When EXAIR has big news to share, we do so through periodic press releases. These serve to announce the introduction of a new product (like our 1/2 NPT Hollow Cone Liquid Nozzles for Cooling and Washing), the release of new media (like our New Air Atomizing Spray Nozzle Video), or expanded certification of existing products (like the Upgraded Certification for our NEMA 4 Cabinet Cooler products). It seems whatever the subject is, it’s always near & dear to my heart. And the most recent press release subject might just be my all-time favorite: It’s me!
You can read all about what it means, exactly, in the press release, but I thought I’d take a few minutes and tell you how a lifetime of experience culminated in becoming a Certified Compressed Air System Specialist. As a submarine sailor in the United States Navy, I became intimately familiar with the compressed air systems that we used for emergency air breathing, to launch weapons, to control various pieces of machinery throughout the boat, and most importantly, to get to the surface quickly if we absolutely, positively needed to, like right now:
After winning the Cold War (I was literally at sea on a Trident submarine when they started tearing down the Berlin Wall), I left the Navy and took a job repairing industrial pumps. One of our larger customers used air operated double diaphragm pumps, and sent them in for refurbishment on a regular basis, which further expanded my knowledge and experience with pneumatics. I transitioned from there to a few other roles in the fluid handling industry, eventually ending up as an application engineer, where I turned fewer wrenches and did more math with performance curves, flow vs. pressure graphs, etc.
In 2011, I took what turned out to be the best career opportunity ever presented to me, and became an Application Engineer at EXAIR. Being a lifelong math & science nerd aficionado, using pneumatic, engineering, and heat transfer data to specify the right products for our customers fit me right down to the soles of my shoes. As I gained confidence and credibility, I also became more & more familiar with organizations such as the Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) and Compressed Air Best Practices (CABP). Their focus on helping industry professionals get the most out of their compressed air systems dovetailed nicely with EXAIR’s expectations of me to help our customers get the most out of our products. So, when the opportunity to pursue official industry accreditation came up, I took it with the same enthusiasm I had when I came to EXAIR.
Anyway, this is an accomplishment that I’m pretty proud of, and I’m honored that EXAIR made such a big deal out of it. If you’ve ever spoken, emailed, or Live Chatted with me about a compressed air product application, you were part of my preparation for this, and I appreciate that too. If you want to find out how I can help you get the most out of your compressed air system, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer
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