Meet ACG’s October CxA of the Month — Paul Fink is a commissioning professional whose career began in high school HVAC and grew through healthcare facilities, research labs, and nearly eight years at the University of Pittsburgh before landing in MEP commissioning.

Education & Early Career

Paul Fink began his HVAC career while still in high school. This set him on a course to later earn his Associate of Applied Science in HVCAR from Dean Institute of Technology, and his experience only expanded from there.

After graduating, it took more than three years before he formally entered commissioning. That time was spent building real-world experience: Paul worked at a commercial HVAC company, a sheet metal shop, and eventually advanced into healthcare facilities at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) as an HVAC technician.

A Path Through Complex Environments

From UPMC, he joined the University of Pittsburgh as an Operating Engineer, supporting animal research and high-containment laboratory environments. Over nearly eight years, Paul expanded into building controls, completed specialized training and certifications, and was promoted to Research Facility Manager.

Why Commissioning?

In his own words: commissioning brought together the hands-on HVAC experience built early in his career with a higher-level focus on system performance and problem-solving. After working in complex environments like healthcare and high-containment research labs, he developed a strong appreciation for how critical it is that systems don’t just run, they operate exactly as designed.

Commissioning allows Paul to be involved from a broader perspective: verifying functionality, optimizing performance, and ensuring reliability in mission-critical facilities.

Advice for the Next Generation

Paul’s advice for students considering a path into commissioning is simple: “Do it.”