The Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association is announcing a merger with the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.

After nearly three years of discussion and planning, the memberships of both RETA and RSES have approved a merge of the associations during their respective annual business meetings in November 2023. This decision was made to help strengthen two long-standing nonprofit sister associations within the HVACR industry under one management model. Jim Barron, who has worked with both boards throughout this process, will serve as the executive director of the combined organization.

Barron stated that both organizations are “two sides of the same coin” that stand to strengthen each other and this industry through this merge. “There is much work that still needs to be done,” said Barron, “and both Boards and HQ staffs are well-positioned to take on this task over this next year. We have already done a lot of work in both Associations in order to prepare for the changes we plan to make, and everyone is looking forward to working together to make this happen. We will continue to do the right things for the right reasons, for our memberships and the industry at large.” 

The moniker “Better Together” was first coined nearly three years ago by the exploratory committee first tasked with coming up with a blueprint for what a merger would look like between both organizations. This has now become the driving tag line that is bringing the two groups together. Combined, the two organizations will provide training, testing and certification for technicians and engineers in both refrigeration and HVAC. These complimentary industries have similar needs, so the associations will make improvements in both areas. The combined organizations will share the strengths of each one to improve the other.

RSES International President 2023–2024 Jerry Clark said, “I feel blessed to be serving as International RSES President during this time. The fact that RETA’s Conference for next year had been predestined to be held in my beloved Southwest Region [Oct. 22-25, 2024 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, TX] during my tenure as International RSES President is almost overwhelming ... I look forward to the future and seeing RETA & RSES Members learning alongside each other in the coming year.”

RETA President 2024 Mike Hawkins said, “I’m honored to be serving as the RETA President during this historic moment as we are bringing our organizations back together as they once were. Both facets of the refrigeration industry have been changing over the years and the merger puts both organizations in a terrific position to continue educating, training, and certifying the operators and technicians to the Gold Standard ... Both organizations have a lot of work ahead of us to implement to the merger and I’m excited to be working with RSES International President Jerry Clark to bring us together as one family.” 

RETA-certified operators must meet exacting standards for industrial refrigeration training and knowledge. RETA offers credentials and training opportunities for refrigeration industry operators and other professionals. As the industrial refrigeration industry expands, there is increasing demand for certified operators and technicians.

ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) accredits RETA certification exams. This ensures that the highest industry standards are set and met continuously every year. ANAB accreditation means regulatory agencies such as EPA and OSHA highly regard RETA in the establishment and maintenance of the highest industrial and safety benchmarks. RETA plans to strengthen the accreditation of RSES in the future.

All professionals, students and experts working in the HVAC and refrigeration industry, those seeking continued education and those desiring to network with industry professionals should be members of these organizations.

Sources: RETA; RSES