Technical Committee

About the Technical Committee

The RCAT National Technical Committee is dedicated to the Residential & Commercial Appliance Technology program. It’s members all have more than 20 to over 40 years experience in the appliance and refrigeration technology service industry.  Consistency and keeping up with today’s changing technology in the Major Appliance Industry is a top priority.

Professional Service Association
Greg Doster – Chairman
Board of Directors Member
Phone: 954-812-9695  | Cell Phone: 954-812-9695
gdoster6@gmail.com

Greg is retired from Whirlpool Corporation after 18 years of service. Greg has been in the appliance service industry for over 47 years working for Sears, Maytag, Whirlpool and owning his own business. Greg has been a member of the SkillsUSA MART National Technical Committee for more than 17 years. Greg also serves on the Miami/Dade County MART Advisory Committee and State of Florida SkillsUSA MART Technical Committee.

Nationwide Marketing Group
Mark Pollitz – Co-Chairman
National Director of Service
Phone: 386-290-9449  | Cell Phone: 386-290-9449
mark.pollitz@yahoo.com

Mark is the Director of the Service Leaders Network, a division of Nationwide Marketing Group, the nation’s largest buying and marketing organization. Mark has been in the appliance service industry for over 40 years working for several manufacturers, large and small service companies and as an Appliance Service Professional. Mark has been a member of the SkillsUSA RCAT National Technical Committee for more than 15 Years. He also serves on the State of Florida SkillsUSA RCAT and is on the Educational Committee of the Professional Servicers Association.

Fisher & Paykel
Mike Yelo
Operations Manager Field Service
Phone: 609-664-8828 | Cell Phone: 732-266-8261
michael.yelo@fisherpaykel.com

Michael has been in the appliance service industry for over 15 years. He started in 2003 with Miele as a Display Installer, Service Technician, Senior Technician, and Technical Service Supervisor. In 2013, he moved over to Samsung where he was a Technical Trainer until he was promoted to Technical Training Manager. In 2019, he joined Fisher & Paykel as Factory Service Operations Manager, overseeing technicians throughout the United States. Michael joined the SkillsUSA Mart National Technical Committee in 2018.

Encompass
Reggie Williams
Sales Rep
Cell Phone: 404-921-7412
rewilliams@emcompass.com

I started in the appliance business in 2010 as a washer dryer technician and reseller.
I decided to share the my knowledge I’ve learned throughout the years with my YouTube channel that has 30,000 plus subscribers and millions of views currently.
In 2021, I took an opportunity to expand my influence and help my fellow Repair Techs in the appliance industry by joining the Encompass Team. My role with Encompass is to help technicians have access to original manufacturer parts and repair training.
besor

Reliable Parts
Besor Fayas
Vice President of Sales
Phone: 972-998-7228 | Cell Phone: 972-705-7808
besor.fayas@reliableparts.com

Besor Fayas is the Vice President of Sales for Reliable Parts Ltd., responsible for the strategic growth, vision, and performance of the many appliance manufacturers, Reliable Parts represents.

As a seasoned professional with more than 15 years of industry experience, Besor is known for driving brand awareness, sales leadership, and delivering financial performance.  He started with Appliance Parts Depot as a Sales Support Manager and has been promoted through the company to Director of Sales and ultimately when APD was purchased by Reliable Parts, to VP of Sales.  Prior to this Besor worked in several operations roles within the appliance wholesale distribution business as well as operating an appliance service company for several years.  Upon graduating from high school, he served in the US Army Infantry for 6 years where he attended several leadership courses.  His continued focus on leadership excellence, team building, and continuing education has helped propel him through the ranks throughout his career.

Besor studied business management with focus on entrepreneurial aspirations at Southern Methodist University. As well he has obtained certificates from US Army Primary Leadership and Development Course & University of Texas Arlington Business Management.  He is currently based at Reliable’ s corporate Headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Appliance
Stuart Pyburn
Franchise Business Coach
Phone: 254-759-5806 | Cell Phone: 254-854-2471
stuart.pyburn@nbly.com

Stuart Pyburn is a Financial Business Coach for Mr Appliance, A Neighborly Company, where he assists franchise business owners with all aspects of their business and making sure they understand and adhere to the systems of the franchise. He is also the Subject Matter Expert on Appliance Technicians. Pryor to working for Mr Appliance he worked for Sears Product Service for 29 years starting as an Appliance Repair Tech and then moved through the ranks of Routing, Inventory, Technical Training, Tech Management, and Loss Prevention and Asset Protection Management.

Dependable Repair Services
Brannon Harris
Owner/Operator
Phone: 770-577-5770 | Cell Phone: 770-480-0550
brannon@dependableservices.com

Brannon is the owner of Dependable Repair Services since 2015 and has spent the last 15 years in the Family business. Brannon has been a member of the SkillsUSA MART National Technical Committee since 2013.

BB Appliance
Ed & Brenda Besalke
Owner/Operator
Cell Phone: 573-721-1131 Brenda | Cell Phone: 573-473-9270 Ed
bbappliance1545@gmail.com

Ed is a Veteran of the USAF. He has been in the Appliance and HVAC service industry since 1982. He and his wife Brenda who is a LPN Nurse, office manage and the real boss at B&B Appliance which her and Ed have owned since 1993. Both Ed and Brenda have been involved with SkillsUSA since 2004. During this time Ed has also been a member of the MART SkillsUSA National Technical Committee.

