Hi there, my name is Mitch Smith and I am the Vice President and Treasurer for ASHRAE Manitoba this 2022-2023 year. If you’ve been delinquent on meeting payments, you’ve probably seen an email or two from me!
Fun fact – I became an ASHRAE member during my last year of university, but my first working day as an engineering professional was far from HVAC, in industrial manufacturing in fact! That first job wasn’t meant to be, and a week or so later, I moved into mechanical consulting (special thanks to a former Manitoba chapter president who took a chance on me and got me excited about the industry) and I haven’t looked back since! It took me a few years to get involved with ASHRAE, becoming a general board member first, followed by Treasurer, and as it became official over the last couple weeks, President Elect for 2023-2024.
As mentioned, my beginnings were in consulting engineering, with a specialty in ground source energy systems. My work here exposed me not only to high performance building design, but also to HVAC controls and building automation quite regularly, which I became fascinated with, particularly because it was so difficult to understand. That led me to my current position as Controls Account Manager with Trane.
I believe all people involved with building mechanical systems should have a regular touchpoint with ASHRAE, whether it’s attending a meeting, getting involved with society itself, or even just reading the monthly journals. While heat transfer and psychrometric principles haven’t changed much over the years, the heating and cooling systems we design, install and maintain have changed significantly. As our industry pushes sustainability, electrification and decarbonization, staying up to date with the designs and systems that will get us there is of utmost importance, and ASHRAE is helping to lead the way.
So – come learn something new at a meeting! And make sure you pay! Talk soon.