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Frank Mangin

ASHRAE Chapter History
Leadership Recall Interview
Jacksonville, Florida Chapter (034)

Date: June 14, 2010
Time: N/A
Subject: Frank Mangin, 2007-2008 President - Jacksonville Chapter

Interviewed by: John Nelson, Historian - Jacksonville Chapter

Where were you born?
Wheaton , MD (Washington, DC suburbs)

Do you have a college degree?
Yes, Bachelors of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech)

What was your field of study?
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Do you have professional registration? If yes what states?
Yes. 23 States and Puerto Rico (FL, GA, CA, NV, HI, KS, MD, VA…). Also I am a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP through USGBC), and a Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP through AEE).

What attracted you to the HVAC&R industry?
I had an early internship (after my freshman year at college). Didn't do a whole lot, but was able to read a lot of industry magazines like the ASHRAE Journal and look through equipment catalogs and quickly realized that there was a lot to learn in this industry and that I could make a career of it. That is why to this day I am a strong advocate of internships. Regardless of what someone wants to do or even if they don't know, I encourage college students and others to spend some time in an internship. The experience is invaluable.

What did you do early in your career?
After I graduated in 1986, I got a job with the same company that I had done my three internships with, so in a sense my career started before I graduated, and I was able to hit the ground running. Computer aided drafting (CAD) was in it's early stages of adoption in the industry. Our company was a relatively early adopter and I started on a program called VersaCAD (ver.2.0). Personal computers were relatively new also and the use of spreadsheets for everyday calculations was coming into prominence, so I was creating a lot of spreadsheets (we started out using a spreadsheet program called SuperCalc).

The personal computer also allowed for heating and cooling load software programs and I think I used them all (HAP, Trace, Elite, etc.) on a
Tandy (Radio Shack) TRS Model 80. The engineer I worked for had about 30 years experience when I got to the company, so I was able to learn a lot from him as we were all trying to figure out how to make all this technology work. Energy codes were becoming more common and about this time the effects of energy savings measures by building operators like closing outside air dampers where starting to result in indoor air quality issues. It was a very interesting time to get into the industry.

How and when did you become interested in ASHRAE?
My first boss and mentor (Herbert L. Arey, PE) was a big advocate of ASHRAE and at the time was the Chair of Technical Committee (TC) 4.1 (Heating and Cooling Loads). We were a small company that was struggling like all others in the poor economic times of the late '80's, but he always encouraged me to go to participate in ASHRAE. While I was in the DC area (National Capital Chapter) I only served on one committee, but I went to most meetings and seminars, and went to a couple of annual meetings.

What was most memorable about your year as Chapter President?
My most memorable moment actually occurred after my presidency was over, when I went to the Chapter Regional Conference (CRC) in Argentina to receive the awards from the year I was president. Argentina was wonderful and we had a great time.
The team of officers, governors, chairs, and committee members that I had did a great job and I thank all of them for helping make the year successful. As far as moments actually during the year I was president, of course the Oyster Roast was a lot of fun. We put on the first kickball tournament that had a good turnout. For the last meeting, we couldn't get the incoming Society President to speak at our meeting as we had done for the previous few years, so I decided to host a trivia contest. All the questions were either about ASHRAE or sports. Some people said it was fun, but if nothing else it was memorable because it was different.

What was your greatest challenge as Chapter President?
Losing a governor, and a couple of officers due mainly to job/career changes. It not only was a challenge for me but left a leadership succession challenge that continued for a couple of years. Fortunately, several people stepped up, most notibly was John Nelson who, after having held several officer positions in the past but never having been Chapter President and at the time not in a leadership position, accepted the nomination to be President. When I was put on the nominating committee later, this made me realize the importance of getting nominees that are committed for the Chapter to be successful and looking ahead.

What advice would you give to a young person entering the HVAC field?
As stated elsewhere, if you are in college, get an internship. If you already have a job, getting your PE is a great thing if you are eligiable. Finally, even if you are not in a job right away that requires people skills, like sales or management, work on your people skills anyway (leadership, negotiating, presentations, communications, etc.). Always have a book you are reading on the subject and take advantage of seminars whenever you can. If you get into this industry through some technical degree like most of us did, you don't get much or any training in people skills. Whether you use them right away or not, they will be used eventually and it is hard to learn them all at one time. ASHRAE, as well as some other professional societies, are a great way to work on those skills as well, so get involved in the chapter and you will have opportunities to practice many of those skills in a less stressful environment than most.

ASHRAE History

Chapter offices held:
2008-07 2009-06 Jacksonville Past President / Governor / Historian
2007-07 2008-06 Jacksonville President
2006-07 2007-06 Jacksonville President Elect
2005-07 2006-06 Jacksonville Vice President / Programs Chair
2004-07 2005-06 Jacksonville Treasurer
2003-07 2004-06 Jacksonville Governor

Chapter committees:
2009-07 2010-06 Honors & Awards, Spring Golf Tournament

ASHRAE Articles written by Frank:
ASHRAE Diffusers - Attached Detail A.
Presidents Page - Detail B. On the local ASHRAE web site (ASHRAEJax.org)

Professional Experience:
From/To Employer Title Duties
'86-'94 DPR Engineering Cons., PA, Gaithersburg, MD Associate Design engineer for construction documents, and performed engineering studies
'94-'96 Energy Applications, Columbia, MD Studio Leader Design engineer for construction documents, and performed engineering studies
'96-'99 Smithgroup, Washington, DC Chief Mech. Engr. Design engineer for construction documents, and developed office standards
'99-'02 GHT Ltd, Hanover, MD Dir. of Ops. - Balt. Principal Design engineer, director of Baltimore office
'02-Present Haskell, Jasonville, FL Vice President (also President of Haskell Architects & Engineers, PA) Design engineer, Chief Mech. Engr. and leader of AE practice

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