President’s Message
August 2026
How grateful we should all be for the dog days of summer! With dry bulbs and wet bulbs peaking over our design day, this is when our work is best tested and when those systems best maintained after construction give back something special to the occupants and operators. This is when we enable our clients and buildings to achieve their mission. We may not ever hear the well-deserved compliments in making that a reality, but the silence looms loud as our neighbors are healed, children are educated, worshipers are renewed, widgets are manufactured, data is processed and research is completed inside. Now, for those systems that are not properly designed and maintained, well, that’s another story with a whole lot more unpleasant noise. Several of us watched with excitement as new Society President Sarah Maston was installed this summer in Austin at the Annual Meeting. Our chapter was well represented and giving back. Personally, I was able to proctor a couple of educational sessions, make some new contacts, deepen some existing relationships, and cruise around the Town Lake on the roof of a dinner boat with our regional delegation. (Thank you to Sara Fazel for organizing.) However, one of the most exciting developments of the meeting was ASHRAE rolling out their brand new HVAC HERO game, aligning with Sarah Maston’s theme of ‘Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience’. Gamification of training is the next step toward training the next generation in our industry, starting with code officials and building operators. The game is already available download at ashrae.org if you want to get a jump start and try your hand at operating a building while being led around by your coffee mug, “Muggy”. My first challenge was dealing with a hot water flood in the boiler room up on the 17th floor! Look for us to incorporate HVAC HERO into some of our events this year!
Speaking of this year, we have been busy planning another special slate for you. The momentum is strong and volunteer support is off the charts. We had over thirty-five members at our first planning meeting of the summer including a fantastic mix of experience and new energy. Summer committee meetings are also happening, as we talk about the society mission of ‘Serving humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of HVACR’, our new Society President Sarah Maston’s gamification theme, some regional goals and our own chapter theme of ‘Connect – Cultivate – and Level Up’ with some specific objectives. We want to weave all these society, regional and chapter themes together and connect us all to something bigger than ourselves, as it relates to HVACR.
“ASHRAE is a global family united by service to our industry and humanity.” 2025-2026 Society President Bill McQuade
You can be proud of your local ASHRAE cabinet. They want to give back not only to our membership, but also to our community. I’m writing this article while overlooking the Tulsa Garden Center, where we are planning a sustainability service project incorporated into the Tulsa Area United Way’s Day of Caring event and planned for 9-18 Day (September 18). If you feel the urge to join in with us, there may be some room left; just reach out to our Sustainability committee. Wrapping up, it is an honor to be writing to you as your newest Chapter President, and I sure look forward to meeting as many of you as possible this year. If you have an event where you would like ASHRAE to have a representative, please don’t hesitate to make that request. I aspire to grow our brand here in NEOK and connect with as many people in our community as possible to tell them how we are serving humanity right here in Northeast Oklahoma.
Keep cool,
Ben
Ben Dye - President, 2026-2027
Last Updated: 08/11/2026