Bryan MacCarthy, M.AIRAHBryan MacCarthy, M.AIRAH, is a key account manager for Innotech; a former Queensland division president; and current member of AIRAH’s Queensland Committee.
MacCarthy started his career in the mining and liquefied natural gas industry in Central Queensland as an apprentice electrician working on a multitude of industrial and refrigeration plant. After completing an electrical apprenticeship and showing an interest in refrigeration, he was offered the opportunity to undertake a refrigeration and air conditioning apprenticeship. This expanded into the HVAC industry, where his career would take off. Over the years, MacCarthy says he has been lucky to work with terrific companies on various projects and in management positions across Queensland. After raising a family, he now enjoys being back in the building management systems (BMS) industry, working with clients on their national facilities where he provides advice and helps to deliver key projects. The talented HVAC&R practitioner recently presented at an AIRAH division event on building control and mechanical services switchboards best practices. |
What brought you to the HVAC&R industry? As a tradesman, I was working on various refrigeration plants across mining and industrial plants. I quickly developed an interest in control systems. When working in remote areas you quickly learn to become multiskilled and self-sufficient. There was no Internet to tell you what was wrong! These skill sets led me into a career in BMS – a cleaner environment than coal or nickel mines. It provided me with the opportunity to expand and grow into a rapidly developing industry, and it afforded me with a great career where I met a lot of great people along the way. What's your favourite HVAC&R-related memory? There have been a lot of great times in this industry, however two of my favourites are being voted by my AIRAH peers to the Queensland president role and seeing two of my apprentices becoming very successful HVAC identities in the Australian industry in their own right. What’s something everyone should know about you, your work, or the HVAC&R industry? In the last few years, my role has taken me to work directly with facility owners. There is a lot of organisations struggling with energy conservation, reporting, and integration solutions. There are a lot of great products available and we’re spoilt for choice. However, how these systems are designed and installed can be the demise or success of a great idea. This is where I work within Innotech to provide customers with solutions and justifiable maintenance programs while minimising expensive mistakes. I’m very lucky to be working with Innotech’s key national facilities owners, sharing a mutual approach to their facilities. |
How long have you been a member of AIRAH? Thirteen years. How have you seen the industry change in your time? Change is expected; with technology moving from analogue to microprocessor to digital formats, we now have more information available than we know what to do with. Standards in construction and safety have and will continue to improve. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing pressure on contractors to reduce costs remains and, in the last few years, I have seen a decline in skills lost from our trade. How do you see the HVAC&R industry developing over the next 100 years? The availability of digital information through system integration will continue to expand in areas we haven’t thought of yet. It’s this information that will provide the data to assist the design ideas to engineer systems and materials we haven’t imagined yet. It’s this future evolution in standards, materials, and engineering that will provide the environmentally friendly ecosystems which our grandchildren will live and work in. |
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