Peter Steffes is taking over at the helm as chairman of the contractors division for the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute (HRAI) of Canada. Steffes was elected to the position at HRAI’s 45th annual general meeting in Vancouver, BC from Aug. 21 to 24. He served as vice-chairman of the contractors division board of directors in 2012-2013, and takes over the chairman’s duties from Marc Gendron, who was elected chairman of HRAI’s board of directors.
Steffes is the owner of Ideal Heating & Cooling in Windsor, ON (a business started by his father-in-law in 1964) where he has worked for the past 35 years. An active 22-year member of HRAI, Steffes has served in many different roles within the organization such as president of the Windsor, Essex, Lambton chapter, on the marketing committee, renewable energy task team, and Ontario regional council, among others.
What he enjoys most about being an HRAI member is the ability to give back to the industry that has treated him so well. “The inside knowledge one gets when things are happening…you are able to maybe steer the HVAC industry in some small way,” he said. “The old saying goes, ‘leave it a little bit better than it was when we found it.’”
During his tenure with HRAI, Steffes has meet many different people from all areas of the HVAC industry. He is constantly learning, sharing ideas and problem solving with members from all over Canada. “You meet a lot of great people and you can bounce a lot of things of them,” he said.
As chairman of the contractors’ division, he is challenging his fellow contractors to become more involved within HRAI. “I think the biggest goal is to get our name out there to the general public and use HRAI as a source of their needs,” he said. In the coming year, he plans on focusing on the two main issues that came out of the contractors division meeting: rental programs for HVAC equipment and unscrupulous door-to-door sales tactics.
