Erin Putman

Erin Putman

Erin Putman has joined the Air Innovations team as Director of Finance and Purchasing. In addition to accounting and supply chain management, she will be responsible for Information Systems and Human Resources.  Erin has 20 years experience in manufacturing, with a combination of experience in Purchasing, Finance and Treasury. Erin has a bachelor’s degree from University of Oswego in accounting.

Atul Swamy

Atul has a Bachelors of Engineering from India, a Masters of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, and is currently finishing up his MBA degree at the University of Oklahoma.

Atul started his career in the HVAC industry as an MEP consulting engineer and later switched to R&D engineer due to his interest in research and product development. In the past, he led teams of design engineers conducting research & product development efforts with a focus on HVAC products such as rooftop units, air-cooled and liquid-cooled chillers, pumps, etc. He has multiple granted patents and a few pending patents. As Director of Engineering, Atul leads a team of engineers to design and develop products for Air Innovations’ customers.

John Bires

Bires joined Air Innovations in 2016 as the Director of Operations with over 25 years experience in implementing best manufacturing practices within eight industries.  Previously he worked for 3M Company for 15 years where he received a number of engineering awards for his technical accomplishments including the design of an oxygen sensor that is used in open-heart surgery procedures.  Bires is a Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt and is Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) by ASCM (APICS). He holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.

As Director of Operations he is responsible for all manufacturing functions, including production, scheduling, shipping, building facilities and maintenance, and safety compliance.

Michael Wetzel, P.E.

Michael Wetzel is President and CEO of Air Innovations, a firm specializing in the design and manufacture of environmental control system. Wetzel is a graduate of Clarkson University where he received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and is the holder of seven US patents.

Prior to Air Innovations, Wetzel was based in Strasbourg, France for four years working for a multinational company building cleanrooms in Europe and the Mideast. Previously he worked stateside as an engineering manager in the HVAC construction industry.

Since joining the company as president and CEO in 1996, and after he and his father Larry acquired controlling interest in Floratech Industries, Wetzel has grown Air Innovations from a company focused solely on floral coolers to one that addresses wide variety of refrigeration, air conditioning and filtration needs. During this time, revenue and employment have increased dramatically.

Wetzel serves on the board of directors for MACNY (Manufacturers Association of Central NY), is a member of the District Export Council, and is VP of the CNYIBA (Central NY International Business Alliance). He also serves on the Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration International Leadership Council.

District Export Council members are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce and serve as resources for the local export community by providing guidance and advice for other companies new to or less experienced with the process.

He is also a past member of the board of directors for the Erie Canal and Skaneateles Ski Hill.

Wetzel participates in many outdoor sports and activities, including skiing, biking, hiking, sailing, SCUBA diving and HPDE (High Performance driving events on road courses).  He has been a certified level 200 Alpine ski coach and official for over 20 years.  Married for more than 20 years, with two sons that all enjoy the same passion for outdoor activities. He is also a self proclaimed oenophile, even before we were in the wine cooling business!

Richard Bailey

Bailey joined Air Innovations in 2013 as Dir. of Marketing & Business Development. He is responsible for marketing communications, brand development, market research, and business development for all Air Innovations brands.

Previously, Bailey held roles as VP of Marketing and Dir. of Marketing & International Representation at a high-tech component manufacturer and was a financial analyst at an industrial durable goods manufacturer. Bailey has lived and worked in Belgium and the Ukraine, has personally conducted business in 15 countries. He holds an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Marketing and Supply Chain Management from Syracuse University and a B.S. in Business Management with a co-emphasis in International Finance & Finance with a Russian minor from Brigham Young University.

Michael Militi

Militi has 20 years experience in HVAC project management, sales and applications engineering. He joined Air Innovations in 2001, and is responsible for Wine Guardian wine cooling systems and Cleanroom Systems divisions, including AdvancAir® and HEPAir® business.

Previously, Militi worked as a sales engineer for a package testing and reliability equipment company and an industrial blower manufacturer. He began his career at Cleanroom Technology and continued developing turnkey cleanroom solutions for an international client base when that company was purchased by Clestra.

