2025 Spring Conference Held in Quad Cities, Iowa

By: Linda Nguyen Skoglund, Communications Director
linda@narsa.org

The 2025 NARSA/IDEA Spring Conference drew about 85 members from several different countries to the Quad Cities.

Known for producing commercial and industrial fluxes used in soldering and brazing applications, Johnson Manufacturing was the host company for the annual meeting from May 15-16, 2025. For Johnson’s team, the Spring Conference was years in the making. 

“We had been slated to host in May of 2020, but COVID had other plans,” said Aaron Morrow, Johnson Mfg’s General Manager and NARSA/IDEA Board Member. “We’ve spent the last two years working with the local chamber, Visit Quad Cities, the NARSA/IDEA Board and executive team to get lodging, transportation, speakers, and tours in place. Everyone at Johnson has rolled up their sleeves and pitched in during that time, but especially the last three months as we focused on cleaning and organizing the shop and getting our production schedule lined up to really show off our capabilities.”

“The 2025 Spring Conference was a great success thanks to our wonderful hosts,” said NARSA/IDEA Executive Director Nathan Ingrao. “We are very fortunate to have Aaron Morrow and Johnson Mfg as members of our association who embody our mission statement of ‘One Idea, One Opportunity, and One Connection.’ Thanks to their cooperation, we are able to provide space for our members to really engage, learn from each other, and grow their businesses.”

Before the conference kicked off, some NARSA members joined Johnson employees at a Quad Cities River Bandits baseball game on Tuesday night. Members enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers watching the Quad Cities River Bandits face the Dayton Dragons. 

Then on Wednesday, May 13, the NARSA/IDEA Board of Directors met at the Rhythm City Casino & Resort. During these quarterly meetings, the all-volunteer board discusses future events and various initiatives within the association such as the newly updated online Radiator Technician Training Certification. 

Following registration on Wednesday evening, roughly 25 members got the opportunity to chat with other radiator shop owners during the first ever “Rad Shop Roundtable.” Some of the hot topics included tariffs, freight, training, shop work flow, and hiring challenges. Bryan Braswell of Rocky Mount Radiator was the moderator.

Rick Reminer of Sinkut Radiator Service traveled to Iowa from British Columbia, Canada. When asked why he came to the Spring Conference, Reimer said the big draw for him was seeing Johnson Manufacturing. He also attended the roundtable on Wednesday night and enjoyed the informal discussions. “More than anything, I wanted to meet with colleagues in the industry and to talk to other radiator guys,” said Reimer. “I think it’s very motivational and extremely educational. The connections a person can make here is amazing. Actually, the day I got here I met a fellow shop owner at the airport, and we shared an Uber to the hotel. That was actually James Wilson from Barton Radiator who is from Canada as well, and I didn’t realize that until we started talking.”

Reimer joined NARSA in 2009. He’s been to several NARSA events in the past, but admits he hasn’t been to a meeting in awhile. For anyone on the fence about attending a conference, Reimer encourages other members to dive right in. “There are no college courses for radiator technicians. Nobody else offers the training certification that NARSA offers. So the educational aspect along with the testing is valuable to me as a business owner and to my technicians who are always looking for ways to improve their skillset and value to our company.”
 

Day 1 - Thursday, May 15

The first full day of the conference started Thursday with a welcome by President Corey Roppel and an update from Executive Director Nathan Ingrao about some of the new benefits for members. Then, the first cooling systems panel started. Bobby Duran of Cooling Systems Caribe was the moderator. The panelists included Aaron Morrow of Johnson Manufacturing, Robb Leu from DRC Heat Transfer, Bob Burgess of TitanX, and José García from Solvay. Among the topics included the benefits of Lead-Free solder, non-fluxed radiators, and tariffs on raw materials and automotive components. 

The Cooling Systems panel was especially interesting to Rick Reimer. “We’re always mindful of safety, but we never really considered lead-free solder. That’s something we’re definitely going to think about now. If you can’t keep your employees safe but hazardous fumes from chemicals, from whatever, then what do you have? Safety can never be too expensive,” said Reimer.

As one of the panelists, Aaron Morrow said he was happy to help other members. “I was blown away by the number of members that followed up with me after the panel with deeper questions on the lead-free solder and interest in considering making the switch themselves. Having had the opportunity to serve NARSA for a few years I’ve gotten much more comfortable being in front of a group and speaking, especially on topics that I live with everyday. Being able to share the knowledge and expertise that Johnson has on solders was an honor.”

Following the panel, attendees heard from Willie Cade, a Senior Policy Advisor for Agricultural Right to Repair at Farm Action, about the “Right to Repair” movement. This legislation hopes to push for independent access to vehicle data, diagnostics, and repair capabilities.

