Devin Abellon, P.E., business development manager for engineering services at Uponor North America, was recently named the recipient of the 2019-2020 George B. Hightower Technical Achievement Award. Presented on May 28 during the 2020 ASHRAE Annual Conference (held virtually this year), the award recognizes excellence in volunteer, leadership and service to the organization’s Technical Committees, Technical Groups and Technical Research Groups.

Abellon was cited for his significant contributions to ASHRAE and TC 6.5 over the past four years in his work as TC 6.5 Programs Subcommittee chair. From 2015 to 2018, Abellon chaired six ASHRAE seminars and a panel discussion with 16. In 2019, he chaired the radiant heating and cooling track at the Annual Conference in Kansas City, which featured 39 presentations in 12 seminars. As TC 6.5 Handbook chair, Abellon recently developed a comprehensive plan for a consolidated handbook chapter on radiant heating and cooling.

“I am honored to be receiving the Hightower award,” said Abellon. “It is truly a testament to the hard work of all the dedicated members of TC 6.5, as well as to Uponor’s continued support of ASHRAE and its efforts to improve the built environment through smarter, more sustainable technologies and design.”

Before joining Uponor in 2009, Abellon served as the managing principal and vice president of LSW Engineers California Inc. in San Diego. He now has more than 25 years of experience in the HVAC and plumbing industries with a focus on high-performance and sustainable building design and construction. A registered professional engineer in California and Arizona, Abellon has held several leadership positions within ASHRAE at the local-chapter, region and society levels, including regional nominating committee member, society Membership Promotion Committee chair and as a facilitator for ASHRAE’s Leadership Academy. At the Annual Conference on July 1, he was elected as director and regional chair (DRC) of Region X, which covers California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.

A much-decorated Air Force officer in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War, George B. Hightower devoted the rest of his 55-year professional life to the engineering and contracting professions. For three and a half decades, he served as co-owner of Conditioned Air Engineers, a commercial air conditioning contracting firm in his native city of Atlanta. During that time, Hightower participated in numerous association boards of directors. Besides ASHRAE, these include the National Society of Professional Engineers, Georgia Society of Professional Engineers, Georgia Engineering Foundation, Society of American Military Engineers, and National Environmental Balancing Bureau. He is recognized as an Eminent Engineer by Tau Beta Pi.

Hightower died on Nov. 8, 2008, at the age of 91. The eponymous award was created in his honor two years earlier in 2006.