Militi has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

John Patalita

Patalita serves as division manager of the Floratech division at Air Innovations. He is responsible for both North American and international sales. He also is in charge of Wine Guardian international sales.

Patalita comes to the job with over 25 years of sales, marketing and new product development at Carrier Corporation and Lennox International. He worked in Europe for ten years, and speaks fluent French, Polish and Spanish, assets he will be able to use in developing Floratech and Wine Guardian’s international markets. Patalita holds an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester’s Executive Development Program, and a B.S. in systems engineering and operations research from Princeton University, He also completed graduate studies in France at the École Superieure des Science Économique et Commerciales.

Lawrence (Larry) Wetzel, P.E.

The first 18 years of Larry Wetzel’s career were spent in the construction industry. Starting as a junior engineer, he rose to become president of a division. In 1983, he founded Clean Room Technology, Inc. and rapidly built it into an international business with sales in excess of $20 million. The $650,000 of initial start-up capital was leveraged into a market value in excess of $8 million dollars when the company merged with the French company, Clestra, in 1989.

Wetzel spent the next several years as chairman of Clestra’s worldwide cleanroom operations with sales in excess of $40 million. In 1994, while serving as a consultant to Clestra, Wetzel co-founded Exponential Business Development Company to invest in and assist start-up entrepreneurial companies in Upstate New York. Exponential raised over $5 million in capital with Wetzel serving as a general partner until 2002 when the business was acquired by Newtek Capital, Inc.

Early in 1996, Wetzel and his son, Michael, acquired controlling interest in Floratech Industries, Inc. In 1998, Floratech introduced an innovative new air conditioning product, HEPAir, for the cleanroom and indoor air quality market. In 1999, Floratech, through its newly formed subsidiary, Cleanroom Systems, Inc., acquired the cleanroom air conditioning manufacturing division back from Clestra.

In 2001, the parent company changed its name to Air Innovations, Inc. to better reflect its mission. Sales, profits and employment have increased ten-fold in this time. Larry Wetzel continues to serve as chairman and Michael Wetzel serves as president and CEO.

In 2011, Wetzel was honored by the HVAC-R and manufacturing industries with two significant awards: Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning magazine’s “Engineer of the Year” and the Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York award for manufacturing excellence.

Wetzel holds degrees in mathematics and engineering from Penn State University and St. Vincent College and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He is a holder of eight U.S. patents. Currently, Wetzel is principal investigator on several HEPAiRx ventilating air purifier research studies and is actively involved in the product’s commercial launch.

Wetzel is a frequent lecturer, has published several professional articles, and sits on the boards of several companies in the region. He is active in many philanthropic and business organizations in the Central New York community. Wetzel is a founding board member of the New York Indoor Environmental Quality Center, Inc., which subsequently became the Syracuse Center of Excellence.

John A. Rizzo

John A. Rizzo is a lean six sigma consultant for Moffitt Associates with 23 years experience in operations, finance, and sales/marketing. Before joining Moffitt, John led lean six sigma transformations at three manufacturing companies from the roles of director of operations, general manager and president. John has worked or consulted in several different manufacturing and service industries including: precision metal working, pharmaceuticals, medical, electrical materials, air conditioning, textiles, and temporary staffing.

John has facilitated several hundred LSS kaizen events / projects. He is known as a passionate advocate for continuous improvement and is able to bring together individuals with different agendas. A partial list of areas where John has extensive experience includes: strategy deployment, creating flow, material replenishment systems, total productive maintenance, value stream mapping, mistake proofing, quality function deployment, set up reduction, failure mode effects analysis, design for manufacturing, and supply chain optimization.

John holds a B.S. from the Schools of Engineering and Business at the University of Vermont. He earned an M.B.A. and M.P.A. from Syracuse University. He is a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), APICS certified, and an HL Black Belt. He has also served as chairman for one of the largest manufacturing associations in the country.