Cool Skills: The Unsung Engineering Behind Everyday Refrigeration

Refrigeration often runs quietly in the background, but its impact is anything but silent. From ensuring food safety and reducing waste to stabilizing global trade and protecting critical infrastructure, refrigeration powers modern life in ways most people never see. This World Refrigeration Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the Gray AES Refrigeration Team, a tight-knit group of engineers and designers whose deep expertise and innovation keep the cold chain moving forward.

We join the global HVAC&R community in celebrating World Refrigeration Day on June 26, 2025, and every year, recognizing the essential role refrigeration plays across industries and around the world. Learn more at worldrefrigerationday.org.

Real-World Impact, Real-World Engineering

Food and beverage companies rely on refrigeration every day to deliver safe, high-quality products. But behind the scenes, there’s a great deal of complexity: ensuring bacterial growth is slowed, shelf life is extended, and systems are energy-efficient and sustainable. Today’s refrigeration systems don’t just chill — they optimize logistics, protect the environment, and support everything from medicine storage to data center performance.

The Gray AES Refrigeration team is advancing this critical work with every project they touch. They’re helping customers reduce their environmental footprint by designing systems that use natural refrigerants like ammonia and CO₂. They’re developing cost-effective, high-performance solutions that make industrial refrigeration systems not just effective but future-ready.

Meet the Team Behind the Tech

Our Refrigeration group is small in number but expansive in experience and impact. Led by Nicholas Ertel, the team brings over 30 years of combined experience in refrigeration design and engineering, supported by collaboration with our Mechanical team led by Brian Hafendorfer. Pictured above, left to right: Brian Kirley, Will Wickenden, Nicholas Ertel, and Brian Hafendorfer at a team outing to NASA while at the IIAR conference in Orlando, March 2024.

• Nicholas Ertel, Manager of Refrigeration Engineering, started his journey after a single elective in college sparked his interest. With hands-on experience at both subcontractor and general contractor firms, he joined Gray in 2021 and now leads the team with a passion for advancing natural refrigeration technologies and building strong industry relationships.
• Brian Kirley, Senior Refrigeration Engineer, is a veteran of industrial refrigeration with deep expertise in remodels, compliance, and greenfield facility design. He brings a steady hand to some of our most complex projects, drawing from over a decade of experience across Stellar and Gray, and sits on the IIAR CO₂ committee.
• William Wickenden, Refrigeration Designer II, blends technical insight with field experience. He began in the industry while still in school and now works on large-scale food processing and cold storage facilities with a focus on sustainability. William also serves on IIAR’s Energy and Sustainability Committee.
• Brian Hafendorfer, Director of Mechanical Engineering, brings 25 years of experience in HVAC and refrigeration. Starting at Trane and now helping lead multi-discipline systems for Gray AES, Brian is passionate about designing environments that are healthy, efficient, and environmentally sound.

Although they work remotely from across the U.S., this team stays closely connected through industry events, committee participation, and collaboration with peers. They’re active in organizations like RETA and IIAR, serving on technical committees and pushing forward best practices around energy and sustainability.

The Cool Factor: Projects in the Real World

The team’s impact is evident in the field. Whether designing a Fresh Kitchen refrigeration system for Publix, supporting advanced food processing for Instinct Dog Food, or implementing high-performance systems for Clemens, their work touches lives in subtle but powerful ways.

Each project is a balancing act — delivering on safety, performance, and sustainability while working with subcontractors, customers, and Gray’s internal teams to make industrial refrigeration systems more accessible and more advanced.

Cool Skills, Warm Commitment

At Gray AES, we celebrate the engineers, designers, and technical experts who help power industries behind the scenes. Their skills may be cool, but their commitment to excellence is nothing short of inspiring.

This World Refrigeration Day, and every year, we are proud to recognize the refrigeration professionals who make everyday life possible — and to continue supporting their work with projects that matter.