Thomas E. Bettcher, chairman of the Board of Directors of the ARI, praised the technical sessions of CONBRAVA and the concurrent FEBRAVA exhibition for bringing together the best and the brightest minds in the industry to advance the goal of improving the quality of life.

In his speech last month at the opening ceremony for CONBRAVA, Brazil's refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning congress, in São Paulo, Bettcher said "the panels and papers to be presented at CONBRAVA and the exhibitors at FEBRAVA, are proof that air conditioning and refrigeration technology is ready for the opportunities in front of us."

He said that no matter where people live, they want to benefit from technology advances that make life better, safer, more productive and more comfortable. "In this hemisphere, whether you live in the south or north, the people of the Americas have made enormous strides forward," said Bettcher. "Your skills, your dedication, your innovation have made possible products that were beyond the wildest dreams of people living in the Americas of a century ago. And because of our unique relationship forged over many years, the people of the Americas will work together in a partnership that will assure that the dreams of today will some day be the every day products of tomorrow."

Bettcher also announced in his speech that ABRAVA, Brazil's refrigeration, air conditioning and ventilation association, has become the newest member of the International Council of Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Manufacturers' Association (ICARMA). ICARMA was established in 1991 as a membership organization open to national trade associations in major countries with manufacturers of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment that have a significant share of the international market.

"The Council serves as a forum for the discussion of issues affecting the global air conditioning and refrigeration industry," said Bettcher. "Its members include associations from the United States, Europe, China, Canada, Japan and now Brazil."