In the Southwestern United States, few manmade objects can compete with the majestic beauty of Arizona’s mountains, but the copper design on the Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building at the University of Arizona’s Phoenix Biomedical Campus might come close.

As quickly as the sun disappeared from the sky on Aug. 21, 2017, hidden by the moon, did it reappear once again. Little did I know this cosmic event — the first time since 1918 that the continental United States has been able to witness such a moment of wonder — would also mark my move to a new job.

With a rising deluge of buzzwords and phrases ranging from sustainability and climate change to energy efficiency and green building seeping into nearly all industries, it’s hard to ignore HVAC’s role in lessening the environmental impact of buildings in the United States and worldwide.

Ductwork isn’t usually something that gets all the attention in a finished industrial, commercial or residential space. As long as it’s working properly, a building’s occupants could probably care less about the aesthetics behind the system keeping them cool or warm.

If you’ve visited www.snipsmag.com recently or received our weekly e-newsletters, then you’ve come across our latest poll on millennial outreach in the industry.

What was once old has been made new and energy efficient — at least in the case of retired Detroit firefighter Frank Polk’s home, which is being featured on the latest season of PBS’ “This Old House.”

In Elgin, Illinois, communications equipment company Motorola Solutions was planning an update to a 300,000-square-foot building that would be used for corporate training and manufacturing. While the building was relatively new, Motorola invested $18 million in upgrades to bring the facility’s components to “state-of-the-art” status — one of which was its HVAC system.

With a record crowd filling up a record amount of floor space, the 2017 AHR Expo will go down as the biggest expo ever, officials said.

As I write this, it’s the last day of the 2017 AHR Expo in Las Vegas. While SNIPS editor Michael McConnell is making his way to company booths we may have missed, I’m already back at home in Michigan with some time to reflect on my first visit to an HVAC/sheet metal trade show.

In 2009, Eric Slone had just graduated from Indianapolis-based Butler University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education.