Michaelson’s Appliance Repair
Mike Basich
General Manager
Phone: 813-935-1919 | Cell Phone: 813-917-4372
mike@michaelsons.us

Mike entered the appliance industry as a delivery helper in 1975. In 1977 he went to work for General Electric as a TV/Appliance shop technician. In 1986 Mike was hired by Desears Appliance & TV as a service technician. Mike and his wife opened Michaelson’s Appliance Repair in 1988 & continues as owner operator today. Mike is also a member of PSA, USA & MSA trade associations. Mike holds personal accreditations as a Universal Technician from NASTeC and Master Certified Appliance Professional & Certified Service Manager from PSA. Mike is the Coordinator of the Florida SkillsUSA State MART Contest. Mike has also been a member of the SkillsUSA MART.

Professional Service Association
Mike Callahan
President
Phone: 888-319-8311
mike@callahansappliance.com

I grew up in New York and worked with my father’s business. I started as a technician and helped grow his business, moved to Texas, and started Callahan’s Appliance Inc. Growing each year, we now have 9 technicians. I try to help the industry from every aspect I can. I started volunteering as a committee member for PSA, Professional Service Association. After a few years, I was voted to be President of the association. I also started volunteering with Skills USA and now am honored to be a judge. Our industry is lacking qualified technicians. My efforts have been to learn, teach, and grow our industry to fill it with qualified technicians.

ServicersWeb
Christina Kraker
COO / Co-Founder
Phone: 530-520-4799 | Cell Phone: 530-520-4799
christina@servicersweb.com

Christina is the COO, Co-Founder of ServicersWeb, a digital marketing agency that provides search engine optimization, website design, digital advertising, social media management, and other brand management services for in-home service companies.

Christina is a Marine Corps veteran with experience in Electronics Calibration and Repair and worked as an inventory specialist for NAVAIR. She also has a MA in Language and Literacy from CSU Chico.

BSH Home Appliances Corporation
Justin Thomas
Senior 3rd Party Field Service Manager
Phone: 732-239-8786 | Cell Phone: 732-239-8786
Justin.thomas@bshg.com

I have over 18 years of experience in the Appliance industry. I began my career with Miele Appliances where I spent 14 years in multiple levels of their Field Service Department. After my time there, I spent almost 2 years as a Regional Service Manager with Samsung before joining BSH in 2017 as a 3rd Party Field Service Manager.

Marcone Supply
Rick Kuemin
Director of Training
Phone: 314-562-0279 | Cell Phone: 314-562-0279
richard.kuemin@marcone.com

After joining the service field in 1979, he held positions with Whirlpool, Maytag, Scotsman, Fisher & Paykel, and others. In addition to the technical work, Rick also boasts a solid background in management and customer service.

With a career in appliance repair that spans more than three decades, there’s no doubt Rick knows his subject matter. In fact, he’s built a steady following of servicers who, time after time, return to his classes to receive the latest in education and training. An MSA certified trainer educated by various appliance manufacturers around the country.

Hisense USA Corporation
Tim Burdick
Technical Training Lead & Technical Content Creation
Phone: 623-252-0924 | Cell: 480-254-8252
tim.burdick@hisense.com

Tim has been in the appliance service industry for most of his life. Coming from a family appliance repair business he has been around the industry for over 30 years. He has sat in many seats from technician to service center owner, to parts sales to working for several manufacturers in customer support to technical training positions. Currently, Tim is with Hisense USA where he is the Lead Technical Trainer and Technical Content Creation Specialist. Tim joined the SkillsUSA National Technical Committee in 2022

Commercial Food Equipment Svc. Asso.
Dan Reese
Director of Training
Phone: 336-346-4700 | Cell Phone: 813-426-6499
dreese@cfesa.com

Daniel L. Reese is a 40-year veteran of the Commercial Foodservice Repair Industry. He started his career as a service technician and went on to be Co-Owner of a service company in Florida. His current position allows him to express his true passion of training and educating the next generation of service technician as the Director of Training for the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA). To honor Dan’s passion for training CFESA awarded him their Dedication to Training Award in 2019.

Electrolux Home Appliances
James Drew
Technical Trainer
Phone: 706-469-4791 | Cell: 706-627-0344
james.drew@electrolux.com

James lives in Augusta, Georgia. He has worked for Electrolux since October 2007, first as a Technical Support agent, then Technical Supervisor and now Technical Trainer. Prior experience includes numerous positions as a field service technician including Maytag since graduating technical school in 1996. James holds a Master technician certification with NASTEC as well as a certified proctor with NASTEC. James is a retired Navy First Class Petty officer since 2013 and became a certified instructor for the military during his career. James holds a Bachelors in Technical Management from DeVry University 2015 and an Associates of Applied Science HVAC from Augusta Technical College in 1996.

LG Electronics Alabama, Inc.
Yvonne Hornbuckle
Assistant Manager Training Center
Phone: 256-772-4753

I am currently the Assistant Planning Manager for the LG Electronics Training Center. I have worked for LG Electronics (Zenith Electronics) for over 24 years. I have worked in Parts and Technical Services for LG, but the Training Center is where home is. While working for LG, I was able to obtain both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration. I joined the SkillsUSA National Technical Committee in 2023 after participating in 2022 as contest support. I am honored to be part of an organization that is providing opportunities, skills, and most importantly education for this industry.

Nationwide Marketing Group
Carmine Dionisio
Educational Development Manager
Phone: 336-722-1360 | Cell: 336-722-1360
carmine.dionisio@nationwidegroup.org

Bio coming soon.

Residential & Commercial Appliance Technology