After lunch, keynote speaker Matt Booth took the stage with his presentation titled, “Basically Incredibly.” Booth’s message focused on checking your attitude. Attendees were encouraged to do an attitude inventory. “If attitude is valuable, why don’t we ever count it?” Matt Booth asked the audience. “Being positive is all about perspective!

Booth then went on about how you need three positive thoughts for each negative thoughts to lead a positive life. This exercise generated a lot of laughs from members and personal reflection about the attitudes of the top five people with whom they interact the most.

Another interesting presentation was given by José S. García from Solvay on "Controlled Atmosphere Furnace Brazing of Aluminum Alloys." 

Programming then wrapped up with a panel focused on Aftertreatment. Bobby Duran of Cooling Systems Caribe was the moderator again for this discussion and the panelists included Scot Johnson of American Radiator, Tom Williams of Skyline Emissions, and Thomas Hart from Don Hart’s Radiator. The topics ranged from turnaround time, meeting EPA standards, changes in technology, training technicians, and educating customers. 

The diesel emissions discussion really stood out to Alejandro Ossa, the General Manager of Radiadore Panama in Panama City. Radiadores Panama joined NARSA in 2018, and this was Ossa’s fourth Spring Conference. 

“There’s nobody doing DPF in Panama, and I’m thinking about incorporating that eventually in our business,” said Ossa. “I learned a lot about the different methods of cleaning and the best practices during the panel. Then afterwards, I spoke with Thomas Hart and asked him more about it. I like the panels a lot, because members were talking about what they’re doing and we learned what others were doing in their shop.”

After a full day of programming, the Spring Conference continued with the Tabletop Exhibition and dinner reception. It was a chance for members to meet vendors and connect with one another. 

Chris Philpott is the Director of Business Development for Reach Cooling Group and traveled to the Quad Cities from Los Angeles. “It’s been awhile since I’ve attended a NARSA event, and I feel like we wanted to reconnect with this side of our business. This was a great opportunity to reconnect with old faces that I haven't seen in awhile or who I don't always get to see in Vegas at AAPEX. It’s been very enjoyable, and it’s nice to meet new people as well.”

As a sponsor of the 2025 Spring Conference, Philpott said, “We want to let members know that we’re engaged. I think a lot of people are familiar with REACH but they haven’t seen us around in awhile.”

During the reception, President Corey Roppel recognized Johnson Manufacturing for hosting this year’s meeting. “Everyone at Johnson Mfg has gone above and beyond to make NARSA members feel welcome here in Iowa,” said Roppel. “We can’t thank Johnson enough for their hospitality.” 

Day 2 - May 16, 2025

On Day 2 of the Spring Conference, attendees were split into two groups to visit Johnson Mfg’s facility in Davenport and Lincoln Electric Automation in Bettendorf. 

Lincoln Electric Automation (formerly Vizient Manufacturing Solutions) produces custom-engineered robotic systems and automation solutions for arc welding and material handling applications. During the tour, attendees got to see various tailored automation systems with robotic integration, tooling, and positioners.

At Johnson Mfg, members got to see various manufacturing processes including casting, extrusion of bar and solid wire solders, drawing and spooling operations, and hand poured metals. They also saw how flux was made including the mixing rooms, humidity controlled dry rooms, and the DayRod Flux Coating area. 

Originally founded in the St. Louis area in 1909 by Charles H. Johnson, the plant was relocated to Mt. Vernon, Iowa in the late 1940s and was affiliated with the Johnson Gas Appliance Company. Johnson Mfg was moved to Princeton, Iowa in 1964. In addition to the international heat transfer industry, Johnson’s customers come from other fields including stained glass, sheet metal contractors, architectural metal roofing and gutters, re-babbitting shops, and contract work for other international solder and flux manufacturers.

“Johnson Mfg was very interesting to me, because I got to meet the people who provide tools for our shop,” said Alejandro Ossa. “I liked to learn what they’re doing. I learned about their chemicals, solders, and tools I didn’t know they had.”

This was Dan Wilson’s first NARSA event as a new member to the association. Wilson is the President of Montana Radiator Works in Billings, Montana and considers himself very new to the industry. “I bought this company 11 months ago, and one of the first things I did when I bought the company was I called former Executive Director Mark Taylor and asked for his advice,” said Wilson. “I wanted to make connections, and right away, he said, ‘G to the meetings. People there will be helpful. They'll be willing to talk to you, teach you, answer your questions. You’ll meet vendors, and you’ll meet people who do the same thing as you.’ And he was right! Everyone has been really nice and helpful.”

All in all, the 2025 Spring Conference in Iowa connected new members with colleagues and reconnected lifelong friends. “NARSA is like any organization, group, club, or endeavor. You get out of it what you are willing to put into it,” said Morrow. “The true value of a membership is the opportunity to network and engage with like minded people in our industry. If you have a growth mindset for you and your business, take the time to come to a NARSA event and meet others, learn from them, take those lessons back home and implement them and watch your business grow.”