"Individuals who have made outstanding career contributions to the mobile A/C and heat transfer industry are recognized for their work with the Mobile Air Climate Systems Pioneer Award."

Recorded Live at the 2024 MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems) Training Event & Trade Show, Carm Capriotto discusses the automotive air conditioning industry with Peter Coll and Pioneer Award Winners Larry Hays, and Tom Massey. They explore the evolution of air conditioning systems, the importance of collaboration, and the role of MACS in advancing the industry.

Larry Hays' career in automotive service began in high school when his shop teacher got him a job at an independent garage. Shortly thereafter, and while still in high school, Larry took a work/study job starting at 80 cent an hour and stayed there for 5 years before moving to Dallas Smith Transport. There he got his first taste of the A/C life learning to install factory A/C in a 1962 Buick and rebuild A6 compressors at the GM Training center in El Paso, TX. After three years, Larry found his forever home at Tony M. Coury Buick in Mesa, AZ where he would go on to spend the next 40 years.

In 1966 Harrison Radiator introduced their own automatic A/C system and often visited Larry from the GM Proving ground due to his close proximity.  The visits led to friendships, networking and, eventually an introduction to the likes of Paul Weissler, Jim Resutek, Ward Atkinson, and many others.

In 1976, Tom Massey, an ASE certified Master Technician, started his own shop in Sioux Falls, SD. Doing A/C in South Dakota in the 1980’s, Tom was frustrated because the one fitting that was needed for the job was not available locally so, Tom started stocking A/C fittings, A/C units and other parts to be available on demand. When other shops found out that he had inventory, the business progressed to add wholesale parts & distribution. He was a distributor for ARA, AIR & later for the company that became Global Parts Distributors. Tom’s passion for A/C drew him to heat of Las Vegas in 1993 when he started Auto Air & More Inc. selling A/C parts to consumers, fleets, dealerships, and competitors as well as servicing vehicles.


Show Notes:







Watch Full Video Episode
Pioneer award winners and their contributions (00:01:00) Recognition of industry pioneers and their significant contributions, including the first board member who was a technician.
Challenges in automotive air conditioning systems (00:03:49) Discussion about the challenges and innovations in air conditioning systems, particularly in the context of specialized vehicles like limousines.
Impact of temperature on air conditioning systems (00:06:35) Explanation of the impact of high temperatures on air conditioning systems, including the need for specialized designs and heat exchange.
Differences in customer expectations between dealerships and independent shops (00:08:27) Comparison of customer expectations and concerns between dealership and independent shop environments.
Effect of climate on air conditioning systems (00:09:21) Discussion about the influence of climate, particularly humidity, on the functioning of air conditioning systems.
Collaboration between manufacturers and technicians (00:12:00) Importance of collaboration between manufacturers and technicians in diagnosing and addressing technical issues in air conditioning systems.
Role of MACS in industry collaboration...