Kalahari Resort
Greater Austin • Texas | March 24-27, 2025

Mainstage Sessions Preflight

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
JAKE HAVRON

Lead with Influence with Jake Havron
Keynote Speaker, Business Strategist, and Mentor

Join Jake on his transformative journey from nurse to acclaimed speaker and strategist, empowering people to create their dream lives through results-driven coaching. Jake has always had a heart to serve humanity and guides solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and corporate workers strategically to increase their vitality and performance daily by providing personalized strategies and methods for increasing their business success.

In Jake’s keynote, he challenges your notions of leadership, aiming to astound you with new possibilities. Discover his “4 Pillars of Influence” and learn to connect deeply with your team, breaking down communication barriers and fostering collaboration. Jake’s session offers the key to impactful leadership, equipping you with the skills to lead with influence, innovate, and inspire positive change within your organization. Don’t miss this opportunity to redefine your approach to leadership!

SPONSORED BY
Manufacturer Leadership Forum
About
Speakers

ACCA 2024 welcomes top manufacturing industry leaders for an interactive session on current events affecting manufacturers and the HVACR supply chain.

Leading manufacturer representatives, including Brandon Franks (JCI), Braden Cook (Carrier), John Schneider (Copeland), Doug Widenmann (Daikin), Randy Roberts (Rheem/Ruud), and Heather Buchicchio (Mitsubishi), will join Kyle Gargaro, Editor-in-Chief of The ACHR NEWS, for an interactive Q&A session where contractors can ask key questions and address industry representatives directly.

Brandon Franks, JCI

Brandon Franks oversees residential and commercial sales and the distributor marketing programs for Johnson Controls’ Global Products division. He has over 22 years of HVAC experience and has served in multiple capacities, including territory sales, product management, and national accounts.
 
 

Braden Cook, Carrier

Braden Cook serves as the Director, Product Management and Training, Residential HVAC. Braden directs the product marketing and lifecycle management for residential heating, cooling, ductless and VRF products, with a focus on launches in support of 2023 regulatory compliance. Braden joined Carrier in 2015 as Product Manager for our 80% Gas Furnaces and Oil Furnaces. Since 2017, he has held the position of Heating Platform Leader with a primary focused on Fan Energy Rating (FER) and Ultra Low NOx gas furnace launches.

Braden holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Indianapolis and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology from Purdue University. Braden and his wife Brittney live in Westfield, Indiana, with their three kids.

 

John Schneider, Copeland

John Schneider was born and raised in Brunswick, Ohio. John attended Ohio State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. Upon graduation, John joined P&G, working in New Product Development. While working in Cincinnati, John received his MBA from Xavier University.

In 2000, John joined Copeland, a subsidiary of Emerson Electric, in Sidney, Ohio, as Market Manager, Residential Air Conditioning. He subsequently held roles of increasing responsibility, including VP of Marketing and VP of Global Variable Speed. In 2013, Schneider was promoted to VP/GM Thermal Management, North America of Emerson’s Network Power division in Columbus, Ohio. In 2016, Emerson sold the Network Power Division and John stayed with the new management, where he became the SVP, Global Thermal Management & Solutions of the new company, Vertiv. In 2020, John rejoined Emerson as President of the Therm-O-Disc Division in Mansfield, Ohio.

In August 2021, John was promoted to President, HVACR Technologies, Americas. In this role, John is responsible for Emerson’s businesses serving the HVACR industries, with revenue in excess of $2B, including Copeland compressors and related HVACR technologies.

 

Doug Widenmann, Daikin

Doug Widenmann is the senior vice president of marketing at Daikin. He has amassed 34 years of experience in the industry in various sales and marketing leadership roles with three major HVAC product manufacturers.
 
 

Randy Roberts, Rheem/Ruud

For over a quarter of a century, Randy Roberts has played an active and integral role growing and positioning Rheem’s U.S. Air Conditioning Division for long-term success. Since 1997, Randy has worked closely with Rheem contractors and distribution partners, helping them succeed and grow their business while also strengthening Rheem’s culture, strategy, and customer and consumer partner engagement. Randy currently oversees Rheem’s Residential Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Product Development efforts.

Randy is an alumnus of the University of Alabama earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1993, as well as an Executive MBA in 2012. He has served as a board member and President of the Birmingham Golf Association (BGA), where he has been instrumental in Junior Golfer development in the greater Birmingham community. In addition, Randy is also a deacon and active member of Mountain Brook Baptist Church. When not working, Randy enjoys playing golf, pickleball, and watching college sports.

 

Heather Buchicchio, Mitsubishi

Heather Buchicchio is Senior Product Marketing Manager – Residential at Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US LLC. She previously worked as Principal/Manager at Infinity Growth Partners LLC, Vice President of Marketing at National Excelsior Company and Commercial Marketing Manager at Temperature Equipment Corporation. Heather is an alumnus of the prestigious Purdue University – Krannert School of Management.
 
