Contributed by FRACCA Executive Director Erica Mattis
Florida Refrigeration Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA) was established in 2001 to bring the local Air Conditioning Contactors together to support each other throughout the state of Florida. Mission Statement: FRACCA is organized to promote the interests of contractors who are engaged in the industry of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration in the State of Florida.
January 2025, FRACCA installed a new board of directors, they serve a 2-year term since this run in conjunction with the conference that FRACCA hosts every two years. Each chapter has 2 representatives for the board and these representatives attend the quarterly meetings and bring the information back to the local chapters, also the executive directors are able to attend and bring the information back.
Please welcome the Executive Board:
Paul Stehle, President – MACCA Chapter
Many of you already know my history so I will be brief (there are some people who would say that is impossible for me). My father and brother started our company Climatic Conditioning in 1972. I was still in college so I worked with them as schedules would meet. My father was an air conditioning contractor on Long Island, NY before moving to Florida. The next years were filled with trying to find my way after graduating college. Then on October 1,1980 I decided that Climatic was my home (third time trying to work with family…just as hard on them as it was on me). The following 45 years led me down several paths in our industry.
The past includes serving our local air conditioning organization, MACCA (I don’t know how many times I was President, but it was several). Somewhere in the 90’s, during one of my presidential terms, Florida Power and Light decided they wanted into our industry. The uproar from the west coast of Florida Contractors was loud and clearly against FPL’s plans. However the state association that was in power at that time, was a partner to the plan and dismissed us as non-professional. That attitude served as the catalyst to forming FRACCA. Some very intelligent people helped form FRACCA in my conference room and we were off and running. The FPL fight would change the landscape of our statewide industry. Most of our leadership was from the areas from Tampa to Naples but we also got support from the Jacksonville area. Eventually through the next decades FRACCA would become the voice of the industry in our state due to the addition of the many local organizations around the state. We now represent Forida from Miami to Tallahassee and Naples to Jacksonville and we are very proud of that.
Fast forward to 2025, this will be our 25th year of being the industry’s voice to inspectors, ASHRAE, local and state governments. We led and still lead our industry’s issues such as, but not limited to; Workers Compensation rates, Industry intrusion from power companies, education for employees and owners, making it legal to change disconnect switches and raising the dollar threshold for the need to file Notice of Commencements. All important issues in our world. And now the next 25 years start. I am proud to lead our organization for the second time. There are challenges and we will meet them but always remember…it is YOUR ORGANIZATION, and it requires YOUR ASSISTANCE. Join in and be part of this growing industry.
Bryan (BJ) Lingerfelt – Vice President – RACCA Chapter
I am honored to serve as the incoming Vice President of the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA). I am a third-generation mechanical contractor at J.P. Griffin, Inc., a family-owned business based in Tampa, Florida, that has proudly served the community since 1945. This year marks my 20th anniversary with the company where we specialize in commercial air conditioning services.
My journey with FRACCA began in 2012 when I joined the Board of Directors for RACCA, the Tampa-area chapter of FRACCA. I served as President of RACCA in 2017 and became a member of the FRACCA Board that same year, following the retirement of my father, who was one of the founding members of FRACCA. Taking on his role was a natural step in continuing our family’s commitment to the HVAC industry, and it has been incredibly rewarding to support an association that is so vital to our trade.
I’m deeply passionate about advocating for the HVAC industry and strengthening the relationships that drive our success. I look forward to continuing this work and collaborating with fellow industry leaders as we support contractors across Florida.
Carre Welsh – Secretary/Treasurer – TRACCA Chapter
I have been proudly working in the HVAC industry since 2005. Over the years, I’ve held a variety of roles— starting as a dispatcher, then as an actual maintenance/service technician, moving over to the administrative part of the business to serve as an office manager and then a general manager. Problem-solving has always been a passion of mine and being able to have learned in the field and the office setting, just how to help customers with the skills I’ve gained, is truly rewarding.
Since 1989, Watts Cooling, Heating, & Plumbing, LLC has served the Big Bend of Florida as a female-owned HVAC and Plumbing business. I was honored to take the helm in 2016 and I take pride in the way the business has grown into the company it is today. To further my knowledge and experience in the Industry, I joined our State’s HVACR Association. Why? you ask? because I am committed to seeing more women thrive in the trades. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to gain fresh perspectives, build valuable connections, and share the message that skilled trades are for everyone. Currently, I serve as the Secretary & Treasurer of FRACCA, as well as the Secretary & Treasurer of the Local TRACCA Chapter in the Big Bend of Florida. Apprenticeship is a huge passion of mine to help train our industry, I actually trained in the TRACCA Apprenticeship 3-year program myself to know that what I am representing in the community is solid. Thanks for letting me live my dream as a business owner, and a valued member of the HVACR industry.
The rest of the board of directors are as follows:
ACCA/CF – Brian Hastings. 4 Seasons Heating and Cooling
ACCA/CF – Yolanda Pizarro, Mechanical One
GACCA – Mark Browning, Browning AC
MACCA – Keith Martin, Badger Bob’s Services
MACCA – Paul Stehle, Climatic Conditioning Company
NFACCA – Lisa Lynch, Air Solutions
NFACCA – Dan Griffin, Weathered Engineers
PACCA – Adam Ogg, Payne Air Conditioning
PBACCA – Stephen Castillo, Robert R McGill Air Conditioning
PBACCA – Tony Kiser, EDS Air Conditioning and Plumbing
RACCA – Bryan Wade, Griffin Service Corp
RACCA – BJ Lingerfelt, J.P. Griffin, Inc
SFACCA – Kelly Dexter, Air Quality Control Environmental
SFACCA – Doug Lindstrom, Lindstrom Air Conditioning
SWACCA – Mark Labuziemski, Air Flow AC Systems
SWACCA – Will Barnes, Ellsworth Heating and Cooling
If you are interested in joining FRACCA through your local chapter, please reach out for more information. Erica Mattis, erica.mattis@fraccaair.com www.fracca.com
