In this episode of Refrigerant365, host Elizabeth Ortlieb sits down with Ashley Lynds, Director of Education and Brand Management at Refrigeration Technologies. They discuss her career in HVAC sales and marketing; the growing role of social media in the industry; and her work educating technicians on chemical safety.

They also discuss workforce development, the need for more talent in the trades, and key industry events to watch in 2026. 

In this episode of the Refrigerant 365 Podcast, host Elizabeth is joined by Les Reinhardt of FM Hero to unpack the real-world challenges of refrigerant compliance, documentation, and profitability.

Drawing from decades of hands-on experience in refrigerant recovery and management, Les explains why fragmented data puts contractors and equipment owners at risk—and how starting with technicians in the field creates a single source of truth. The conversation explores leak rates, upcoming EPA requirements, the AIM Act transition, and how better refrigerant tracking can increase margins while simplifying compliance.

A must-listen for anyone navigating modern refrigerant management.

Edward McFarlane is the Chief Learning & Development Officer at Sila Services and Chairman of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, with 25+ years of experience growing people and shaping the HVACR industry.

He joined the Refrigerant365 Podcast to discuss the latest on promoting the HVAC industry and skilled trades

Wynand Groenewald is the Founder of Future Green Now. His career has been dedicated to CO2 as a refrigerant since 2007.

Wynand joins Elizabeth to talk about his mission to promote, train, design, and implement solutions for natural refrigeration systems; how natural refrigerants have made the industry interesting again; and why training is one of the biggest constraints for those in the world of natural refrigerants.

Industry experts Jennifer Butsch and Chris Forth on the Refrigerant365 show for a special edition of my Refrigerant Briefing series! Live from the 2025 AHR Expo

Join us for a special live episode on The Refrigerant365 Podcast at the 2025 AHR Expo! Marc Chasserot, Founder and CEO of ATMOsphere, and discuss:

The AIM Act (the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020) is arguably one of the most important refrigerant regulatory updates in the past thirty years in the United States. The AIM Act is the national HFC refrigerant phasedown in the United States.

In this episode, Elizabeth provides a brief overview of the AIM Act in 2022 and what has happened so far with it.

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