Summit Speakers

Meet the experts who will be presenting at this years Summit

Rob Falke

President
National Comfort Institute, Inc.
Sheffield Lake, OH

Sessions: Closing Session Speaker, Awards Presentation, Practitioner: Airflow Hoods: The Go-To Test Instrument for Air UpgradesPractitioner: So You Have a Diagnostics-Generated Lead. Now What?, Mastery: Avoid the Top 10 BTU Measurement Mistakes

Learn More About Rob...
As president and co-owner of National Comfort Institute, Inc., Rob has dedicated his career to developing improved methods of measuring the performance of HVAC systems. His quest is to advance others in their skill and ability to apply these principles in their various roles in the HVAC industry.

Rob’s articles and speeches have been published in trade journals and newsletters across the industry. He has authored more than 150 field measurement procedures. He leads a research and development team publishing over a dozen manuals and books used in National Comfort Institute, Inc. training and certification.

Rob currently serves as chair of the WHPA Commercial Installation Committee and sits on several working groups. He applies his knowledge and enthusiasm for measurement and teaching by supporting a stable of the best technical minds and hearts in the industry that have transformed the way we think about and deliver comfort and efficiency.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Dominick Guarino

CEO
National Comfort Institute, Inc.
Sheffield Lake, OH

Sessions: Opening Session Host, Awards Presentation

Learn More About Dominick...
Dominick Guarino has grown the company from the ground up along side President Rob Falke, into the HVAC industry’s largest independent training and certification organization. He co-founded NCI in 1994 with Rob (originally National Balancing Institute). NCI has also grown into a premier membership organization focused on every aspect of helping HVAC contractors. Dominick oversees all aspects of operations, new product introductions, and sales and marketing for the company. He also manages NCI’s business management, sales and soft skills training team. He presides over NCI conferences and participates in HVAC industry conferences and meetings.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Learn More About David...

David joined NCI in 2011. He tells the story that he was contacted to interview for NCI by Dominick Guarino via a Facebook message. Initially his job was to focus on training contractors how to implement the performance-based processes into their business. Today he is still very active in doing that, but is also responsible for content development for a number of the classes NCI develops and teaches as well as the content for the company’s in-person training events.

David is also an NCI business coach – where he brings his expertise and knowledge in house for contractors who are looking for guidance on how to implement High-Performance into their business.

He has a storied HVAC career including starting his own company, H2 Solutions, which he ultimately sold, starting a coaching and training business called Ultimate Service Systems, and eventually joined a flat-rate pricing company. When that firm relocated to New York, David decided not to move with them and eventually found his way into the NCI family.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Instructor
National Comfort Institute, Inc.
Sheffield Lake, OH

Session: Novice: Two Must-Do Combustion Safety Tests

Learn More About Tom...

Tom was born into his family’s HVAC and Plumbing business that his father, Robert, started in 1964 in Cambridge, MN. Tom became full time GM of the business in 1984. He and his brother Mark bought the business in 1998.

In 2008, Tom heard about Jim Davis who was teaching a revolutionary class on Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Combustion. Tom and his top two technicians jumped into his 1998 Dodge custom van and headed for Louisville KY where Jim Davis was teaching.

“I became a Jim Davis disciple,” Tom proclaims! “I always believed that training my guys better than our competition was always my advantage. Now I had the truth!”

He became a member of National Comfort Institute (NCI) and over the next eight years, Tom attended CO training 13 more times. He is now an instructor teaching CO & Combustion certification classes throughout the Midwest.

In 2010 Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors association chose Tom’s company, TM Johnson Bros., Inc., as their National Contractor of the Year. Then in 2014 the company was named NCI’s Contractor of the Year. Tom has won several other national and state awards and is a contributing author to several trade publications.

Years in the HVAC Industry

John Puryear
Learn More About John...

John Puryear has a diverse background in the HVAC industry that dates back to 1973 when he helped his family’s landlord replace an oil floor furnace with a forced air oil furnace with ductwork. He joined NCI in February, 2011 as an instructor.

John met Rob Falke in 2000 and says “that my life changed forever.” He became one of the first 50 members of NCI’s membership program. He attended NCI’s second “Boot Camp” in 2003 and from what he learned there, developed an implementation process that he used with the first contractor he went to work for. Since then John has joined NCI as a full-time technical instructor.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Learn More About David...

David joined National Comfort Institute full time in 2010 as a curriculum developer and trainer. In this role, he develops and teaches practical, real-world training focused on the HVAC and Home Performance industries.

He has been involved in Performance-based contracting since 2001. This experience allowed him the opportunity to diagnose and correct many HVAC and Home Performance issues over the past decade.

In addition, David writes monthly columns for various industry publications to help increase awareness on the importance of performance testing. David is a regular presenter at many industry conferences working to spread the message of Performance-based contracting.

Besides holding all NCI certifications, David has held certifications as a HERS rater, BPI building analyst, and is a BPI field and written exam proctor.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Learn More About Jeff...

Jeff Sturgeon has more than 30 years of residential and commercial HVAC and refrigeration field experience. He is based in Southern California and works with hundreds of contractors and their field personnel to help insure successful implementation of Southern California Edison’s Workforce Education & Training programs.

Jeff got his start in the HVAC industry by attending UTI (Universal Technical Institute) in Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout his career, Jeff installed and serviced residential, light commercial, commercial, and industrial HVAC/R systems. He also worked for an HVAC controls manufacturer, where he was responsible for engineering, designing, building and installing control panels for a variety of applications.

Jeff has earned many HVAC certifications from manufacturers and organizations such as NCI, NATE and IHACI. Over the past decade, he has been actively involved in numerous Southern California Edison Energy Efficiency programs, including the Residential and Commercial Quality Installation and Quality Maintenance program where he was responsible for the design, installation, service and commissioning of over 1500 HVAC systems.

Years in the HVAC Industry

Mike Weil

Director of Communications
National Comfort Institute, Inc.
Sheffield Lake, OH

Sessions: Mike is the MC for the Idea Meeting, and can be found in the general sessions.

Learn More About Mike...

Mike Weil joined NCI on September 2014 as the Vice President of Communications and Publications. He comes from Penton Media, Inc., a business-to-business media company where he held the position of Editorial Director of three HVACR Industry publications: Contracting Business.com, Heating, Piping, and Air Conditioning Engineering, and HVACR / Hydronics Distribution Business magazines. In addition, Mike managed the HVAC-Talk.com discussion forum as well as the Comfortech conference. Mike was with Penton Media for 34 years in various positions.

In his role with NCI, Mike is the Director of Communications.  He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine.

Years in the HVAC Industry