Executive Pro le

Executive Profile Lawrence J. Clark, CIAQP, CAFS

President, Clark Air Systems, Inc.

Larry grew up in Elma, New York (near Bu alo – go Bills!) and received is BA in Engineering at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. He served in the U.S. Navy as Naval Flight O cer in the E-2C Aircra from 1984-92. Larry just celebrated 37 years of marriage with his wife, Shelly and they have one daughter Lauren and one son Andrew. In his free time, Larry still runs 3-4 miles, 3 days a week, kayaks and is dog daddy to Henry and dog grandpa to Jerry, Bowie, and Golf.

“I gained a lot of knowledge from my counterparts in NAFA, and from Air Media Magazine and the Conferences. Clark Air continues to network with like-minded lter people across the country, mostly met through NAFA resources. We also got several of our salespeople CAFS certi ed which helps us serve our customer better..”

How do you motivate your employees?

We regularly allow our employees to participate in the nancial success of our business. We just celebrated Susan Sti er’s 25th year with the company with a company-family picnic. Beyond that, we operate as a results-based work environment with exible hours, and a healthy bene ts package. Finally, we educate that a happy customer is at the basis of our success, and in our small business, every employee has a hand in customer satisfaction.

What’s the best piece of business advice anyone ever gave you?

“Mr. Clark: You are not a basketball player. Get your butt out of that gym and report to wrestling practice” - Coach Richard Dechowitz – 1975.

“You can accomplish anything you set your mind to…” - Donald L. Clark – repeatedly over the years.

What is the most challenging aspect in the running your company?

ose challenges have changed over time, depending on the year -- in 2001 it was: Maintaining our customers in light of sweltering competitive heat, in 2011 it was: Holding the family together in order to weather internal struggles, and in 2021 it is: Holding our supplier base accountable to getting back to a product delivery routine that our customers have grown accustomed to.

Did you have a business mentor and if so, who is/was it?

Paul Wood or Camillus, NY, was my rst District Manager at Ashland Chemical. From the rst day in technical sales, he put a lot of energy into training me and motivating me. Several of the daily habits and disciplines I still use today, such as the Franklin Planner, strategic selling, and begin with the end in mind.

What do you think is the biggest challenge the air ltration industry currently faces?

I think the industry has a real opportunity to start walking away from air lters that really do not work well in many situations. e customer base is, right now, sitting up and listening to us. We can squander that attention by trying to sell a product that is, for example ‘One MERV Higher than the other guy’ or we can realize that cardboard-framed two-inch lters really don’t serve everybody well and drive our customers to set new standards. Maybe they need deeper lters, fail-proof lters, lters that meet higher operational goals, or lters that cost less because of their long operational life and low energy cost. Maybe the air handler manufacturers need to put more attention to the lter rack choices, so when the next airborne pandemic hits, the units are easily upgraded to higher and higher e ciencies.

Do you have any words of wisdom for up and coming lter professionals?

e world of quality air is your oyster. Study ltration and air quality from multiple di erent sources – Like NAFA, ASHRAE Studies, use several di erent manufacturers for information, and don’t swallow the sales pitches yourselves. Understand the truth behind the marketing. And, nally, open the lter service door at the END-OF-LIFE and see what the lter you sold looks like and how it is performing. Use a trained eye to really evaluate what is happening. ■

Clark Air Systems was founded by Donald L. Clark in 1975 as Clark Air Conditioning Systems, Inc. The Company is located in Buffalo/ Rochester/Syracuse New York area and is currently owned by brothers Christopher, David, and Lawrence Clark. Clark Air Systems, both an air filter distributor, and an air cleaning systems manufacturer, maintains a complete fabrication shop as well as several installation and service crews. The Company also sells, installs and services paint booths for the automotive, truck, bus, and industrial markets. Clark Air Systems has developed solutions by taking an engineered approach to solving air quality problems. Whether it is handling HVAC problems (like the ingestion of Syracuse winter snowfalls), solving a welding smoke problem, addressing a process contaminant, developing a pandemic IAQ plan, or developing automobile throughput through a body shop, they have the experience to get it done right.

Features

• Low Pressure Drop

Comparable to other Kitchen

Exhaust Filters

• Use in Existing Air Handlers or New Systems

• Available in a Variety of Sizes: 20” x 24” x 4” 16” x 20” x 4”

• Filled with XB-17 for

Removing Odors Such As: Oils & Greases Cooked Herbs & Species Burned Food Smoke Fried Food Odorous Fumes

Captured Air Kitchen Exhaust Filter

The Captured Air Kitchen Filter is designed for removing odors from kitchens. This filter removes smoke, grease, and other odors commonly found in commercial kitchens.

Inside the filter is Hydrosil’s odor control media also known as XB-17. XB-17 contains active potassium permanganate and activated carbon for effective removal of odors. For unique applications, a custom blend may also be used. A gasket may be installed surrounding the frame of the filter to ensure a tight seal against the air handling unit. This filter can be installed indoors or outdoors air handling units. By arranging the filters in a v-bank configuration, as shown to the left, you will increase filter area and reduce static pressure.

Call us for solutions to your gas phase pollutants

Please contact Hydrosil International Ltd. or your local distributor