College names facility for founder of local air conditioning company

By Dylan Scott

Friday, Oct. 1, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Ken Goodrich’s father taught him about air conditioning, and Goodrich found a way to pay him back as the College of Southern Nevada on Wednesday dedicated the J. Duncan Goodrich Air Conditioning Technology Lab.

The senior Goodrich died in 1986, but not before starting an air conditioning company that his son has continued to build.

Goodrich, owner of Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing, donated $100,000 to CSN’s Air Conditioning Technology program and solicited his business partners to contribute equipment.

To repay him for his efforts, the college dedicated the new lab in Goodrich’s father’s name at a ceremony on Wednesday.

State budget cuts threatened to close the A/C program, Goodrich said, so he decided to intervene. Companies such as Burke Engineering, Goodman Manufacturing, American Residential Services and Emerson Technologies donated equipment, commercial controls and training aids to stock the facility so students can get first-hand experience.

“We need trained technicians in Las Vegas,” Goodrich said. “Air conditioning in Las Vegas is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.”

The program will train new students and out-of-work technicians who need a refresher on the latest technologies. Some of Goodrich’s donations will also fund scholarships.

Hands-on experience with new technology is invaluable, said Dennis Soukup, CSN’s chair of applied technologies.

“Without this new equipment, I would be graduating students who are obsolete,” he said.

Goodrich said his father owned an auto garage, repaired radio and TV broadcasting equipment and fixed electronics at the atomic testing site.

“He would take the time to study and learn the next trade,” Goodrich said, adding that he hoped CSN’s program will “build technicians with a thirst for knowledge and improving themselves.”