The Palm Beach Air Conditioning Contractors Association (PBACCA) and the Florida Air Conditioning Apprenticeship Association (FACAA) celebrated the graduation of their 2024 – 2025 apprenticeship program during a banquet at The Beach Club in Lake Worth Beach, FL on August 7, 2025.
FACAA Program Director and past PBACCA President Steve Sparks and PBACCA Committee Members hosted the banquet. More than 70 instructors, employers, friends, families and other industry members attended the event to congratulate the graduates and celebrate with them.
Steve welcomed the guests, thanking them for coming together to celebrate with the graduates. He also thanked Tropic Supply, Arco Supply, RGF, Johnstone Supply, Goodman and the supporting contractors for making the evening possible.
Guest Speaker District 2 School Board Member Virginia Savietto congratulated the graduates, stating “tonight, we’re not just celebrating your graduation. We’re celebrating your hard work, your persistence, your commitment to a trade where we will be depending on you. You won’t just be delivering cool air, you’ll be bringing peace, relief and trust.”
She encouraged the graduates to never stop learning, find a mentor to help them on their way and not be afraid to be mentors themselves.
“We’re proud of you. We support you, and the school district is very proud of our trades students. I’m so excited to be part of your graduation tonight. Thank you and congratulations again.”
Steve Sparks was joined FACAA instructor Kelly McCann & Rob Mayhew of Tropic Supply in presenting the graduates their certificates along with gift cards from Tropic Supply and gift bags donated by RGF.
A highlight of the evening was Blake Crumbley being named recipient of the 2025 Graduate of the Year award, sponsored by Peter Montana of ACProsite.com. Criteria considered in selecting the recipient include attendance, grades, attitude, participation in classes and mentoring of the other students.
This year’s graduates were Caleb Brannick, Blake Crumbley, Rodney Ayala, Tyler Cates, Jacob Dodge, Derek Falk, Eric Lopez, Jordy Hernandez, Nicholas Sossi, Edgar Lorenzo, Enrique Ginnari-Monteverde, Anthony Zacchino, Joseph Picciolo, Hunter Stanford, Kyron Wilkins, Landen Smith, Brian Pert, Billy Smith & Robert Villalta.
The instructors for the year’s program were Mike Swartz, Dan Olson, Karl Larson, Byron Hooppell, Dennis Linn, Josiah Katanic, Kelly McCann and Frank Spargo.
Steve Sparks concluded the evening, reminding the group of the PBACCA Maury Jacob Scholarships that are available to assist all motivated students.
View and download photos from the event HERE, search for 2025 08 PBACCA FACAA graduation.
Directors Note: See related story on FACAA becoming part of the Florida Training Services, Inc. HERE.
