AHR Show

Well, we are finally done with the show.  It was an arduous journey, as always, but it was great.  The show was one of the biggest I have ever been to, there were 1900 exhibitors.  It was HUGE, and initial numbers say over 50,000 people showed up this year.  I think I need a new pair of feet though, any one have an extra set I can borrow for a while?!? 

Everyone was VERY interested in Jack (my grandpa).  The first show he went to was in 1937 at the fresh age of 17.  Since then, he has made it to every show except for one.  On the first day of the show, we participated in a press conference for Tecumseh.  The VP mentioned Jack specifically because of the length he has been in the industry.  After the press conference was over, a journalist for the AHR News (the big industry paper) came over and asked Jack if she could do a piece on him.  He seemed surprised, but humbly accepted. 

Today, as we were walking down one of the aisles, we had two men approach us.  They said they were taking exit interviews about the show, and no offense to my dad and grandpa, but they were interested in interviewing me because I am a woman.  For those who may not know, a woman in the HVAC&R industry is actually pretty rare.  It is definitely a male dominated field.  The men explained that they were the promoters for the show, and have been for over 20 years, and they would like to video tape an interview.  I accepted, and during the interview I discussed our family business.  The men were ecstatic that we were a family business in our 3rd generation, and that Jack has been to every show since 1937 (minus one), my dad has been to over 35, and I'm currently on my 7th.  They explained to us that the AHR Show is actually privately owned and operated by a family on their 3rd generation as well.  They want us to meet the president of the show when we get back home.  They also asked if they could write a piece not only on Jack, but also on our family business.    They said the story would appear in multiple publications.

It was pretty mind boggling to me that there is so much interest in our family and business.  However, I do supposed it makes sense when you think about it.  Jack has been in the industry for 74 years.  The family business is currently being operated by all three generations.  And, I am of the female gender.  Those three things are pretty rare in our industry, and I would suppose the first two are pretty rare in general.  I'm incredibly lucky to be a part of the business and a member of my family.  Having so many people impressed by us really drove that home.