Who Is Joseph R. Valenti?

Joseph R. Valenti, lovingly referred to as Papa Joe, was the father of Valairco’s founder, Richard J. Valenti, and the great uncle of the company’s current owner, Kevin J. McHugh. Joseph was born in 1903, the same year his family immigrated to America. Orphaned at 15, Joseph strived to become a master tool-and-dye mechanic for the sake of his two younger brothers, who he was then responsible for. At the same time, education was very important for Joseph, especially since he was an avid reader from an early age. In 1926, he graduated from Cooper Union and was the first one in his family to graduate from college.

Joseph went on to join Doctor Willis Carrier, when there were fewer than 100 employers of Carrier Corporation, becoming one of the pioneers of the air conditioning industry. He was responsible for developing tables to calculate heating and cooling load requirements commonly used today. He also received accolades for technical development, such as Hot Gas Bypass Control.

In the 1940s, Carrier Corporation divested itself of the engineering and contracting aspect of the air conditioning industry to focus on manufacturing. Joseph joined a company called Buensod-Stacey which was comprised of former engineers who had previously worked for Carrier. At Buensod-Stacey, he was a project engineer for many highly technical projects in the textile industry, major corporate headquarters, and hospitals.

In September of 1968, at the age of 65, Joseph retired from Buensod-Stacey and joined his son at Valairco. He worked full time for 10 years and then part-time, never completely retiring until he passed away at the age of 106 in 2009. It’s Joseph’s spirit and philosophy that nothing is impossible that permeates Valairco to this day.