ControlTrends is extremely proud of the Young Gun Awards and what we believe to be another important industry initiative to draw young talent to our industry. There is no better way to enhance the image of the HVAC Industry than recognizing young professionals — who, early in their careers, have already made an important contribution or significant impact within their organization — that serves well as career role model. We need to collectively seek parity and positive recognition for our HVAC industry and attract more of the young minds and talent needed to sustain our industry in the years to come. We look forward to the continuing support of the ControlTrends Community to help us identify next year’s Young Guns.

Stefani Szczechowski, LEED Green Associate, Smart Building Technology Evangelist. Stepfani has been with Distech Controls two years and grown the specification market in Western United States by 114%. Presently, Stepfani is the Distech Controls’ Western US Specification Sales Manager and is located in Northern California. As Specification Sales Manager with Distech Controls, an Acuity Brands company, she maintains relationships with influencers (specifying engineers, architects, property managers,end user customers, and building owners). Primary focus is on Building Automation technology, as well as lighting controls, and IOT smart building infrastructure. Nine years sales experience in BAS Market and three years Owner Direct, selling Energy Service Projects.

Brendan O’Mahony, PE, Mechanical Engineer at CRB Engineering, Architecture, Construction and Consulting. Brendan is a Professional Mechanical Engineer licensed in the state of California and has been a part of CRB’s Bio-Pharma team in San Diego for six years. His focus is on the design of clean utility systems including U.S. & European Pharmacopeia (USP, EP) Purified Water (PW) and Water For Injection (WFI) generation, storage, and distribution, as well as USP/EP Clean Steam, process gases, and cryogenics. Brendan’s design focus also encompasses lab and cleanroom classified HVAC design, process cooling & heating water systems, plant steam generation and distribution systems, and process waste neutralization and bio-kill systems. Brendan has contributed to local industry seminars through presentations on Pharmaceutical Water design standards and regulations; specifically Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), USP/EP monographs, and best practices based on ISPE design guides and ASME BPE. Brendan is one of CRB San Diego’s lead Mechanical and Process Utility Engineers. He leads technical discussions and internal training sessions for the western region. Brendan was the lead recruiter for CRB’s San Diego office for two years and contributes to CRB’s business planning. Brendan visited classes at local K-12 schools to teach students about engineering. There is tremendous opportunity in engineering & science-related fields. Brendan hopes to share his experiences and hopefully get young students excited about engineering as a potential career path.

Darik Metge was born and raised in the Midwest, and joined the Lynxspring Technical Support team in 2014 after working as the Network Operations Manager for a mid-sized ISP and later as the IT manager/paralegal at a local personal injury law firm. Combining his education and a long-standing interest in technology and protecting the environment, he was naturally drawn to Lynxspring’s energy conservation efforts and green energy technologies. While at Lynxspring, Darik has obtained certifications in several of the company’s software applications, and continues to grow and expand his knowledge/experience in the HVAC industry. Darik is always on the lookout for new opportunities and education within the controls industry and is highly motivated to continue promoting, supporting, and developing the products and services offered by Lynxspring.

Christy O’Neill, Support Manager for Blue Ridge Technologies, a manufacturer of native BACnet lighting controls designed to be an integral part of the Building Automation System. Christy is responsible for ensuring our partners success in adding lighting controls to their energy management portfolios, and also leads our partner-training program. “My favorite part of the job is helping our partners find the right solution for their application.” said Christy. Christy has been in the controls industry for almost ten years, and her desire to continually add new skills has led to her becoming a key member of the Blue Ridge family. Bill Dunkleberger, President of Blue Ridge, describes Christy as the perfect role model for our customer-centric approach, and recognizes that she consistently goes above and beyond to make sure that our partners have the knowledge and tools they need to be effective.

Tavis Kerr, Director, Systems Integration at Hepta Systems. With over 15 years’ experience in the controls industry, Tavis has played a vital role in Hepta Systems’ transformation from integrator to Master Systems Integrator. As Director, Systems Integration, Tavis serves in a project management role, overseeing multiple projects or even portfolios at a time. From technician to programmer to director, Tavis’ professionalism in each aspect of the business he’s worked in has made him a trusted partner of high-level client contacts, and his extensive experience makes him a valuable resource in internal training programs. At a young age, Tavis has earned his status as a leader in the intelligent buildings industry.