 

Kyle Gargaro, ACHR News

Kyle Gargaro, Editor-in-Chief of the ACHR News, moderates this deep dive into the issues you and your business face daily.
Contractor Forum Live: Legends of hvac
About
Speakers

Some of the greatest success stories in our industry were born from best-in-class contractors exchanging ideas at ACCA conferences. The networking of ACCA’s Contractor Forum comes alive at ACCA 2024!

Superstar contractor Bobby Ring will moderate an all-star panel of HVAC legends, ready to share their stories take your questions. Join us for a lively discussion on our industry’s greatest issues and ideas that can put you ahead of the pack.

Bobby Ring, Meyer & Depew Co Inc

Bobby Ring is the President/CEO of Meyer & Depew Co Inc in Kenilworth, New Jersey. He holds a Master HVACR Contractor license. Bobby served an ACCA Board Member for 10 years, including as Chairman of the Board from 2013-14. He also served on the NJ Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors for two years. Bobby also volunteers with the Kenilworth Silver Card Assocation and as a volunteer firefighter.
BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS
About
Speakers
Sarah Michel, along with past and present ACCA award winners and some of the industry’s best contractors, for roundtable discussions on various topics. Come prepared with questions and ideas. Pick their brains and learn how they took old and new problems, generated ideas to address them, and then introduced profitable solutions. They may lead the table, but YOU lead the discussion.

Sarah Michel, Velvet Chainsaw

Sarah Michel is an Experience Architect who has worked in the meetings industry for over 20 years to create dynamic audience experiences. Her vast knowledge of next-generation learning and facilitation skills help design dynamic meetings that guarantee more participation, opportunities for networking and peer-to-peer interactions to assure a return on attendance. Sarah is Vice President of Professional Connexity for Velvet Chainsaw Consulting helping organizations deliver on the networking promise at face-to-face meetings. She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) awarded by the National Speakers Association and a nationally recognized expert on networking and the creator of the NetWORTHing® process. Sarah has keynoted and facilitated for audiences and organizations around the world on how to be a more effective connector and the author of Perfecting Connecting©, A Guide to Mastering Networking in the Workplace and coauthor of the e-book, Conference Connexity. She lives with her family in Fort Collins, CO.
ideas into action with ken goodrich
About
Speakers
Arriving at the closing luncheon of ACCA 2024, you’ll be overflowing with ideas to optimize your business and motivate your team, but how do you translate ideas into action? Join HVAC superstar Ken Goodrich for an inspiring and interactive session about the 7 Centers of Management Attention he used to improve broken businesses and Goettl-ize the nation. You’ll be challenged to develop management systems that translate the ideas of the conference into repeatable business processes and hold your team accountable.
 
Management is no different than fixing an air conditioner; it is a skill you must learn and practice until you’re good at it. Ken will be the first to tell you he didn’t have the skills needed when he got started. Ken will team up with Mike Caito of MAP Consulting to share some ideas for how to get the training and tools you need to understand your goal as the founder of the business, focus on going in that direction, and document it.

Ken Goodrich

Goettl’s current Board Chair and former CEO, Ken Goodrich, has childhood memories strongly tied to Goettl. He remembers holding his father’s flashlight while he completed jobs on air conditioning units and recalls his admiration for the longevity and quality of Goettl products. In 2013, Ken purchased Goettl Air Conditioning and has since expanded the company to locations including Tucson, Austin, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and across Southern California, with plans to continue growing nationally.

Ken also serves as a member on Nevada’s Governors Workforce Development Board (GWDB).

 

Michael Caito, MAP Consulting

Michael Caito is the owner and CEO of Management Action Programs, Inc. (MAP). A visionary, nose-to-the-grindstone leader, Michael’s entrepreneurial roots date back to the early 1990s when he joined two partners in launching Restaurants on the Run with a mere $6,000. Michael spent the next 20 years building that business through a strategic lens, adopting MAP’s accountability system along the way. When the company sold in 2015, it was valued at 12x EBITDA and scaled 10 markets, 600 people and $40 million in revenue.

A self-taught business student, Michael practices proven management methodologies. Known as a “metrics guy,” he’s big on data, using it to measure progress and get breakthrough results. He also thrives off sharing lessons learned. A member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization for 20+ years, he’s served as a past Global Chairman and traveled to over 25 countries, engaging with countless company owners and organizations. Michael is also active in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). In December 2017, Michael purchased MAP, the very company that helped him so much over the years. Now at the helm, he’s set his sights on developing MAP’s people and expanding its footprint globally.

The father of three young boys, Michael coaches their athletic teams and yet still carves time out for himself to exercise regularly and mountain bike whenever he can.