Getting Real About A2L Refrigerants

Chris M. Forth is a 30+ year HVAC industry veteran who has worked in engineering, product management, and most recently in the regulatory and codes space as the Vice President of Regulatory, Codes, and Environmental Affairs for Johnson Controls Ducted Systems Business. Chris is heavily involved in industry codes and standards development as well as advocacy efforts to facilitate the safe transition to low-GWP refrigerants at the state, federal and international levels. He serves on the Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy (AREP), and the State Chamber of Oklahoma where he is based and offices out of the JCI Rooftop Center of Excellence Engineering, Testing, and Production Facility. Chris works with numerous states on their refrigerant low-GWP transitions and with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the implementation of the American Innovation in Manufacturing (AIM) Act. Chris currently holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Engineering and Engineering Management from Oklahoma State University.

Chris Pyles has over 15 years of experience in the HVAC industry working with MEP firms, Distributors, OEMs, and now with Chemours as a sales and marketing leader in the refrigerants space. He endeavors to help the industry succeed in the adoption of and safe transition to lower-GWP refrigerants.

Charles Hurd is currently the Director of Residential Ducted Product Management at Johnson Controls, leveraging extensive HVAC experience across residential, light commercial, and applied sectors. A United States Naval Academy graduate and Nuclear Submarine Veteran, Charles holds an MBA as well as a Master’s in Engineering Management. With a strong background in Global Product Management, Global Program Management, Brand Strategy, and Business Process Improvement, he excels at driving innovation and leading cross-functional teams to solve complex challenges, consistently contributing to organizational growth and success.

Philip leads the product management team for Ducted Systems Commercial. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Masters in International Business from the American School of International Management. His career has been in sales and product management within the HVAC&R industry ranging from components and control systems of commercial refrigeration systems to large unitary applied HVAC systems. The majority of his career has been in North America, but he has also spent significant time in Latin America.

Jeff Preston is Director of Technical Services, North America, Johnson Controls Ducted Systems. Jeff has worked for Johnson Controls for more than 30 years in increasing responsibilities in Engineering, Service and Product Management. Prior to JCI, he was in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a graduate of Cleveland State University, Fenn College of Engineering and Marine Corps NCO Academy, Quantico, Virginia. Today, Jeff leads a high performance Service Team that supports Training and New Product Introductions.