Patricia Rizzo named to Top Women in HVAC for 2022
Danforth’s Patricia Rizzo has been named to the 2022 Top Women in HVAC list by The Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration NEWS publication.
Rizzo is a Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Operator at Danforth and has been in the industry for over 20 years.
She started out as a Service Technician in 2001, and in 2006, joined the Plumbers & Steamfitters, Local 22. Rizzo also became a HVAC Service Technician during this time period.
Before she entered the industry, Rizzo served in the United States Army – both Active and Reserve duty.
Rizzo shares her wealth of knowledge through her passion of teaching at both BOCES and her Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, Local 22.
One of her goals left in her career is to bring more women into the industry and improve the availability of safety equipment and resources for women. “Women need to have a better selection of safety equipment on the job. Having items that fit properly and securely are vital and this can be difficult when selections are limited,” Rizzo said.
Rizzo is very active in her Union and is an advocate for recruiting women at an earlier age and providing better mentorship programs for them. “We need to start introducing the trades to young girls during their middle school years, like 7th or 8th grade. This is a great opportunity to give them a taste of the industry and provide an outlet to explore what a career in the trades could lead to,” she said.
Rizzo’s advice for women looking to get into the industry is to keep learning and take the initiative to grow on your own.
To read the full article about Patricia Rizzo from ACHR NEWS, click here.
