Goettl Air Conditioning, a recognized heating and air conditioning installation and service provider, recently announced a new $250,000 endowment to help support the College of Southern Nevada’s (CSN) new Air Conditioning Center of Excellence & Dual Enrollment Academy. Goettl Owner and CSN Foundation Board Member Ken Goodrich announced the news at the center’s grand opening on March 1, 2019. The event was held at CSN’s William & Dorothy Raggio High Tech Center and brought together more than 100 community members to commemorate the opening and recognize graduates.

At the ceremony, Goodrich also presented Goettl’s annual "Post 9/11 Veterans Tools Scholarship Award," to help jumpstart students’ careers in the HVAC industry. CSN graduates and military veterans Adam Croft, Roy Hernandez, Paulo Hinton, and Steven Herrera were honored with $1,000 worth of tools.

“I am honored to be able to award those individuals who have made a commitment to excellence in the HVAC industry and who have shown passion for what we do,” said Goodrich. “With this new endowment, I will be able to help and support more students who wish to pursue this career and give them the same opportunity that I had to build my trade.”

This will mark the third endowment that Goodrich has created to help advance the careers of aspiring HVAC professionals. He also sponsors the J. Duncan Goodrich Air Conditioning Technology Lab at the College Southern Nevada (CSN) which is named after his father. Goodrich has been a longtime supporter of CSN as well as America’s military veterans. Both the scholarship and endowment aim to address the rising labor shortage in the HVAC industry as the employment of HVAC technicians is projected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“My hope for these graduates is that they are empowered to become true masters of their craft,” said Goodrich. “I remember enduring many challenges when I first started my career, but I always knew I wanted to do things the right way, not the easy way. That value is still with me today and I hope these aspiring HVAC professionals strive to do the same.”