People in the News

Presentation showcased Danfoss solutions for decarbonization

Danfoss North America president Rick Sporrer presented Danfoss’ most recent whitepaper, “Roadmap for Decarbonizing Cities,” on September 19 at the Chrysler Building in New York City. The presentation was part of a three-day Sustainability Summit, organized by the Danish consulate during Climate Week NYC. Organized by Climate Group and run in coordination with the United Nations and the City of New York, Climate Week brings together leaders from business, government and the climate sector to discuss progress toward addressing climate change and the challenges ahead.

This year’s Climate Week theme is “We Can, We Will.” Danfoss firmly believes that we can and will meet our climate goals and is committed to developing the technologies and solutions that will help lower carbon emissions and reduce energy consumption.

One of the most crucial keys to meeting climate goals will be energy efficiency as it is the single largest measure the world can take to reduce energy demand. Energy efficiency is, and always should be, the ‘first fuel’ for clean energy transitions. The technology is available, and it’s the quickest and most cost-effective carbon mitigation option.

Decarbonization is a key pillar of Danfoss’ ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals, as it works toward achieving its own goal of becoming carbon-neutral across its global footprint by 2030.

“Roadmap for Decarbonizing Cities,” the company’s recent whitepaper, emphasizes that cities offer some of the best possibilities to optimize urban planning and accelerate a green transition, and there are already accessible, cost-efficient technologies capable of cutting emissions sufficiently to meet global climate goals. But political leaders need to take action to ensure the infrastructure exists for the technologies to be adopted and scaled. With cities accounting for two-thirds of global energy consumption and more than 70% of annual global carbon emissions, and with increasing urbanization, it is clear that in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, business and political leaders must commit to decarbonizing our cities.

Examples noted:

• Energy-efficient heating and cooling in buildings. By adopting low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, buildings can significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. If all urban areas and cities in Europe, the US, and China invested in energy-efficient heating and cooling of buildings, this would contribute 20% to the 1.5C target of the Paris agreement.
• Electrification of urban transport would contribute 28% to the target.
• Sector integration. Excess heat can provide for a substantial portion of heating/cooling needs in cities. This heat can be reused, but a holistic approach to energy reuse in cities is crucial to build out this capacity and decarbonize the power supply of cities.

“Cities are the key to reaching our climate goals,” said Sporrer. “While some cities, like New York, are implementing energy efficiency standards and mandating reductions in carbon emissions, we still have a long way to go to make our cities cleaner and more sustainable. I was glad to be part of the conversation on how we can harness innovative technologies to meet our climate goals.”

Joseph Sullivan of J.J. Sullivan Plumbing in Woburn, Massachusetts has joined the PHCC Educational Foundation Board of Governors.

The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association’s (PHCC) Educational Foundation has named Joseph Sullivan to the organization’s Board of Governors. This distinguished group – composed of leading contractors, manufacturers, and other industry partners who are major donors to the Foundation – is responsible for guiding the development of industry education and training programs for contractors and their employees.

After graduating from Boston College with a degree in accounting, Joe Sullivan served on active duty and then in the Army Reserve for six years. He then started on a career in finance at a national public accounting firm. In 1968, Joe’s father convinced him to come work at the family business – J.J. Sullivan Plumbing. When his father passed away two years later, Joe found himself in charge of the family business at 28 years old.

To help get the knowledge he needed to be successful, Joe joined a local plumbing association – PHCC. In time, he took on leadership roles, including becoming president of the state association. He continued to be active and served as the PHCC of Massachusetts state treasurer for 20 years.

In 2001, Joe was asked about serving on the PHCC Educational Foundation’s Scholarship Committee – a role he took on without hesitation. For the next 22 years, Joe would spend his summers reviewing the application materials of thousands of apprentices and students looking to earn a scholarship award.

J.J. Sullivan Plumbing and Heating is thriving as the firm takes on commercial and institutional jobs, working in schools and labs in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. Joe’s two sons, Patrick and Mike, are now helping to run the business as the third generation for the company. Joe’s wife Ann passed away in 2005, and he remarried in 2008 to Jacqueline Piret, a retired microbiology professor. He still shows up for work regularly, but makes his own hours as he likes.

When asked about why he is joining the Foundation Board of Governors, he simply stated “I value the organization and I want to support it, to be a part of something bigger that is helping the industry that had supported my family for all these years.”

“Joe is one of the Foundation’s great volunteers,” shared Foundation Chair Kevin Tindall. “His work on the Scholarship Committee for more than 20 years is a reason the Foundation has been able to help so many apprentices with their training expenses. We are happy to welcome him to our Foundation family.”

The PHCC Educational Foundation will formally recognize Joe and present him with his Board of Governors plaque and pin at the Foundation Donor Reception during PHCC CONNECT in Cleveland, Ohio on October 26th.

Formerly Vice President, Wholesale, the eight-year Oatey veteran will now take on an enhanced leadership role, including responsibility for customer service and technical support

Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, has promoted Patrick Aquino to Senior Vice President, Wholesale.

With nearly 20 years of experience in sales and business development, Aquino is a seasoned executive with deep knowledge of the plumbing industry. He joined Oatey nearly eight years ago as Northeast Regional Sales Manager and has since gained progressive responsibility as National Sales Manager; Director of Rough Plumbing and Commercial Sales; and most recently, Vice President, Wholesale. In his new position, Aquino will take on an enhanced leadership role, assuming responsibility for customer service and technical support in addition to U.S. wholesale and commercial sales.

“Patrick is a talented and experienced leader with a proven ability for driving sales, fostering customer relationships and developing successful teams,” said Neal Restivo, Chief Executive Officer at Oatey. “I am looking forward to his expanded leadership as we continue to grow our business and support our customers.”