clay Tournament March 15th 8:00 AM til 1:00 PM at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays 10514 Ehren Cut off Land o’ Lakes, Fl. 34639 (Charge)


Workshop Understanding the Blower Door Test an Interactive presented by Michael Lotesto managed by CRG Inc. March 19th 9:00 AM til 1:00 PM at Trane Supply 4720 E. Adamo Dr. Tampa, Fl. 33605. (Charge)


Workshop Low Load Homes presented by Bob Volin Air Concepts WPB managed by CRG Inc. March 20th 9:00 AM til 3:30 PM at Trane Supply 4720 East Adamo Drive Tampa, Fl. 33605. (Charge)


Lunch N Learn Introduction to Air Conditioning (Office Personnel, Non-Techs, New to Industry, etc.) April 10th 11:30 AM til 1:00 PM at Victor Distributing Co. 11125 49th St. N. Clearwater, Fl. 33762. (Charge)


RACCA Social & Membership Drive PopStroke (Mini-Golf) April 24th from 7:00 PM til 9:00 PM 25297 Sierra Center Blvd, Lutz, FL 33559. (Charge)


RACCA Apprenticeship Graduation will take place from 6:00 PM til 8:00 PM May 7th at Pinellas Technical College 6100 154th Ave N Building # 10 Clearwater, FL 33760. (N/C)


Note: Dates and Events subject to change without notice. Please see RACCA Website for the most Current Info. www.racca-florida.org/events/.


Associate Members Directory

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FRACCA, the Florida Refrigeration Air Conditioning Contractors Association represents the state of Florida in the HVACR Industry.




Joining Your Local Chapter * ONE VOICE - The concept of including all the local chapter HVAC contractors in FRACCA’s membership base relies on local organizations making the commitment to charter themselves as chapters of FRACCA. Each local organization must meet specific criteria in order to charter and maintain a chapter. The chapter pays the dues for each one of its contractor members. The State Association will consider each contractor a member of the State Group In exchange for the cooperation of the local chapters, FRACCA will provide representation of the industry before all state regulatory bodies and provide the services: Packaged Educational Sessions with CEU Credits and an Annual Education Conference. FRACCA Advocacy at Florida’s Capital : FRACCA champions its members interests in an array of legislative & regulatory issues which demand constant and immediate attention. In order to ensure Legislators are aware of and address issues of importance to your business and the HVAC industry, FRACCA engages a state lobbyist to work on behalf of the members, the efforts have a direct impact on the bottom line of a contractors business. Mission Statement: The Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association hereby recognizes that the HVAC trade affords distinct opportunities to be service to our customers and employees. The information above tells you more about FRACCA, our mission statement, and why we help all the local chapters that belong to FRACCA. Each chapter has its own board of directors with their own events throughout the year. FRACCA has a bi-annual conference on the even years with the opportunity to achieve all 14 CEU at the conference. FRACCA also has events to support the legislature and lobbyist during the odd years. Please see the chapters and the contact information for each of them, please reach out if you are interested in becoming an affinity member. Affinity members pay a small fee to FRACCA and then belong to the local chapter where they reside.


• TRACCA – Tallahassee and surrounding areas • Carre Welsh – www.tracca.com


• NFACCA – Jacksonville • Jen Beaudry – mail@nfacca.com


• ACCACF – Central Florida • Erica Mattis – erica.mattis@accacf.com


• SFACCA – South Florida (Broward & Miami/Dade) • Stacey Miller - director.sfaca@gmail.com


• SWACCA – Naples and Ft. Myers • Robin Parsons – robin@sw-acca.org


• MACCA – Manatee & Sarasota Areas • Robin Parsons – robin@macca.us


• RACCA – Tampa Area • Michael Tarris – racca@racca-florida.org


• GACCA – Gainesville


• PACCA – Polk County



• PBACCA – Palm Beach and surrounding areas • Alexa Lee – alexalee@pbacca.com


If you are interested in joining FRACCA through your local chapter, please reach out for more information. Erica Mattis, erica.mattis@fraccaair.com www.fracca.com

The Message from FRACCA above was supplied by TODAY'S A/C & REFRIGERATION NEWS and can be found on the top of page B6 in their January 2025 Edition.

Main Phone 727-209-5745

Main Email: racca@racca-florida.org


Apprenticeship Phone 813-253-9859

Apprenticeship Email apprenticeship@racca-florida.org


Address: P.O. Box 2403 Oldsmar, Fl. 34677

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