03/23/2026
Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC) announced its founder, John Engalitcheff Jr., was inducted into the Natural Refrigeration Foundation’s Legacy 100 Club, recognizing individuals whose innovations have made a lasting impact on the refrigeration and cooling industry.
Established by the Natural Refrigeration Foundation (NRF), the Legacy 100 Club honors pioneers whose contributions helped shape modern refrigeration technology and advance the industry’s role in supporting essential infrastructure worldwide.
Engalitcheff founded Baltimore Aircoil Company in 1938, building the company’s first cooling coil in his garage. Driven by curiosity, engineering ingenuity and a commitment to solving customer challenges, he pioneered technologies helping establish evaporative cooling as a highly efficient method of heat rejection for commercial and industrial applications.
During his career, Engalitcheff secured 47 patents, including 23 in evaporative cooling technologies, laying the foundation for decades of innovation. Today, BAC continues that legacy with more than 1,000 patents granted worldwide, delivering advanced cooling technologies supporting HVAC, industrial, refrigeration and data center applications
“John believed innovation mattered most when it solved real problems for customers,” said Don Fetzer, President, BAC. “His curiosity, courage and commitment to doing things better shaped the innovative and customer-centric culture that continues to define BAC today. We are honored to see his contributions recognized by the Natural Refrigeration Foundation.”
Engalitcheff’s work helped advance cooling technologies that support many of the systems modern society depends on – from food refrigeration and manufacturing to commercial buildings and digital infrastructure.
About BAC
Since 1938, BAC has been creating sustainable comfort cooling, process cooling and refrigeration solutions for the most essential and demanding environments on earth. From pioneering evaporative cooling products to leading the industry toward a better tomorrow, BAC innovates for the future, so we can all advance together. For more information, visit https://baltimoreaircoil.com.
About NRF
The Natural Refrigeration Foundation (NRF), is one of the world’s leading resources for evidence-based science to support the most earth-friendly refrigerants, which will drastically reduce greenhouse gases. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, education, research and training association dedicated to the natural refrigeration industry. Founded in 2006 by the membership of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), its partnerships and alliances have grown to include GCCA, RETA, ASHRAE, schools and trade associations. For more information, visit https://www.iiar.org/foundation/foundation/NRF_Home.aspx.
