The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) has announced its 2025-26 Board of Directors and Executive Officers. Established in 1929 to meet the need for effective group action in promoting the interests of industrial furnace manufacturers, IHEA has expanded and currently includes designers and manufacturers of all types of industrial heat processing equipment used for the melting, refining and heat processing of ferrous and nonferrous metals, certain nonmetallic materials, and the heat-treatment of products made from them.
For 2025-26, taking over as president is Gary Berwick of Dry Coolers, Inc.; vice-president is Jason Safarz of Karl Dungs, Inc., and treasurer is Bob Fincken of Super Systems, Inc. Jeff Rafter of Selas Heat Technology Co. LLC will assume the past president position.
IHEA also welcomes a new face to the Board of Directors, Chad Spore of John Deere. Chad has been an active member of IHEA for the past several years, especially supporting IHEA’s sustainability and decarbonization efforts. Chad is the enterprise materials engineering supervisor for John Deere where he has been employed for more than 25 years. “Chad has been a wealth of knowledge supporting IHEA’s Industrial Heating Decarbonization SUMMIT,” notes IHEA Executive Vice-President Anne Goyer. “His insight into our program development is helping us produce an even better SUMMIT for 2025. We are grateful for his time and expertise.”
Rounding out the lineup of IHEA’s Board of Directors for 2025-2026, the following members continue their tenure:
John Deere
- Scott Bishop (Electric Power Research Institute or EPRI)
- Ben Gasbarre (Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems)
- Doug Glenn (Heat Treat Today)
- Brian Kelly (Honeywell Thermal Solutions)
- John Podach (Fostoria Infrared)
- John Stanley (Karl Dungs, Inc.)
- Helen Tuttle (WS Thermal Process Technology Inc.)
- Jeff Valuck (Surface Combustion, Inc.)
Press release is available in its original form here.
